Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Water Services Bill. It is vitally important legislation. While I recognise that it will introduce charges for domestic consumers of water, that is necessary for many reasons: fairness, water conservation, future investment and the continuing safe provision of water. It must be noted that, globally, wars are fought over adequate, secure water supplies. It is crucially important.

This Bill is before the House as it was one of the codicils in the last will and testament of the previous Fianna Fáil Government. This codicil states that the programme of financial support for Ireland with the EU/IMF/ECB contains a commitment to prepare proposals for implementation of the recommendations of an independent assessment of the transfer of responsibility for water service provision to a water utility and that water charges would be introduced, and they signed that.

In this country, over 1 million households are connected to public mains. This represent 77% of households. A further 126,609 households are connected to group water schemes. Approximately 86% of all households are provided with drinking water from public resources. Providing this water for all of those connected to these schemes cost over €1.2 billion in 2010, of which operational costs amounted to some €715 million, with capital costs of over €500 million. Water is not free. It falls from the sky, needs to be treated and must be paid for.

With revenue of over €200 million from the non-domestic or business sector, the balance of €1 billion is largely funded by the taxpayers, even if they are not connected to a public water scheme. I challenge those who speak of equality and fairness to tell me why is it fair that somebody who does not get a public water supply must pay for somebody else's? Some 584 billion litres of water are treated and produced annually, which works out at approximately €2 per 1,000 litres or tonne.

From an environmental and conservation point of view, the best way to conserve water is to provide incentives to consumers to use less. International experience suggests the introduction of water meters can achieve a reduction in consumption of at least 10%. We all acknowledge that there are municipal water leaks in every town and city in this country, but most will not admit to leakage from the meter or on the private property side. The installation of meters will deal largely with many of those problems.

Using the national average house occupancy rate of 2.8 from the 2006 Census, the surprising figure on water consumption is that an average household uses 148 cu. m per annum. When one breaks that down, drinking water accounts for only 3%. We only drink 3% of our drinking water. We shower and bath with 32% of it. We flush 28% of treated drinking water down the toilets. We use drinking water for which we have paid for washing machines, sinks and dishwashers and external use such as watering the garden and washing the car. It is daft and it needs a different approach.

I was a member of a local authority for 12 years and the funding model for water was fundamentally flawed. It is broken and we must fix it.

I am well aware that there has been significant under investment in the water network infrastructure in recent years and some of the income raised from these charges will need to be invested in the infrastructure for the next century. I am aware that the new body, Irish Water, will come under the remit of the energy regulator on behalf of the consumer.

As this is a new body, I appeal to the Minister that it should not carry on as before. This new water company must make the consumer a priority in everything it does and in all transactions. I want to see the most up-to-date technology and mobile phone applications and computer software being provided to the customer so that when they view the picture of their entire relationship with Irish Water, they will see an improved service. There is definitely a need for the customer to have the ability to read the meter or request a reading when he or she wishes. For example, it would be unfair if a customer who has a leak a month after his or her meter is read would be forced to wait five months before he or she even realises there was a leak. As Irish Water is being set up, it is not beyond the technology to provide applications and computer software, or the facility for customers to access their meters on a regular basis.

People have no problem in paying for water but they have a huge problem in paying for water of poor quality where they get a poor service. I urge the Minister to make Irish Water the best it can be and put the consumer at the top of its priorities.

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