Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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479. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if payment of the proposed water rates will be subject to the same methods of payment as the local property tax. [40999/13]

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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480. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if Irish Water will have the power to deduct payment of water rates from a householders source of income. [41000/13]

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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481. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if farmers will be subject to domestic water rates for work carried out on the farm. [41001/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 479, 480 and 481 together.

The Programme for Government sets out a commitment for the introduction of water charges based on usage above a free allowance. The Government considers that charging based on usage is the fairest way to charge for water and it has, therefore, decided that water meters should be installed in households connected to public water supplies. The Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013, which is currently in preparation, will provide Irish Water with the power to collect charges from customers in respect of its services. T he Government has decided to assign responsibility for the economic regulation of the water sector, including the setting of charges, to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER). Following the enactment of the Water Services Bill the CER will have the power to set charges for both domestic and non-domestic charges. The primary role of CER will be to protect the interests of customers and to ensure a consistent and appropriate level of service is provided to them .

Currently, any farm connected to a public water supply is liable for charges as a non-domestic customer, with an allowance provided for domestic use. Following the introduction of domestic water charges, farm s connected to public water supplies will be charged by Irish Water for both non-domestic and domestic use, subject to any free allowance to be provided to households in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government.