Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to attend the Upper House to debate the important topic of the decisions taken by the Government on a restructured water charges system and related measures regarding critical water sector reforms. Over time these reforms will ensure security of supply of quality drinking water to local communities and businesses and the upgrading and delivery of sewerage systems to keep our rivers, lakes and seas free from pollution.

The Government has reflected on the handling of a demanding water sector reform programme which was implemented, as others have acknowledged, to a challenging timescale. We listened to people's concerns about an excessively complex charging structure that created uncertainty for households on what they would pay for water services in 2015 and beyond. We also took stock of Ervia's and Irish Water's customer engagements and acted to make improvements.

I propose to detail the key actions the Government has introduced and for which it will shortly legislate. Annual water charges will be capped at €160 for households with a single adult and €260 for all other households until the end of 2018. Specific legislative provision will be made to allow capped charges to continue to be set by the Government from 2019 onwards. All eligible households will receive a water conservation grant of €100 per year, which means that the net cost of water will be €60 for households with a single adult and not more than €160 for other households. Non-customers of Irish Water such as people with private wells and those in group water schemes will also be eligible to receive the €100 water conservation grant, provided they respond to Irish Water's customer application campaign. For metered bills, the charge for water in and out will be €3.70 per 1,000 litres, which is almost 25% lower than the previous subsidised rate. Bills will also be capped at the relevant household rate. Households with either a water supply only or sewage only service will pay 50% of the new rates.

The children's allowance remains at 21,000 litres per annum and will apply to all persons resident in a property aged under 18, irrespective of whether the child qualifies for child benefit, meaning children will continue to go free. This means that if a household with two adults and two children uses fewer than 85,200 litres of water in a year, their bill will be less than €160.

The new system for which all households should register before 2 February 2015 in order to receive the new benefits and an accurate first bill will be based on self-declaration and appropriate audit. PPS numbers will not be required for registration-----