Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2015
840. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons who have registered for the water conservation grant, to date; the estimated total cost of the grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28970/15]
View answerTo be eligible for the water conservation grant, a person must have registered their principal, private residence with Irish Water on or before 30 June 2015. Based on current projections, my Department estimates that the total cost of the grant in 2015 will be approximately €130 million, which includes a projected administration cost of €6.1 million. Irish Water will shortly transfer registration data as of 30 June 2015 to the Department of Social Protection which is administering the Water Conservation Grant Scheme on my Department’s behalf. I understand that Irish Water is currently processing postal registrations that were received by the deadline.
It is expected that circa 1.3 million letters will issue by the Department of Social Protection to householders who may be eligible to apply for the 2015 Water Conservation Grant between August and September 2015.
The grant will be paid to all eligible households commencing in September 2015, and on an annual basis thereafter. A dedicated website www.watergrant.ie has also been established which provides information in relation to the grant.
