Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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221. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the way he reconciles the Government's narrative of Irish Water as a conservation measure and the fact that Irish Water is a for-profit organisation. [43573/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Water Services Act 2013 provides for the establishment of Irish Water as a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann, conforming to the conditions contained in the Act and registered under the Companies Acts. The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is responsible for, inter alia, ensuring that water services are provided by Irish Water in an economical and efficient manner and for ensuring that Irish Water operates in a commercially viable manner, supporting investment in upgrading water and wastewater infrastructure.

The Government committed to a national programme to provide water meters to households that are connected to public water supplies, as a measure to support overall water resource management and underpin charging based on usage. Irish Water is committed to installing 1. 1 million domestic meters nationally by 2016, representing 80% of domestic customers. International evidence has shown that where meters have been installed, significant reductions have been achieved in the level of consumption and this is also borne out by the water savings achieved with metering in the group water sector. I understand that a comprehensive water conservation programme will be undertaken by Irish Water and will cover the full spectrum of measures including conservation-related customer aw areness and education campaigns.