Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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188. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the objective of the water conservation grant; if this objective was achieved; the full cost of the grant to the exchequer to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18554/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Water Conservation Grant was introduced in 2015 as part of the Government's revised package of water measures, which was announced in November 2014. The purpose of the Grant was to assist in the promotion of increased conservation and more sustainable use of water services. The Grant was paid on a universal basis to principal primary residences, which were registered with Irish Water by 30 June 2015, whether the water was supplied by Irish Water, the group water sector or through other private sources, such as private wells.

The Water Conservation Grant was introduced to support households in conserving water and adopting more sustainable approaches towards the use of water services in the home. As part of the scheme’s information campaign, my Department published literature that outlined several ways in which householders could conserve water through household devices and water-efficient appliances. This information was also placed on the scheme’s website, www.watergrant.ie, and on that of the Department.  The website has had over 16 million individual page hits since it was launched in 2015. Information leaflets produced by my Department on water conservation were distributed through public and other relevant bodies, such as the EPA and the National Federation of Group Water Schemes and at major public events, such as the National Ploughing Championships.

The Department of Social Protection, which administered the Grant on behalf of my Department, has made grant payments totalling just over €89 million, in respect of 890,107 applications. Administration costs of €5,995,762 were incurred in respect of the Grant. Therefore, the total cost of the Water Conservation Grant to the Exchequer to date is €95,006,462.