Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 1328: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the plans he has made or the arrangements he has entered into with local authorities which are introducing water metres for all non-domestic customers; the provisions which will be made to have voluntary secondary schools exempt from water charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24255/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with the EU water framework directive, the national water services pricing policy framework provides for the recovery by sanitary authorities of the cost of providing water services from the users of these services, with the exception of households using the services for domestic purposes. The policy framework requires full recovery of the cost of providing water services to the non-domestic sector by means of a meter based volumetric charge and the metering of this sector by December 2006. The framework does not provide for the exemption of any classes of non-domestic users from the charging policy.

Sanitary authorities are at an advanced stage in the planning and implementation of their metering programmes and have confirmed that the 2006 deadline will be met. My Department has not entered into any particular arrangements with sanitary authorities regarding metering apart from supporting a pilot metering demonstration project in Sligo and the provision of information and guidance.