Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My question possibly relates to the same issue and has been prompted by the news this morning that somebody had seen the draft legislation. There was talk of reduced water pressure and looking at sanctions. One thing about which we have consistently asked is the extent of the free allowance, whether it will be sufficient to cover the normal functioning of a household and whether it is only waste that is being targeted in terms of charging. The Minister of State spoke about the introduction of a sustainable funding model. How much of the capital budget will be retained or is it expected that it will be reinforced by charging people towards the capital costs of developing further infrastructure? If that is the case, to what extent?

In respect of the loss of water, 42% of piped treated water is lost. Is it intended to get that figure down before the Government starts to charge? I know that there is a targeted approach and that the Minister of State has said in his statement that there is money available for the renewal of pipes. People will be driven nuts if they think they are paying for the fixing of holes in leaky pipes and their water pressure is being reduced.