Mr. Eamon Gallen:

We have a well-established free first fix scheme, with which the Deputy is familiar. Without straying into changes in policy, our interest is in saving water and we will do whatever we can to work with customers to save it, and we will be as reasonable as we possibly can. We have rules about stopcocks inside and outside a property, and all that kind of thing, but we will work around that to help people, if necessary. We certainly do not want to penalise elderly people who have a leak inside their house or where they cannot repair something under their driveway. We have no interest in that and we will work with them. While it would be very difficult to say we can commit to do everything free for everybody, and go into everybody's house and sort out their plumbing, nonetheless, the Deputy's point is well made. There are people who genuinely want to work with us and who do not have the wherewithal to effect repairs. We will deal with that as sympathetically as possible and work with them. We want people to avoid paying these charges, not to enforce them.