Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Deputy Farrell on his elevation to the Chair and wish him well in his new role. I am disappointed that the Minister, Deputy Kelly, is not available today. Obviously, it is not always possible for Ministers to be present when certain issues come up in their Departments. I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for the opportunity to bring my concerns regarding access to water meters to the floor of the Dáil. This important matter has been raised by a substantial number of people throughout the country, particularly in recent times as the installation of water meters has gathered pace. It has become a fairly controversial issue in certain parts of Dublin. Many of the people who are protesting have rejected the contention that meters are needed in the first instance. There is some uncertainty at the moment regarding the actual charge. I understand the regulator will make an announcement on the water charges and the allowances in the next week or so. Obviously, that will bring some certainty to the situation.

There has been some speculation about the allowances that will be provided for, particularly in the cases of people with disabilities who might need to use more water. Equally, many elderly people have become scared and anxious as a consequence of the uncertainty and the lack of information at this time. It is in this context that I am raising the question of access to water meters. We know that the meters are installed at the stopcock at the boundary of a property on the publicly accessible land. A person who wishes to access and look at a water meter will need a flat-headed screwdriver to force up the lid. That is difficult enough for able-bodied people, but those with disabilities will not have any opportunity or any way of measuring the amount of water being used in their households. They will not be able to budge the lid to find out where they stand. People are able to read the electricity and gas meters in their homes to learn where they stand. The difficulty that this uncertainty is posing is very extreme.

When I raised this issue previously with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, he assured me his Department would conform with all directives, particularly the measuring instruments directive. I am concerned that this might not be the case, however. The European measuring instruments directive provides that "whether or not a measuring instrument intended for utility measurement purposes can be remotely read it shall in any case be fitted with a metrologically controlled display accessible without tools to the consumer". The most important part of that clause is the provision that the consumer should be able to access a measuring instrument without having to use tools. As I have said, in this case one will have to use a screwdriver to lift the lid of the shore in which the meter is contained. I suggest this demonstrates not only that there was a lack of thought when these meters were being installed, but also that the European directive is not being complied with at present. We have been told by the Department that the meters will be read automatically, that information will be provided directly to customers in their bills and that any unusual usage patterns can be discussed directly with Irish Water. It really worries me that people who do not have a relative or friend to open and read these water meters will have to rely on Irish Water to check the level of water usage independently. Perhaps the Minister of State can respond directly to that concern.

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