Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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49. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if grants will be provided for households facing costly connection fees to public water and wastewater infrastructure especially in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20869/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning and delivery. Irish Water's charging policies, including in relation to connection charges, are subject to approval by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU), in its statutory role as the independent economic regulator of Irish Water.

Part V of the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013, in particular sets out the CRU's responsibility for the determination of the charges, including connection charges, and charging arrangements, that apply to customers of Irish Water. The CRU  determination on the appropriate  charges and charging arrangements that apply to new network connections are set out in its detailed decision paper on Connection Charging available on its website at www.cru.ie.  My Department has no role in the matter.

It may be helpful to note that Irish Water has established a dedicated team to deal with representations and queries from public representatives. The team can be contacted via email to oireachtasmembers@water.ie or by telephone on a dedicated number, 1890 57 578.