Dáil debates

Wednesday, 19 December 2007

10:30 am

Photo of Bertie AhernBertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I am just answering Deputy Kenny's questions. We are endeavouring to ascertain, with the local authorities, the basis on which we can operate. Let me give an example. On the basis of information supplied by the authorities — they did not all supply it — the combined charge for water and waste water services across local authorities varied from 0.99 cent/cu.m. to 2.62 cent/cu.m. and the average was 1.74 cent/cu.m. A school in Caherciveen could have a very low cost and an understanding with the local authorities. Most of the 4,000 schools in the Republic have quite low charges. Some of the schools that have had high costs this year accrued them because of remedial work or leaks. One school that had a bill of €6,000, spent €500 on repairs and thereby reduced its bill to just over €1,000. There is a variety of reasons and we must work out a fair system.

It seems to us that the fairest system involves a flat rate attached to which there would be some kind of incentive to conserve water. Some schools admitted in their letters that their water supplies are left on for the entire summer, thus increasing their bills. This issue is not too difficult to resolve, as teachers point out themselves. I heard a teacher state this morning that his school is twinned with a school in France, but he did not say that all the citizens in France pay a very expensive domestic water charge.

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