Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

No decisions have yet been made on any of these issues and the first discussion took place at Cabinet only yesterday. We have to find a way of dealing with the issue of households that will not be metered by the end of the year. If we want a water-charging regime which encourages water conservation and enables households to reduce their bill, we will have to deal with that issue. My view is that we should see what we can do to accelerate the metering programme in order to maximise the number of households that are metered by the end of the year. As households are metered thereafter, we should have a rebate system so that if household usage is lower, the bill can be adjusted. We also have to take into account the differences between households. In many ways, there is no such thing as an average household. For example, medical need may be a factor in water usage rates. Such factors have to be worked into the equation as well.

On the issue of ability to pay, we will have to find a way of easing the burden on those households that will find paying the bill very difficult. As I said, I have in mind in particular older people, pensioners and people on low incomes. The CSO figure of €240 is less than what Fianna Fáil would have done and less than what was talked about earlier in the year, but it is still a very big bill for a household on a low income. That issue will have to be addressed before we conclude on it. It is an issue I want to see addressed as quickly as possible.

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