Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the action she will take in order to help schools pay for the considerable price increase in water following the implementation of the water framework directive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33876/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Schools receive funding by way of per capita grants to meet their day-to-day running costs and enable them to pay for services such as light, heat, water and waste disposal. The value of the capitation grants have improved significantly over the past few years and are set to increase again by €15 per pupil in 2008.

As the Deputy will be aware, the water framework directive requires that the "polluter pays" principle be applied to the provision of water and waste services to all non-domestic users. I am concerned about the considerable variance in the rates being applied by different councils, which has left some schools with significant bills.

As the Deputy may be aware, the programme for Government contains a commitment to examine the provision of waste and water allowances to schools, with charges becoming effective after these are exceeded. The implementation of this commitment is primarily a matter for my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. My Department will have an input to and support the examination to be conducted by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and I have already discussed the issue with the Minister.

In the meantime, we are anxious to enable schools to conserve water and keep their bills as low as possible. New school buildings are being designed with that goal in mind and measures such as the use of low-pressure spray taps on wash hand basins, dual flushing units on toilets and push button type shower controls are generally used. These will be of major benefit to the users of new buildings and resources have also been made available to assist those in existing facilities in considerably reducing their water bills.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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How?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government launched a Conserve Water in Schools resource pack last month in association with Dublin City Council. The materials, which are available for download on the council's website, www.dublincity.ie, show children how they can get involved in conserving water and put a stop to water wastage. The campaign is also aimed at school management and lists actions to reduce water consumption in the schools.

Steps are being taken to help schools reduce their water bills, give them extra funding to meet unavoidable costs and examine in the context of the programme for Government the introduction of a new system of water allowances.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for her reply, the effective message of which is that she will go around the country handing out new taps to schools which will face an approximate 800% increase in water charges from the local authorities. Does the Minister accept the lamentable response to the question means the Government's answer is to establish a committee to look at the issue?

A committee between the Minister and her colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, is her only substantive response to the schools in the country. Does the Minister not accept that what is now required is for her Department to either fund the cost of the massive hike in water charges or ask somebody else to do it?

Why is it the case that at no stage did the Minister's Department or the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government seek a derogation from this framework directive under the EU? Schools are now being treated as businesses and it is happening under the Minister's watch. She is responsible for it and, effectively, asking parents to put their hands into their pockets to pay for these essential services. That is unacceptable.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There is no committee and I did not even mention setting up such a committee. Since last year we have been in discussions with the former and current Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to see how we can reduce this burden on schools.

When this was being introduced in 1999, the Department of Education and Science sought a derogation for schools but at that stage the country as a whole was fighting in Europe to seek a derogation for domestic water uses, which other countries do not have. The only derogation given for Ireland was for domestic homes, as in all other circumstances the polluter must pay.

For that reason, it is eminently sensible to be able to work with schools to reduce the amount of water charges. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle might be interested in one pilot scheme in Gorey introduced by the local authority and the Department for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. It succeeded in reducing the usage of water by up to 9,000 litres per day. The use of meters can ensure that they conserve water.

The increases in capitation will continue in coming years. I would like to see some agreement with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on water conservation. It is quite unfair on schools that they have to do this. All they are doing is transferring their domestic use into a school situation. In a school of 300 children, they must wash their hands and use the toilets. It is not as if they are wasting water all the time. However, because the only derogation available to Ireland at the time related to domestic use, we were not allowed to extend it to school use.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister had a particularly difficult week last week as her broken promises were exposed for all to see. It is continuing this week. She has said this is an unfair system. She has said that schools are polluters, when effectively they are users of a system. Now she is asking schools to make up the deficit. Is the Minister aware that the capitation grant the Department gives to a 100-pupil school is €17,800? Independent assessment suggests it costs €31,000 to run those schools. The deficit will grow next year when the bills from the local authorities hit the desks of school managers. Is the Minister telling the House that she has no new measure or Supplementary Estimate to give those schools to allow them to meet the excessive hikes in water charges?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I had a very good week last week. Any day a Minister responsible for a Department gets €9.3 billion——

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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They are not promises though.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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——of taxpayers' money to be spent on education is a very good week. It enables us to do many of the things in the programme for Government. In future years we will continue to meet those commitments. At second level a school of 500 students gets €307,000 and at primary level a school of 300 pupils gets €100,000.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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What about small schools?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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We made those increases because of the needs schools have. The Water Framework Directive uses the terminology "the polluter pays". It is just a general term indicating that those who use the water should pay for it. The charges applied to schools by different local authorities are inconsistent. We are working with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to ascertain whether the same charge can apply so that the capitation grant can go towards it.

Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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The problem is that the bills are now hitting the desks of the school managers.