Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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281. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will establish a grant scheme to enable the installation of water softeners for those who cannot afford them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10343/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water is responsible for the operation of water services infrastructure and for the provision of drinking water in accordance with the European Communities (Drinking Water) (No.2) Regulations 2007, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as the water quality regulator, is the supervisory authority for public supplies under the Regulations.

Under the Regulations, suppliers of drinking water are required to ensure that the water supplied is wholesome and clean. Water which is wholesome and clean is defined as water which is free from any micro-organisms and parasites and from any substances which in numbers or concentrations constitute a potential danger to human health, and which meets the quality standards specified in the Schedule to the Regulations. Hard water and the minerals associated with hard water are not included as parameters in the quality standards specified in the Regulations as they do not pose as a threat to human health. Even though hard water is safe to drink and meets the required drinking water standards, some households may choose to soften their supply but this is a matter of personal choice.