Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 204: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason primary schools are being metered for non-domestic water usage; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this will put a severe strain on resources of primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11414/06]

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 non-domestic users of these services. 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. This is the most equitable approach which also promotes maximum environmental efficiency.

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.