Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

We are fully committed to the implementation of the water framework directive, as I stated yesterday. It is appropriate and necessary for conserving water as a national resource and it was agreed with the European Union in 2003. In a number of areas, there is a phase-in period and an implementation period. If the measure were just implemented on a usage basis in all schools, they would have very large bills and this is why we included a clause in the programme for Government on how we would work to introduce a system with a flat rate and how, at the same time, work to ensure the conservation of water. Even if it were possible to have a flat rate for everybody — one cannot because local authorities have different bases for charging — there would be no incentive for schools to conserve water. There are pilot schemes in many schools and these have shown how much water the schools can conserve. This is good and proper.

We cannot just have a flat rate after 2010, whereby one would have one's bill paid, regardless of the amount of water one uses and even if one takes no interest in conservation.

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