Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

When we discussed this on Second Stage, the Minister of State pointed out on foot of a contribution by Senator Whelan that the majority of people in Europe, particularly central Europe, live in apartments as opposed to one-off housing and there was no reason every house could not be metered. Will he clarify when this will happen and what will happen in the meantime? I understand a mechanism will be used based on the water-in-water-out principle to which Senator Keane referred earlier. This means premises that are not metered initially will be measured. By the end of 2015, between 200,000 and 300,000 housing units will not be metered. How will they be charged prior to being metered? Will that be fair? Will the Minister of State give us an explanation? This is a valid issue because not all meters will be ready on the first day of 2015.