Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 1512: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make a statement on a situation in Cork City where Cork City Council is charging schools for water consumed and have explained that they are obliged to do so due to a directive from him; and his views on whether this is putting severe financial pressure both on boards of management and parents. [29284/06]

Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 1542: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will make a statement on the situation where Cork City Council officials are stating that, as a result of a directive from his Department, the Council have now introduced a water charge to national schools in their jurisdiction for water services. [29779/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1512 and 1542 together.

Local authorities are required to recover the cost of providing water services from the users of these services, with the exception of householders. 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, as with other non-domestic users, be based on fixed water services charges, Cork City Council, in common with other local authorities and in line with the above policies, are now moving towards the metering of all non-domestic water use. This is to 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 and thus minimise this element of their running costs.