Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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20. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will consider amending the Water Procurement Act 1977, to allow for a range of application fees, to reflect the wide range of licence applications received from different sectors, discharging trade effluent to sewer, as the current system is very unfair to small and medium businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15672/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 provides for the transfer of water services functions from the water services authorities to Irish Water. With effect from 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for the provision of public water services.

The current regime governing discharges to sewers was introduced under the provisions of Section 16 of the Water Pollution Act 1977, which allowed local authorities to grant a trade effluent licence and to insert relevant conditions in such licences. In particular, section 16(4)(b), as amended by the Local Government (Water Pollution) Act 1990, provides for the payment by the holder of the licence, to the local authority concerned, of such amount or amounts as may be determined by the local authority having regard to the expenditure incurred or to be incurred by it in monitoring, treating and disposing of discharges of trade effluent, sewage effluent and other matter to sewers in its functional area or a specified part of its functional area. This function has now transferred to Irish Water. I expect that any changes to fees or charges associated with these licences will require to be approved by the Commission for Energy Regulation in due course.