Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

28. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on amending the Water Services Act 2014 to include exemptions for households affected by the presence of hard water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3434/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides that Irish Water can collect charges from each customer in receipt of water services provided by it. The Act also provides that responsibility for the independent economic regulation of the water sector is assigned to the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and the CER has been given statutory responsibility for protecting the interests of customers.

Under the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations 2014, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library, suppliers of drinking water are required to ensure that the water supplied is wholesome and clean. Water which is wholesome and clean is defined as water which is free from any micro-organisms and parasites and from any substances which in numbers or concentrations constitute a potential danger to human health, and which meets the quality standards specified in the Schedule to the Regulations. Hard water is not included in the Schedule mentioned above as it does not pose as a threat to human health, nor indeed are the substances associated with hard water, such as lime, calcium and magnesium.

The Water Charges Policy Direction issued to the CER in July 2014 referred to a number of matters relating to domestic water charges including where the quality of water services provided by Irish Water to customers is impaired or where services are reduced or restricted. Where a customer is subject to a drinking water restriction notice, affected customers will receive a 100% discount to the water supply portion of their bill for the duration of the restriction. Accordingly, the current legislation allows for discounts on charges for impaired services and no amendments to the Water Services Act 2014 are necessary. However, as neither hard water nor the substances associated with it require the restriction of a supply, discounts would not apply in such cases .