Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

No, I cannot give the Deputy the answer to his question of how much the tax will cost families. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government has signalled clearly the Government's intention to implement its programme for Government and also to comply with the conditions of the EU-IMF bailout deal, which, in its revised wording, states that the Government will prepare proposals for implementation of the recommendations of the independent assessment of the transfer of responsibility for water service provision from local authorities to a water utility, in consultation with the European Commission services, with a view to starting charges during the EU-IMF programme period. It is also stated in the programme for Government that there should be a charge for water after a generous free allowance. The Minister signalled the Government's intention for this to be implemented. The Government has not made a decision about the nature or the scale of the system. It is clearly a signal by the Minister of the Government's intention to implement the provisions of the programme for Government and comply with the conditions of the EU-IMF bailout deal, which states that such a system should be implemented during the course of the bailout programme, which operates up to 2013.

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