Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Absolutely none. I put in an e-mail request on the issue because I was surprised by the radio reports. In anticipation of the Deputy's query, I had an e-mail earlier today from the Department on the issue, which states:

The regional metering contracts will be awarded this month. No information is publicly available on the numbers of contracts or contractors. That is a matter for Irish Water.

This is an advanced stage but the Deputy asked how much the metering would cost and how we would know we were getting value for money. The procurement process is part of that and I assume different companies will make proposals regarding the meters, which will have to be examined. At the end of the process, there will be total transparency and all the costs will be in the public domain along with a value for money analysis on the potential, costs and so on. There will be full knowledge after the event but if we were to comment before that is finalised, it could significantly adversely affect the amount the ordinary household will pay.

The Deputy asked about newspaper reports today about the cost per household. That is purely speculation. No decision has been made on what the cost will be but it is a fair question, which was asked by a number of members. The existing water services cost €1.2 billion in capital and non-capital expenditure. If only €200 million is generated by commercial water rates, that will have to be addressed by Irish Water to generate a greater income. The capital allocation for water services is €326 million this year compared to €308 million in 2012. We need to spend €600 million to meet the current requirement. The Government must decide what the subsidy will be via the free allowance. There is no way the ordinary householder will be asked to bear the total cost and, therefore, the State subsidy will have to continue by way of free allowance or whatever and Irish Water will have to secure borrowings to make up these figures.