Most houses to be metered by 2014

Up to 90 per cent of houses will be metered for water charges by 2014, according to Minister for Environment Phil Hogan.

Mr Hogan said the Government’s proposed metering programme would initially create up to 2,000 construction-related jobs with a further 2,000 people being employed to operate the system.

A six-week public consultation process on Government plans to reform the provision of water services begins today.

“We’ve often taken water for granted with 40 per cent of water in some counties being unaccounted for,” Mr Hogan said.

"We want to introduce a system where we have a universal water charge by 2014. We expect that 90 per cent of all houses will be metered by 2014," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme.

Under the terms of the country’s EU-IMF bailout deal, the State has committed to introducing water meters and water charges.

The Government plans to establish a new public utility, Irish Water, to operate the service.

“Once the metering programme has been completed, a steady level of capital investment of potentially €600 million per annum in water services, facilitated through a new public utility, Irish Water, will see this level of construction employment sustained on an ongoing basis through capital investment in new infrastructure,” Mr Hogan said.

“A commitment to establish Irish Water as a public utility will allow for a higher level of capital investment in the sector through a long-term multi-annual programme sustaining and creating further jobs in the sector for construction workers, engineers, quantity surveyors, technicians, plumbers and others involved in the water industry generally in Ireland,” he added.

The process the installing meters is due to begin in the autumn.

The Department of the Environment has so far dismissed as “speculative” suggestions the average household charge for water will be between €250 and €400 per annum.

However, it is understood that a flat-rate charge has been ruled out, as it would encourage indiscriminate use.

Equally, a threshold for water usage below which no charge would apply is also likely to be considered.