John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 337: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will put on the record, details of an audit carried out by his officials on the costing and methodology used by Sligo County Council in relation to water charges to farmers in County Sligo in view of the huge variance between councils in rates of charges; if he will not defer the question as he is responsible for this issue and that it is essential to provide transparency on this issue by furnishing the details of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30275/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I understand that on foot of representations made to my predecessor to the effect that the water charges set by Sligo County Council in 2007 were greater than warranted by the non-domestic sector cost recovery requirement, he requested that the matter be examined by his Department. In March 2007, Departmental officials met with Sligo County Council for the purpose of obtaining detailed information on aspects of the Council's water charges calculations and establishing whether the charges had been calculated in accordance with water pricing policy. Details of the Council's calculations were examined which indicated that they were prepared utilising the Water Services Cost Methodology Template, which was developed under the auspices of the County and City Managers' Association Water Pricing Operational Cost Sub-Group, in consultation with the Department.

On the basis of the information provided by the Council, the combined volumetric rate of €1.67 per cubic metre plus the standing charge would generate an income from non-domestic sector water charges in 2007 of less than 26% of the total estimated cost of providing water and waste water services in the county in 2007. Accordingly, the Council's water charges in 2007 could not be regarded as excessive in the context of its obligation to recover from the non-domestic sector the full cost of providing water and waste water services to that sector. Variations in the level of water charges between one local authority and another are to be expected given the variations in the cost of water abstraction, treatment and distribution.