Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 189: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on whether the controversial farm water charges go way beyond requirements of EU water legislation; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that farmers do not have the income to meet these charges; if he will review these charges and listen to the farmers' deep concerns and worries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7196/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Local authorities are required to recover from all non-domestic water consumers the full costs incurred in the provision of water services to those consumers. The application of the polluter pays principle, as required by Article 9.1 of the EU Water Framework Directive, entails the metering of non-domestic consumers so that a volumetric charge can be applied, with the cost of meter installation being borne by the metered consumers.

I have met farming representatives on a number of occasions in the past year about their concerns on the issue of water charges. In response to representations on the cost of metering, and following a pilot billing project in one local authority area, I arranged for my Department to issue billing guidance to local authorities in December 2006, including a request that authorities consider the necessity for special discounting arrangements in the case of multiple water meters on fragmented small farm holdings. Furthermore, in response to the position of farm holdings with fragmented holdings, the guidance recommends that the total metering charge in such instances should not exceed 180% of the cost of the first connection irrespective of the number of meters.