Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Given that domestic water charging commenced today, 1 October, Irish Water requires a comprehensive customer database to be in place to ensure that customers can be billed accurately, based on the tariff structure approved by the regulator yesterday. In advance of the introduction of the charges, the Government made decisions relating to the structure of water charges and agreed to provide a free allowance per household and an additional free allowance for children, based on the same qualifying conditions as the child benefit payment from the Department of Social Protection.

The collection of the PPS numbers allows Irish Water to confirm and validate those same entitlements to allowances for each customer. This is the significant point. I am concerned that it is reported that Opposition Deputies, possibly including Deputy Boyd Barrett, are advising people not to register nor to claim their entitlements and allowances. I am aware that some Deputies were holding public meetings about the local property tax and advising people not to pay the property tax and these people were subsequently subject to liabilities and penalties. Those very same Deputies said at public meetings that they would see to it-----

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