Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 July 2018
743. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the powers he has available to him under water legislation to compel owners of private buildings to fix water leaks on their property if they are unwilling to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32040/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraConservation of water supplies is a key policy imperative. Safe, reliable and high quality drinking water is expensive to produce and is a precious resource.
Section 54 of the Water Services Act 2007 (as amended) places a statutory duty on the owner of a property to maintain, repair and renew the internal water services system at their premises in such condition as to ensure that water intended for human consumption meets the prescribed quality requirements and that water does not leak from the system. Section 8 of the Act of 2007 gives a water services authority the power to prosecute offences under the Act, including an offence under section 54. Irish Water became the water services authority in respect of premises connected to the public water system with effect from 1 January 2014.
While enforcement and the threat of prosecution undoubtedly has a place in circumstances where persistent and willful waste of water by individual households or businesses is apparent, the real challenges in conservation terms lie in reducing per capita demands for water, eliminating leakages and wastage as far as practicable and effective management of water resources and service capacity.
On this basis I published the Water Services Policy Statement 2018-2025 on 21 May 2018 following its approval by Government. The Policy Statement sets out a series of high-level policy objectives across the three thematic areas of Quality, Conservation, and Future Proofing, which must be pursued when planning capital investment and framing current spending plans. The Policy Statement is available on my Department's website at the following weblink:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/water_services_policy_statement_2018-2025_0.pdf.
The Policy Statement supports the promotion of water conservation and water resource management as an important element of water services policy that is to be reflected in strategic investment planning by Irish Water. For the period of the Policy Statement, this will involve the prioritisation of multifaceted programmes around leak detection and repair, network improvements, cost effective metering, public awareness campaigns and funding to fix customer side leaks. The National Leakage Reduction Programme in particular includes investment of some €250 million over the next four years under the Find and Fix repair scheme and the Water Mains Rehabilitation programme.
My Department continues to work with Irish Water and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities to ensure that effective water conservation arrangements as set out in the Water Services Policy Statement 2018-2025 are reflected in ongoing investment plans and connection policies. The Policy Statement also extends to rural and privately provided water services where conservation is also placed firmly at the heart of policy matters which will be reflected in the current Review of Rural Water Services and in ongoing investment decisions under the Multi-Annual Rural Water Programme.
