Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 December 2014
515. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there is a data protection agreement between Irish Water and the Data Protection Commissioner, in relation to Irish Water accessing tenant information from the local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45966/14]
View answerSince 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The occupier of a property is liable to pay the water charges bill, and legislation provides that the owner is the occupier unless the contrary is proven. Irish Water is providing landlords with the opportunity to prove that they are not the occupier by providing the tenants’ names. This will allow Irish Water to contact the tenant to complete the registration and to bill the tenant. The tenant will have to register with Irish Water to avail of the water conservation grant or to get lower charges than the default capped charge (€260), where they are single adult occupants or their metered usage is less than the maximum charge.
Under the Water Services Acts 2007-2013, Irish Water may request its customers and certain specified persons or bodies, including local authorities, to provide it with information so that it can perform its functions under these Acts. Irish Water will treat applicants’ personal data in accordance with the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003. In complying with these Acts, Irish Water must ensure that the data is only used for the purpose for which it was collected and must also ensure that any data collected is stored securely.
