Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is genuine concern around the changes being made to non-domestic water charges. There is strong opposition among rural communities to increases in water charges for non-domestic customers and the changes to the standing charge per water meter. On the one hand, we see the effective doubling of the volumetric charge on water, and on the other, while the standing charge is decreasing for many customers, a charge per meter will see many receiving significantly higher bills, especially farmers. It will be particularly impactful for farmers, who face a standing charge on every field water meter on their land. This especially impacts farmers with fragmented landholdings. It is a very unfair charge and both Irish Water and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, CRU, need to engage with local authorities and representative organisations on this issue.

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