Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 March 2016
516. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to withdraw the current Irish river basin management plan which has been submitted to the European Commission for adoption by 22 March 2016, and to redraft the plan to remove the reference to individualised domestic water charges. [4725/16]
View answer549. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government given the results of the general election, whether he will amend the river basin management scheme currently before the European Commission in order to reflect the uncertainty regarding the future of water charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5306/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 516 and 549 together.
The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy) establishes a common framework for the protection of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater. The overall aim of the Directive is to maintain high and good status waters where they exist and to restore waters that do not currently support aquatic ecosystems adequately. River basin management planning, structured in 6-year cycles, is the tool prescribed by the Directive for achieving these aims.
In July 2010, the first cycle River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) for Ireland were published, covering the period up to 2015. The RBMPs, which were adopted by all the local authorities, describe the measures planned to protect and improve Ireland’s water environment covering rivers, lakes, groundwater, transitional (estuaries) and coastal waters.
Member states are required to outline in RBMPs the planned steps to implement Article 9 of the Water Framework Directive which requires member states to take account of the principle of recovery of the costs of water services, in accordance with the “polluter pays” principle. This is in order to ensure that water-pricing policies incentivise the efficient use of water resources and thereby contribute to achieving the environmental objectives of the Directive.
The intention to charge for domestic water charges was set out in the first round of RBMPs and this was recognised in the European Commission’s 2012 report to the European Parliament and the European Council on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Ireland.
The second-cycle RBMPs for the period up to 2021 are in preparation at the moment, and the draft plans are due to be published in December 2016. A six-month public consultation process will take place in the first half of 2017 and the finalised second-cycle RBMPs are due for completion by the end of 2017, after which they will be forwarded to the European Commission. As such, the question of withdrawing or amending the second cycle RBMPs does not arise.
