Written Answers Nos. 526-544
526. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to direct Irish Water to split fairly the water allowance allocation between separated parents who have joint custody of their children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37658/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 574 and 588 of 30 September 2014 which sets out the position in the matter.
527. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the provisions for additional water allowances for those with disabilities and for those whose health conditions require additional use of water, that is, skin conditions. [37667/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra528. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views that Irish Water has indicated that plans to draw up a list of medical conditions will be put on hold for another two years; his further views that this is unfair to those who suffer from medical conditions that result in having to use more water; if he will ensure that details of concessions for those with illnesses and disabilities are finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37691/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 527 and 528 together.
Following the completion of consultation in the matter with the Minister for Health, I have decided that Irish Water customers with high water consumption due to medical conditions will have their bills capped at the relevant assessed charge, on the basis of self-declaration of eligibility. This will apply even where a water meter has been installed and will ensure that those customers will not be liable for additional costs arising from their medical conditions.
This is an inclusive approach and there is no list of qualifying medical conditions. There is no requirement for the customer to state on the Irish Water application form the particular medical condition giving rise to the need to use additional water. Customers simply need to request the registration form and information on special and priority services from Irish Water. Those who have already completed the application form but who did not request the additional registration form should make contact with Irish Water.
To ensure that the scheme is not subject to abuse, Irish Water may selectively audit a customer’s circumstances, including requiring supporting evidence from a medical practitioner and it may also investigate instances of high usage to determine if there is other water use or leakage at the property.
This process will be in place for the first regulatory period which runs to end of 2016 and in light of the experience further refinements could be made.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on 1890 278 278.
529. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide the capital funding spent on social housing (details supplied) in each of the years 2010 to date in 2014; the number of housing units this equated to in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37707/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraFunding provided by my Department to local authorities for social housing encompasses a range of programmes and actions. My Department publishes a wide range of housing statistics, including historical data on social housing output since 2005. These statistics are available on my Department’s website at: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/HousingStatistics/FileDownLoad,15291,en.xls.
The main areas of social housing capital investment are the local authorities’ own social housing construction and acquisitions programme, the Capital Assistance Scheme though which funding is provided to the approved housing bodies, and the Regeneration Programme. Expenditure under these programmes for the years in question is as follows:
|
Year |
Local Authority Housing |
Capital Assistance Scheme |
Regeneration Programme |
|
2010 |
€417.5m |
€113.6m |
€115.7m |
|
2011 |
€189.2m |
€38.0m |
€117.0m |
|
2012 |
€116.9m |
€58.0m |
€100.6m |
|
2013 |
€83.3m |
€36.7m |
€69.4m |
These amounts are in addition to other areas of social housing investment, such as energy efficiency and retrofitting works; returning vacant properties to productive use; Traveller specific accommodation and housing adaptation grant schemes for older people and people with a disability.
Earlier this year, my Department announced some €68 million for the local authority housing construction programme 2014-15, to deliver 449 new units of accommodation for people on housing waiting lists. In addition, some €46 million is being provided for approved housing bodies under the Capital Assistance Scheme, for the construction and acquisition by them of some 416 new homes for persons with specific categories of housing need over the same period.
Some €70 million is being provided in 2014 to support the completion and advancement of regeneration projects at a number of locations around the country, including large scale projects in Ballymun, Dublin City, Limerick and Cork and smaller scale projects in Tralee, Sligo and Dundalk.
Capital funding provided for social housing is supplemented by current expenditure and the totality of expenditure on social housing from my Department is expected to yield in the region of 6,000 social housing units this year.
Plans in relation to the future delivery of social housing are now being developed as part of a new Social Housing Strategy, which will be considered by Government shortly. The Strategy will contain clear, measurable actions to increase the supply of social housing, based on innovative solutions that will harness new funding streams, in order to continue to protect the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society.
530. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details of grants or subsidies, under Leader funding that may be available for the restoration of a building (details supplied). [37709/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraFunding under the LEADER element of the 2007-2013 Rural Development Programme is fully committed. However, I expect that the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme will commence during 2015 and there is potential under this Programme to fund the restoration of buildings if it is identified as a priority in the Local Development Strategy for the area.
531. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the process involved in activating the newly-installed individual water meters; the process that will be involved in reading these meters once they have been activated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37716/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 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 water meters being installed by Irish Water are mechanical and so they begin to record the flow of water through the meter from the date of installation. Every meter is fitted with Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technology which maintains a record of the reading at midnight on the last day of each month. This provides Irish Water with an accurate month end / month start cumulative consumption on an on-going basis. A meter read at midnight on 30 September 2014 will be collected for each installed meter, and this is the “opening” read for that household.
The AMR technology allows the meters to be read by Irish Water by scheduled drive-by reading. During the period October to December 2014 Irish Water will read all meters installed to capture the September month end read. In January 2015 all these meters will be read again to capture the December end of month read. By capturing these two reads it will allow Irish Water to accurately calculate the consumption of a metered customer from 1 October to 31 December 2014.
532. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the average collection rate for water charges in respect of non-domestic users; the revenue foregone in 2013 as a result of non-collection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37771/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra545. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount collected from commercial water rates since 2010; and the amount envisaged to be collected in 2015. [38003/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 532 and 545 together.
The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides for the transfer of water services functions from local authorities to Irish Water and provides for local authorities to act as agents for Irish Water. Local authorities have continued billing, collections and billing/metering query functions in relation to non-domestic customers on behalf of Irish Water. Non-domestic customer data are migrating from local authorities to Irish Water and this is scheduled for completion by January 2015. Data in relation to collection rates for non-domestic users are contained in the annual Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) Service Indicators report. The most recent of these is the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) report ‘Service Indicators in Local Authorities 2012’, which was published in March 2014. This report is available on the LGMA’s website at:
http://www.lgcsb.ie/sites/default/files/service_indicators_2012_report_for_website_0.pdf.
Data in relation to water charges collected from non-domestic customers are contained in Appendix 7 of the audited Annual Financial Statements of individual local authorities. Details for 2012 are available at http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/LocalGovernment/Administration/AnnualFinancialStatements2012/.
The consolidated Annual Financial Statements and Out turns for 2003 - 2011 are available at: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/LocalGovernment/Administration/#d.en.35400.
Last week the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) announced its decision on water tariff levels. The existing arrangements for all non-domestic customers are remaining in place with no changes for the time being. Local authorities will continue to bill for non-domestic water services as agents of Irish Water. It is anticipated that the amount billed to non-domestic customers in 2015 will be some €230 million. The CER will be reviewing all aspects of non-domestic water tariffs under a series of public consultations and will publish the time-line for this process before the end of 2014.
533. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when his Department expects to be in a position to properly implement the EU environmental impact assessment Directive No. 85/337/EEC, as amended; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that his Department made a commitment to resolve this matter by May 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37774/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is currently finalising draft regulations to give further and better effect to the transposition of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive in Irish law. I hope to sign the regulations into law in the near future.
534. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding an application (details supplied) made by Sligo County Council for an extension to a family home. [37815/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides funding to local authorities for various social housing supports, including for adaptations and extensions to the social housing stock to meet needs of tenants with a disability or to address serious overcrowding. My Department gave approval in this case to Sligo County Council on 31 July 2014 and it is now a matter for the Council to advance the project.
535. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the plans Irish Water has to ensure that tenants who do not register for the service will pay for the service; if landlords will be eligible to pay for the service if tenants fail to comply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37840/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra544. Deputy Tom Barry asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with regard to landlords who wish their tenants to register with Irish Water, the procedure which needs to be followed further to notification from the landlord to the tenant; if the tenant refuses to register, if the landlord may inform Irish Water directly; and if landlords will be exempt from charges or fines if a tenant refuses to register for water payment. [37968/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra566. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views regarding liability for payment of water charges (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38272/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 535, 544 and 566 together.
The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides Irish Water with the power to charge customers in respect of the services provided. The Act also provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and the CER has been given statutory responsibility for protecting the interests of customers. The Act defines the customer as the occupier of the premises in respect of which the water services are provided. It also provides, unless the contrary is proved, that the owner of a premises is also the occupier of the premises.
Irish Water is currently undertaking a customer verification exercise to obtain the details of customers in receipt of services from Irish Water. This process gives tenants the opportunity to apply and avail of their relevant allowances and this will continue until the deadline date for applications of 31 October 2014. After this date Irish Water has advised my Department that it intends to initiate a further campaign to allow landlords provide proof that their property is occupied by a tenant and that they are not the occupant. This will remove liability from the landlord in compliance with Section 21(5) of the Act. Irish Water has an ongoing engagement with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and will ensure compliance with data protection legislation.
The Act also requires that Irish Water prepare, for the approval of the CER, codes of practice on a range of matters, including standards in relation to the performance by Irish Water of its functions and billing by Irish Water of persons in respect of water services provided. The CER recently held a public consultation which covered a range of issues, including billing of non-registered households and a number of proposed payment options. The CER issued a determination on the water charges plan last week and details and associated documentation are available on the CER website ( www.cer.ie). In its determination, the CER has decided that all customers will have their total water charges capped at the unmetered “assessed charge” for 9 months. The cap will apply from the start date of the next billing period after installation of the meter or 1 October 2014, whichever is the later.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on 1890 278 278.
536. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if long-standing individual waivers agreed by local authorities on water charges will be honoured by Irish Water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37851/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra538. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding water charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37889/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra542. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the conditions under which a person will be exempt from water charges on the basis of being undrinkable or being subject to a 24-hour boiling notice. [37936/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 536, 538 and 542 together.
The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides Irish Water with the power to charge customers in respect of the services provided by it. The Act also provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) which has been given statutory responsibility for protecting the interests of customers of Irish Water.
Following the 9th Review of the Memorandum of Understanding with the European Commission, the IMF and the ECB, it was agreed that water charges would commence with effect from Quarter 4 2014. The proposed approach to charging was outlined by Irish Water in a water charges plan which it submitted to the CER in line with the provisions of the Act. The CER recently held a public consultation on this plan which covered a range of issues relating to water charges. Last week, the CER issued a determination on the water charges plan. Full details and associated documentation are available on the CER website ( www.cer.ie).
In its determination, the CER has decided that customers will receive a 100% discount on the water supply element of their charge where the water supplied is unfit for human consumption, once the boil water notice is in place for at least 24 hours. There will therefore be no water supply charge to customers in this case. These customers will continue to be charged for their wastewater where they are a customer of Irish Water.
It should be noted that the existing arrangements for all non-domestic customers are remaining in place with no changes for the time being. On this basis, any arrangement charitable or voluntary groups have with their local authorities will remain, and the local authorities will continue to bill for non-domestic water services as agents of Irish Water. The CER will be reviewing all aspects of non-domestic water tariffs under a series of public consultations and will publish the time-line for this process before the end of 2014.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on 1890 278 278.
537. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason the process of requesting PPS numbers on water charge registration forms is in place; his views that this is an unusual practice in view of the fact that private information such as PPS numbers is not generally requested when companies are charging for services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37863/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra550. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in view of a large number of foreign students attending colleges in the summer who may not have a personal public service number, the way Irish Water will deal with management companies of student accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38073/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra561. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the specific statutory basis for the request by Irish Water for PPS numbers and bank details from their customers; if persons are obliged to provide their PPS number to Irish Water; if persons are obliged to provide their bank details to Irish Water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38157/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 537, 550 and 561 together.
Under the Water Services Acts 2007-2013, Irish Water may request its customers and certain specified persons or bodies, including the Minister for Social Protection, to provide it with information so that it can perform its functions under these Acts. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water is responsible for public water services and that it shall collect charges from its customers in receipt of water services provided by it. The Act also provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Energy Regulation, the CER, which has been given statutory responsibility for protecting the interests of customers of Irish Water.
In advance of the introduction of domestic water charges, the Government made certain decisions on 6 May 2014 relating to the structure of water charges including, inter alia, a free allowance per household and an additional free allowance for children on the same qualifying conditions as the Child Benefit payment from the Department of Social Protection.
As these allowances are to be funded by Government, Irish Water needs to ensure it has the appropriate and sufficient information to reflect these entitlements. Irish Water is a specified body under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended by Section 20 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2014, and is therefore permitted to request Personal Public Services (PPS) numbers to authenticate the identity of the person being provided with an allowance.
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 are only used for the purpose collected and must also ensure that any data collected are stored securely. The collection of PPS numbers allows Irish Water to confirm and validate the entitlement to allowances for each customer. This information will not be shared with any organisation other than the Department of Social Protection for the purpose of verification, to ensure that each household receives the allowances it is entitled to, be it the free allowance per household or any additional allowance for children in receipt of Child Benefit at that address. It will also allow Irish Water to provide lower charges to owners who have unoccupied dwellings.
With charges effective from 1 October 2014 Irish Water is in the process of compiling the relevant data to ensure that customers can be billed accurately based on the tariff structure approved by the CER. Throughout the last number of weeks, Irish Water has been sending application packs to approximately 2 million households, which refer to the effective charging date and the fact that billing for domestic customers in receipt of public water services will start in January 2015. The application process will enable customers to confirm their details for billing and, by providing the relevant PPS numbers, claim the allowances that they are eligible for.
Last week the CER made a determination on the water charges plan, submitted to it by Irish Water, which sets out the position if customers do not validate their details. In these circumstances, a default charge which does not include the free allowances will be applied to such customers. The relevant details of the determination are available on the CER website (www.cer.ie).
Irish Water has an ongoing engagement with the Data Protection Commissioner and has advised my Department that it has been asked to provide clarity on some aspects of the legal language of its data protection notice as published on its website, www.water.ie. It has confirmed that this notice was, and is, fully compliant with data protection requirements. However, by providing additional clarity, it will reassure customers that data are held securely, used properly and not shared with third parties, except where necessary for the delivery of water services such as contractors repairing leaks. Any advice given to Irish Water from the Data Protection Commissioner will be further incorporated into its data protection notice.
Customers wishing to avail of the direct debit payment facility can do so by providing Irish Water with bank details on the application form. This is optional for customers and in its customer handbook Irish Water has outlined several other methods of payment that will be available to its customers.
Management companies of student accommodation and businesses such as summer colleges are already categorised as non-domestic customers for water services. Local authorities, acting as agents of Irish Water, continue to bill such companies who recover this cost via the rent/fees charged for the accommodation, as is the case with other utility bills.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on 1890 278 278.
539. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the way Irish Water intends to bill persons who have received forms addressed to persons no longer resident at that address. [37891/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 1 January 2014 Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels.
There is currently no database of customers connected to the public water system and Irish Water is in the process of developing such a database. They have recently sent over 2 million customer validation packs to homes for the purpose of, inter alia, minimising the occurrence of the issue raised in the Question. Customers are requested to confirm their details so that correct bills can issue to households in early 2015. Where the pack is addressed to a previous occupier of an address, Irish Water are asking the current occupiers to contact them at the dedicated telephone number of 1890 448 448 and a new pack will be issued in the name of the current occupier of the address.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on 1890 278 278.
540. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding an application to Mayo North East LEADER Partnership by a community centre (details supplied); when a decision will issue; if it will be expedited due to the length of time since the application was made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37923/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn line with the ‘bottom-up’ approach to rural development under the LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013, the Local Action Groups (LAGs) are the principal decision-makers in relation to the allocation of project funding. Such decisions are made in the context of the local development strategy of the individual groups and in line with the Programme’s Operating Rules and EU regulations. The LAG for the area referred to in the question is Mayo North East LEADER Partnership (MNELP).
The project file concerned was submitted to my Department by MNELP on 6 August 2014 for a review which should be completed shortly.
541. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the financial implications for Irish Water if domestic consumers were not to be charged for water use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37933/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraDomestic water charges commenced with effect from 1 October 2014 and Irish Water will issue the first bills to domestic customers from January 2015. The approach to charging was outlined by Irish Water in a Water Charges Plan (WCP) submitted to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) in line with the provisions of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013.
Following a recent consultation process the CER announced its decision on the Irish Water WCP. The amount billed to domestic customers for the year 2015 based on the charging structure announced will be in the order of €300 million. A key component of the strategy to establish Irish Water is that Irish Water will be classified as a Market Corporation under EUROSTAT rules and as a result, will not, other than in relation to Government operating subvention, be included in the calculation of the General Government Balance (GGB). The Market Corporation Test is a requirement that income from customers be greater than 50% of production costs.
If this test is not met, then Irish Water’s borrowings would be considered as part of the General Government Debt. This would have implications for the overall fiscal policy and would significantly constrain Irish Water’s capacity to accelerate necessary investment in public water infrastructure. The funding model, based on the introduction of domestic charges, provides for more sustainable funding for the sector for the future and will allow Irish Water, like other commercial State bodies, to access capital for investment from commercial lenders.
543. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the data, analysis and methodology used by both his Department and Irish Water to calculate leakage rates across the water infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37937/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 1 January 2014 Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. Irish Water has advised that the majority of leaks are underground on both public mains and on customers’ supply pipes, requiring significant effort and specialist technology to find them.
Water usage is monitored using district bulk meters (DBMs) linked to central telemetry. Flow is monitored and collated based on usage patterns and population. Daily inputs are calculated for non-domestic usage, estimates for domestic usage, estimates for private side losses and the balance was referred to as “unaccounted for water” which was assumed to be leakage. This methodology underpins the leakage/unaccounted for water data included in the annual Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) Service Indicators report. The most recent of these is the Service Indicators in Local Authorities 2012 Report, which was published in March 2014. This report is available on the LGMA’s website at: http://www.lgcsb.ie/sites/default/files/service_indicators_2012_report_for_website_0.pdf.
Irish Water is now collecting relevant information from each local authority and planning on a national basis. Reducing and controlling leakage requires good information, expert knowledge, specialist equipment and rigorous management. The establishment of Irish Water has made it possible to take an integrated national approach and Irish Water is committed to moving to a proactive approach with the long-term objective of ultimately reducing public and customer side leakage nationally by over 50%.
The installation of domestic water meters is the first significant step for effective management of domestic water supplies by providing the means to quantify the actual volumes of water utilised in areas where meters are installed. This is allowing for a more accurate determination of leakage as actual data is being used to replace estimates. The meters are also identifying significant customer side leaks. This in turn results in Irish Water being able to refine asset investment to the worst performing public mains.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. They may be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on 1890 278 278.
