Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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Question 879: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to enter into discussions with the Department of Education and Science regarding the new charges which will be levied on schools for water consumption, which will replace the existing flat-rate charges that schools have customarily paid in relation to the national policy of installing water meters in all non-domestic buildings. [10521/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The national water services pricing policy framework requires local authorities to recover the cost of providing water services from the users of these services, with the exception of householders. The policy framework, which provides among other things for the metering of the non-domestic sector, was agreed by Government in 1998.

It is a requirement of water pricing policy that the cost of providing water services to the non-domestic sector should be fully recovered by local authorities by means of a meter based volumetric charge. While current arrangements for schools may, in common with many other non-domestic users, be based on fixed water services charges local authorities are moving towards the metering of all non-domestic water use. This will provide a transparent and equitable cost recovery mechanism for water services which should incentivise all non-domestic users including schools to conserve their use of water.

Interdepartmental discussions have not been taking place on this matter.