Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 555: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if local authorities have the legal right to waiver water rate bills charged to schools and other non-profit making organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39953/06]

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 558: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on using Article 9 Paragraph 1 of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC to allow flexibility in dealing with the issue of the cost of installation, ongoing maintenance and reading of water meters for agricultural use in the case of multiple fragmented small farm holdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40032/06]

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 559: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if, in view of his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 628 of 1 November 2006, he will instruct Sligo County Council to cease charging for individual water meters on multiple fragmented small farm holdings until he has completed his examination on the impact of these charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40033/06]

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 565: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will provide additional funding to local authorities to fund the installation of additional water meters on farms due to farm fragmentation; if his attention has been drawn to the increased financial burden that it will place on small holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40294/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 555, 558, 559 and 565 together.

Local authorities are required to recover the cost of providing water services from all users of these services, with the exception of householders. Waiver provisions in relation to local government services are intended only to address cases of personal hardship and would therefore not accommodate schools or other non-profit organisations. In order to provide a transparent and equitable cost recovery mechanism for water services, as envisaged by the EU Water Framework Directive, local authorities are now moving towards the metering of all non-domestic users. Metering of water usage should incentivise all non-domestic users, including schools, to conserve their use of water and so minimise this element of their running costs.

Article 9.1 of the EU Water Framework Directive requires Member States to take account of the principle of water services cost recovery, including environmental and resource costs, in accordance with the polluter pays principle. The Directive is being implemented in Ireland in relation to the non-domestic sector on the basis of recovery of all non-domestic water services costs, including marginal capital costs and operational, administrative and meter installation costs, from those users of the services.

Following a pilot billing project in one local authority area, and having regard to discussions conducted with farming representatives, I am arranging for the billing guidance being prepared for local authorities to include a request that authorities consider the impact of their charging arrangements for water meters on multiple fragmented small farm holdings when deciding their water charges.