Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 1003: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he accepts that there is an unfairness in the method by which the farming community are charged for the cost of meters for the supply of water to their farms; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that for many farmers, particularly in the west of Ireland who have fragmented farms, in many cases farmers with only 30 or 40 acres of land have their holdings extended across six or seven fragmented farms which means that they have to pay the full rate for six or seven meters; if his attention has been further drawn to the fact that this is a major financial burden on small farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15186/06]

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 full cost of providing water services from the users of these services, with the exception of households using the services for domestic purposes. This policy of cost recovery from the non-domestic sector extends to the provision of meters, which are necessary to ensure water charging of users according to actual consumption.

Local authorities are at an advanced stage of implementing their non-domestic metering programmes and will have substantially concluded these by the end of 2006. The metering of non-domestic water supply is also intended to incentivise all non-domestic users, including the farming community, to manage and conserve their use of water.

My Department is aware that in some situations non-domestic users, including farmers, may need to have a number of separate meters installed on their properties. Precise charging arrangements in these circumstances would be a matter for settlement locally between property owners and local authorities. However, in principle, the costs associated with the provision of water supply, including the installation of water meters, should be met by the users of the service.