Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

The imposition of water charges on domestic consumers is specifically prohibited by section 105(1). The 1997 Act also specifically prohibits the imposition of such charges on domestic consumers. Ireland is probably the only country in the world that has two separate statutory enactments prohibiting the imposition of charges on domestic consumers. I do not think it would make any sense to provide for a third such prohibition. If Deputy Morgan checks section 72 again, he will find that it clearly deals with metering. There is no reason commercial operators and big businesses should have taxpayers paying for their meters.

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