Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 November 2017
244. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will address a matter (details supplied); the reason this increase has been introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49540/17]
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 Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and the CRU has been given statutory responsibility for protecting the interests of customers.
Any business connected to a public water supply is liable for charges as a non-domestic customer. It should be noted that the arrangements in place for all non-domestic customers on 1 January 2014 remain in place with no changes for the time being. Non-domestic water tariffs are published by Irish Water online and the charges in Monaghan are available at www.water.ie/for-business/billing-explained/charges/monaghan-county-council/. This shows that the volumetric charge for water supply services for business customers in Monaghan is €1.01 per m3.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) is progressing a review of all aspects of non-domestic water tariffs and in conjunction with Irish Water will establish an enduring non-domestic tariff framework. The CRU has published an information note informing customers and interested parties about the project and will shortly engage in a period of public consultation on the enduring tariff framework for non-domestic water and/or wastewater customers of Irish Water.
The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) also has a statutory responsibility to provide a complaints resolution service to Irish Water customers who have an unresolved dispute with the utility. A Customer Care Team has been setup within the CRU to deal directly with customers who have complaints. Further information about CRU's complaints procedure is available on their website at www.cer.ie/customer-care/water/complaints.
Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email at oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 578 578.
