Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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907. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if Irish Water will deal with complaints and queries of persons who have not registered; if the first fix proposal will apply to residents who have not registered. [1064/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and that the CER must perform its functions in a manner that best serves the interests of customers of Irish Water. It is not specified that this only relates to customers who have registered with the company.

Section 32 of the Act provides that Irish Water must submit a code or codes of practice to the CER for approval and the CER may modify any such code. A code of practice made under section 32 can include, inter alia, a provision for customer complaints to Irish Water in relation to provision of water services, the standards for the performance by Irish Water of its functions and any other matter the CER considers necessary and appropriate to secure the interests of customers of Irish Water. In discharging its functions, the CER may consult with Irish Water, the public, or any other person it considers appropriate. Irish Water also has a statutory obligation to comply with any direction from the CER in relation to the approved codes. Irish Water’s approved codes of practice can be found on its website, at:

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Similar to the approach it has taken in the electricity and gas industries, the CER has required Irish Water to submit a Customer Handbook outlining the minimum requirements of customer service standards they will provide to their customers. The Customer Handbook comprises Irish Water’s Customer Charter, Codes of Practice and the Terms and Conditions of supply. Following a public

consultation on the document in 2014, the CER have recently published the approved Irish Water Customer Handbook on their website, at

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Irish Water has established a customer support call centre which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This call centre is the initial point of contact for members of the public in contacting Irish Water. It is designed for reporting of any faults in water services and assisting customers with any queries and complaints related to water services. Members of the public who are not customers of Irish Water, but who may have an issue in relation to public water infrastructure,are also able to use this service for relevant matters .

Furthermore, the Water Services Act 2014 , which was enacted on 28 December 2014, includes a provision that the CER will provide a dispute resolution service for registered customers of Irish Water. This will be similar to the service operated by the Commission for the gas and electricity markets.

Under the Water Services Act 2007, responsibility for repair and maintenance of the internal water distribution system from the main stopcock to the house and within the house rests with the homeowner. However, the Government has agreed to provide additional funding to Irish Water for their capital investment to include a free first fix scheme. Irish Water has submitted a draft first fix policy to the Commission for Energy Regulation for approval. The CER intend to hold a public consultation in relation to this scheme in Quarter 1 2015.

Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives and has contacted all Oireachtas members to provide details of an improved level of service which it is aiming to provide. The team can be contacted via email to or by telephone on a new dedicated number, 1890 578 578.