Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What the Minister has just said conflicts with his reply during the previous Question Time. He said €271 million was the billed amount. He also said that in a written reply. That is for domestic water charges. The last year for which I can obtain figures for commercial water charges is 2012, when the amount realised was €180 million. The billed amount was €187 million. Local authorities were fairly effective in that year at collecting it. The shortfall between the billed amount and the amount yielded was only €7 million. If Irish Water hopes to get €229 million, there is a gap of €50 million. There will be a significant non-payment, regardless of whether the Minister agrees with that or not. The Minister does not and I do, but that is beside the point. There will be a shortfall of somewhere in excess of €100 million. Will Irish Water look for more money from the Exchequer and this House to make up the shortfall in operational costs? How will that shortfall be made up and will the Government meet the EUROSTAT test, which has been deferred yet again?

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