Billy Kelleher
Ceist:338. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding water charges. [39210/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 14 October 2014
Ceisteanna (338)
Freagraí scríofa
With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for public water services. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water 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 (CER) and the CER has been given statutory responsibility for protecting the interests of customers. The CER has now issued a determination on the water charges plan submitted to it by Irish Water. Full details and associated documentation are available on the CER website at www.cer.ie/document-detail/CER-Water-Charges-Plan-Consultation/979.
Section 22 of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that for the purposes of calculation, the amount of wastewater discharged for a premises is deemed to be equal to the amount of water supplied, unless Irish Water and the customer agree otherwise. This is the standard approach for charging for water supply and waste water treatment services internationally. There will be customers who receive only one service from Irish Water; for example, they may have a private well or have an on-site waste water treatment system, and such customers will only be charged for the service they receive.
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.