Cabinet to discuss revised scheme for water charges

The Cabinet will today discuss a revised scheme for the introduction of water charges but Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore yesterday refused to commit themselves to a time frame for a resolution of the issue.

“The Government are considering a number of details in respect of water and we hope to conclude that matter very shortly,” Mr Kenny said.

Mr Gilmore said the issue is being discussed by the Government.

“I hope that we will be able to arrive at a conclusion reasonably quickly,” he said. “Some of the issues are well known, the issue of metering, the issue of ability to pay and so on.

“I hope we will be able to come to a resolution on it in the not too distant future,” he added.

Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore were speaking at an event in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, to mark the roll-out of 31 local enterprise offices around the country.

The charges
Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan, who was also at the Mullingar event, confirmed the issue will be discussed at Cabinet today and said he expected the details will be agreed this week so that the charges, which will average €240 a house, can be implemented.

Mr Hogan has been working on proposals designed to provide relief from water charges for people living on fixed incomes as well as the acceleration of the meter installation programme to reduce the number of households that will face assessed charges.

Standing charge
However, a Labour demand for the abolition or reduction of a potential €50 a year standing charge per household has proved more difficult to resolve.

The imposition of a standing charge is a matter for the regulator and not the Government.

Mr Hogan’s original proposal was that the regulator should be directed that the standing charge should be no higher than €50 and that it should be subject to public consultation.

A lower standing charge would involve a smaller contribution from second homes, holiday homes and unoccupied rental properties resulting in bigger bills for larger households.

Agreement has proved easier to reach on exempting a range of households from the charges.

It is expected that people on fixed incomes such as pensioners and those on disability allowances will be given relief on the water charge which is likely to be included in the household budget package which covers electricity and gas bills.

It is expected that the funding for the measure will come from the Department of Social Protection budget but extra resources will be made available from the exchequer to cover the cost.

Mr Hogan is also expected to propose that the majority of households, who will be asked to pay an assessed charge pending the installation of water meters, will be entitled to claim a rebate when metering comes into operation.