Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:supports the establishment of Irish Water as a long-term strategic investment project to deliver the necessary water services infrastructure and quality of services required to meet statutory compliance and demographic needs;

recognises that managing our water resources effectively is also essential to ensure that Ireland can continue to attract major overseas investment and employment;

notes that the:

- programme for Government provides for the introduction of a fair funding model to deliver a clean and reliable water supply which will involve the installation of water meters in all households and the move to a charging system based on usage above a free allowance; and

- the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER, which has been assigned responsibility for economic regulation of the water sector, commenced public consultation on the structure and design of tariffs for both the non-domestic and domestic sector on 17 April 2014 and will finalise the level and structure of the tariffs in August 2014;

welcomes the:

- progress with the roll-out of the domestic metering programme being delivered by Irish Water with over 200,000 meters installed to date, supporting some 1,150 jobs;

- commitment of Irish Water to maximise the delivery of the domestic metering programme in 2014, on foot of which it is expected that a further 40,000-50,000 meter installations is achievable over and above the 400,000 target for end-2014 already indicated to the CER;

- the indications that progress remains on track for the installation of 1.05 million meters, with programme completion likely to be ahead of the target - mid-2016 rather than end-2016; and

- fact that further options in relation to metering additional properties are under active consideration;

welcomes the Government's:

package of measures to ensure that domestic water charges are introduced in as fair and equitable basis as possible, with particular reference to the following elements:

- Irish Water's Government subvention in 2015 and 2016 to be conditional on the average annual domestic water charge not exceeding €240;

- each household will receive an annual free allowance of 30,000 litres of water and a corresponding allowance for wastewater;

- there will be an additional free allowance for every child under 18 to cover a child's normal consumption of water supplied and wastewater treated of up to 38,000 litres per annum, with the level of consumption underpinning this allowance to be verified from actual metering data;

- the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government intends using his powers under the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, to issue a policy direction to the CER requiring:

- the domestic water charging regime to remain fixed until end-2016;

- that, for social and environmental reasons, there should be no standing charge for domestic customers - there may be a minimum charge applied to properties that are not permanently occupied, for example, holiday homes;

- assessed charges to be based primarily on occupancy and possibly refined based on data from metered usage to ensure that they are as close a proxy for metered usage as possible;

- the CER to ensure provision for retrospective adjustment of charges including a rebate above a reasonable threshold in the context of transitional arrangements for people moving from assessed to metered charges;

- charges to be capped for people with high water usage due to certain medical conditions; and

- Irish Water to take account of the quality of services provided for customers, including circumstances where services are reduced or restricted, for example, due to boil water notices;

commitment to a package of supporting measures under the social protection regime to assist particular groups; and

intention to provide funding to increase investment in public water services infrastructure by €100 million in each of the years 2015 and 2016, including for a scheme to provide each household with a free fix of the first leak on a customer's water supply pipe;

supports the Government's overall water funding package, which balances the need for a sustainable funding model to support long-term investment in the sector, taking account of the relevant European rules on Government accounting, while ensuring that domestic water charges are introduced in the most affordable, fair and equitable manner possible; and

welcomes the timely announcement of the package of measures, which responds to the Government commitment to provide early visibility in relation to the level of water charges, in advance of the final determination on charges by the CER, following detailed examination of Irish Water's cost base.

I wish to share time with Deputy John O'Mahony.

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