Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 June 2016
233. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to increase the grants payable under the group water scheme to ensure schemes are sufficiently maintained, given that recent cuts have made them unmanageable for proper maintenance to take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16751/16]
View answerThe Government is committed to introducing and supporting legislation in the Oireachtas, within six weeks of its appointment, to suspend domestic water charges for a period of nine months from the end of the current bill cycle. The proposed details of the suspension are set out in the recently published Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2016, which is available at www.oireachtas.ie. In line with the suspension of domestic water charges, and to ensure equity of treatment with households on public water supplies, the subsidisation for those on group water schemes will be restored to the level that pertained prior to the introduction of domestic water charges for households connected to the public water supply for the same time period.
