Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

There is no committee and I did not even mention setting up such a committee. Since last year we have been in discussions with the former and current Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to see how we can reduce this burden on schools.

When this was being introduced in 1999, the Department of Education and Science sought a derogation for schools but at that stage the country as a whole was fighting in Europe to seek a derogation for domestic water uses, which other countries do not have. The only derogation given for Ireland was for domestic homes, as in all other circumstances the polluter must pay.

For that reason, it is eminently sensible to be able to work with schools to reduce the amount of water charges. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle might be interested in one pilot scheme in Gorey introduced by the local authority and the Department for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. It succeeded in reducing the usage of water by up to 9,000 litres per day. The use of meters can ensure that they conserve water.

The increases in capitation will continue in coming years. I would like to see some agreement with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on water conservation. It is quite unfair on schools that they have to do this. All they are doing is transferring their domestic use into a school situation. In a school of 300 children, they must wash their hands and use the toilets. It is not as if they are wasting water all the time. However, because the only derogation available to Ireland at the time related to domestic use, we were not allowed to extend it to school use.

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