Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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298. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to outline the protections in place to maintain water supply for persons living in rural areas on group water schemes who are in arrears in their payments; his plans to increase the subsidy to group water schemes in 2017-18; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16261/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department has no management responsibility for group water schemes - that is entirely a matter for the members as owners of their scheme.

A group water scheme may apply to their local authority for payment of a subsidy towards the operational cost of providing a domestic drinking water supply (i.e. water supplied to private households). My Department recoups local authorities in full for this payment.

Group water scheme members have a right to expect that their management complies with all of the conditions set by my Department for drawdown of subsidy. A group water scheme may qualify for a subsidy only if it has adopted a Charter of Rights and Responsibilities for Consumers on group water schemes. A copy of the Charter is available from the National Federation of Group Water Schemes at the following link:

www.nfgws.ie/kfmgetfull/fckeditor/File/Charter%20of%20Rights%20(revised%202010).pdf.

My Department’s conditions (explanatory memorandum) may be obtained from the relevant local authority or on my Department's website at the following link:

www.housing.gov.ie/water/water-services/rural-water-programme/group-water-schemes-and-rural-water-issues.

As committed to under the ‘Confidence and Supply Arrangement’ agreed in the context of facilitating a minority government, the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2016 provided for the suspension of domestic public water charges for a period of nine months from 1 July 2016. This period of suspension of charges is to allow for an extensive deliberation process to be undertaken on the future funding model for domestic public water and waste water services.

Other water elements contained in the Arrangement include the restoration of subsidies to group water schemes to pre-2015 levels for the suspension period. In August 2016 my Department wrote to local authorities advising them of the restoration of subsidies to group water schemes to the pre-2015 levels for the duration of the suspension period.

The suspension period may be extended by me as Minister where it is the case that such an extension is warranted to facilitate the completion of the deliberative processes. I have recently signed an Order which provides for the extension of the suspension for a period of four months to 31 July 2017. My Department will shortly be writing to local authorities advising them that subsidies will be maintained at the pre-2015 levels for the duration of the extension period.

My Department will give further consideration to the subsidies available for the operation of group water schemes in light of the Oireachtas decision on the enduring funding model for public domestic water services.