Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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115. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to allow senior citizens who did not apply for the water conservation grant because they were not aware of it to apply for it now on discretionary grounds. [13855/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Water Services Act 2014 (Water Conservation Grant) Regulations 2015 govern the operation of the 2015 Water Conservation Grant scheme. The date for registration with Irish Water for the purposes of eligibility for payment of the grant in 2015 was set at 30 June 2015.

The deadline for submitting a completed application for the grant in 2015 was 8 October 2015, which was further extended to 22 October 2015 under the Water Services Act 2014 (Water Conservation Grant) (Amendment) Regulations 2015. These criteria were widely communicated by my Department, on www.watergrant.ieand in the print and radio media. The 2015 grant scheme administration is now closed and I have no proposals to amend the regulations to further extend the deadline or re-open the 2015 scheme.

Under the 'Confidence and Supply arrangement' agreed with Fianna Fáil in the context of facilitating a minority government, the Government is committed to introducing and supporting legislation in the Oireachtas, within six weeks of its appointment, to suspend domestic water charges for a period of nine months from the end of the current bill cycle. This is to allow for the Oireachtas to decide on the enduring funding model for Irish Water. Under this arrangement, the Water Conservation Grant will be suspended for 2016.

Water Services legislation prohibits Irish Water from disconnecting a household from the public water supply.