Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his answers. I have two or three questions on the issue of charges. The Minister of State mentioned that currently the State spends €1.2 billion on the provision of water services and that when commercial rates are removed a cost of €1 billion remains. That is considerable sum. We are already paying €1 billion in our taxes for the provision of water services. With the bringing in of water charges, on what will this tax sum be spent? I want to hear the answer to that question. Is it needed for this project or will that €1 billion be available for something else, in view of the fact that taxes are not being reduced?

My second question is about the onus the imposition of water charges places on families. I will be honest with the Minister of State about this. I believe water charges will be a bigger issue than the property tax for families across Ireland. With the property tax, people know what is involved. There is a flat fee once one agrees the value of one's home, but with water charges there will be a running bill. I know there will be a quota but we still do not have that. I am a mother of teenagers and it is difficult enough to monitor water usage in a household with young people. It takes, on average, based on the evidence given in health promotional material on habit changing, 18 months to change a habit. Eighteen months could wreck a families' finances in terms of water bills. I have great difficulty with an open-ended bill and I would prefer a flat charge. I know some families will get flat charges because they are in areas where meters are not yet in place. Can the Minister of State elaborate on this?

Has the matter been discussed? A serious information campaign will be required. The local authorities in Galway carried out a water conservation project. They concluded that the leakage on the private side of the meter would cost €50,000 in the case of some families. Therefore, a big information campaign is needed. I understand that under the Irish Water project, the first fix must be the responsibility of Irish Water. Who will pay the council for it? Will it be Irish Water?

I have asked the Minister of State many questions; one about where the tax bill of €1 billion is going and a second about my preference for a flat charge for families in order that everybody can plan ahead. One does not want to run people into civil bills, which is awful. The third question relates to the information campaign and the concerns about leakage on the private side of meters, of which families might be unaware until they receive a monstrous bill.