Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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I am getting so frustrated listening to the way the conversation is going. I am not talking about previous speakers, unfortunately, I am talking about the witnesses and their ideology.

Under the 2007 Act the system allows for people who are wilfully wasting water to be identified and targeted. We can use the meters that are already in place for that purpose. Through district metering, individual households that are wasting water can be identified as well. We must examine whether that would achieve the conservation measures in the way an excessive use charge would work.

My final question relates to the group water schemes and subsidies. The subsidy figures outlined by Ms Graham do not include the contribution members of group water schemes are already paying to the scheme. In terms of fairness and equity, that would have to be taken into account as well. Would a system whereby each scheme would have to engage with CER in terms of agreeing a pricing policy and for that to be then repaid through general taxation, be workable?