Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have some questions on section 47. As has been mentioned several times by my colleagues, the requirement to register as a customer with Irish Water specifies that one must register not later than 20 working days after the coming into operation of the Act. There is no indication as to what happens if someone does not register after 20 days. Will sanctions be imposed on them, and, if so, what will those sanctions be? Am I incorrect in linking it with section 6, which states that someone providing false or misleading information is liable on summary conviction to a class A fine, which I understand is €5,000, a significant amount of money? Am I to assume that someone who does not register within the 20 working days can be taken to court and, on summary conviction, will be fined €5,000? Nothing in the Bill indicates what will happen if a customer who is required to register does not register. This is part of an ongoing difficulty with the entire legislation on the operation of Irish Water.

I understand only 46% of households that registered have paid. The figure would indicate that a large number of people are ignoring the legislation and ignoring the exhortations of Irish Water and the Government to register and subsequently pay. Some people have registered and have not yet paid. I have some sympathy with the Government's view that the figure will increase. It may seem strange for me to say that. People are not used to the notion of paying for water. Many of the people who have registered will pay, and the figure of 46% will increase significantly. At the same time, a significant number of the households that have registered will get the €100 grant and will not pay. I want to explore the issue of sanctions, because the section does not make clear what happens if people refuse to comply with the requirements.