Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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723. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the net cost to Ervia and Irish Water from administering domestic water charges including the recent administration cost of refunds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53904/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The costs to support the administration of domestic water charges across printing, postage, billing and the contact centre for the period April 2015 to February 2016 were €31.65m. Advertising costs of €2.85m were also incurred, including in relation to Registration, the Water Conservation Grant and the First-Fix scheme, up to 31 December 2015.

The Water Services Act 2017 (No. 29 of 2017), which was enacted on 17 November 2017, reflects the recommendations of the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services, which was published in April 2017 and approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas. The Act provides for the discontinuance of domestic water charges for dwellings as set out in the Water Services Act 2014, and for the refund of domestic charges that were paid.

The total budget proposed by Irish Water to cover the cost of administering domestic refunds, including contingency and VAT, is approx €5.9m.