Up water limit for big families: TDs

Households with large families or with sick or elderly residents should be given certain exemptions to water charges due in 2014, an Oireachtas committee has recommended.

It said further consideration should be given to proposed water allowances per household, because this could discriminate against big families or people who need extra supplies for medical or health reasons.

The Government has argued that the introduction of water charges will lead to more “careful and prudent use of precious resources”.

But the Campaign against Household and Water Charges, led by Independent TDs, is promising massive resistance to the charge.

The Oireachtas Committee on the Environment said a new water utility should be called “Uisce Éireann” and must remain in state ownership and must be accountable to the Oireachtas.

The cross-party group of TDs and senators did not recommend what rates should be set for water usage or whether homes should be charged for the installation of meters. But it said the charge should be “poverty-proofed by an independent agency” and calls for a “clear customer information programme” explaining the new system.

It also recommends that any waiver scheme should incentivise households to monitor their water usage by allowing them to carry over the financial balance of their allowance.

In its Report on Water Provisions, the committee recommends that when rolling out water meters, the State should employ apprentices who are “struggling to find the opportunity to complete their training”.

Chairman Ciarán Lynch said: “It is critical that Ireland puts in place a sustainable supply of water into the future, and that this is a priority for this Government.”