Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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61. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will accept a late application under the water conservation grant, as the person was not aware of the closing date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44354/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The eligibility criteria for the Water Conservation Grant are set out in the Water Services Act 2014 Water Conservation Grant) Regulations 2015. Under regulation 5(1) a person who registers with Irish Water, as required under section 5(2)(a) of the Water Services Act 2014, on or before 30 June 2015 shall be eligible to receive the grant in 2015 if they were normally resident at the principal private residence on that date.

To date Irish Water has transferred details of over 1.3 million registered households to this Department. A letter issued to those householders at the address given inviting them to apply for the grant before the deadline of 8 October 2015 and advising them that they could make this application either online or with the assistance of the Water Grant Support Team by telephone. Statutory Instrument 434 of 2015 provided for the extension of the deadline for the submission of a completed application for the Water Conservation Grant to the Department of Social Protection from 8 October 2015 to 22 October 2015. A nationwide campaign utilising press, radio and social media to promote information on the grant was conducted. This campaign extensively advertised the eligibility criteria, the application process and the original and extended deadlines. Late applications for the grant cannot be accepted.