Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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531. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if the energy regulator will have any role in the regulation of not-for-profit group water schemes, that is, schemes that are connected to private water sources as opposed to water sources owned by Irish Water. [43225/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Water Services (No.2) Act 2013 provides Irish Water with the power to charge for water services. The Act also provides that the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) will be responsible for the economic regulation of Irish water and the charges to be levied by Irish Water will be subject to the approval of the CER. Following a public consultation process, the CER announced its decision on water charges on 30 September. Group Water Schemes that are supplied by way of a connection to the public water supply network will have previously been non-domestic customers of the relevant local authority and will therefore now become customers of Irish Water. Under the arrangements determined by the CER, the existing charges for non-domestic customers will remain in place pending a further consultation.

Group Water Schemes that have their own water sources will not be customers of Irish Water and are not subject to regulation by the CER.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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532. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the design, build and operate contracts for 13 group water schemes have collapsed in County Mayo; and in view of this and the fact that there is compelling evidence that DBO contracts do not offer value for money, the reason his Department are still imposing this method of procurement on group water schemes. [43226/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The national strategy agreed some years ago between my Department, the Local Authorities, the then National Rural Water Monitoring Committee and the National Federation of Group Water Schemes for the provision of water treatment facilities in privately sourced group water schemes was based on Design/Build/Operate (DBO) procurement, coupled with the bundling of a number of schemes under a single contract. This was considered the best method of ensuring both value for money in terms of the whole life cost of the investment, and ensuring that quality improvements are sustained. All the bundles of DBO contracts are now substantially complete and my Department has no proposals for any new group water scheme DBO projects under its Rural Water Programme.

Proposals for the resolution of the issue that ha s arisen in the case of a bundled DBO group water scheme project in Mayo are being followed up on by Mayo County Council, which has responsibility for the administration of the Rural Water Programme in Mayo.