Households should not have water supplies cut off, Coalition is warned

Households should not have water supplies cut off if payments are missed under the charges to be introduced next year, the Coalition has been warned.

Minister of state Fergus O’Dowd said the Government had not agreed the level of free water allowances to be granted under the system. He said the annual charge would not cost “anywhere near” the yearly figure of €700 suggested by Sinn Féin.

The minister was unable to give assurances that families would not have their supplies cut off if they missed bill payments. However, he said anybody with particular medical needs that require a greater use of water would have that taken into account.

Last year, Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the Dáil he would not give guarantees over water cut-offs as it would send out the message people need not pay.

Protests at council meetings over household and water charges.... http://t.co/AdkTS8txb6

— Nenagh Says No (@NenaghSaysNO) February 21, 2013

During committee stage, Independent TD Catherine Murphy tried to insert a provision that would have protected a household’s right to a minimum daily supply. However her amendment, was ruled out of order.

Mr O’Dowd said such issues would be dealt with in a separate piece of legislation, at a later stage as the bill was simply dealing with metering.

Ms Murphy said: “The key issue is that people will have the availability of water without necessarily having to pay for it.” While concerned about low income families, there were environmental considerations also.

“The whole idea of a free allowance is to allow people to live within that allowance and not end up with a bill,” she said.

FG/Lab introducing a household charge,property tax,water charges & state owned banks raising mortgage interest rates,& pay reductions, #vinb

— Ken Mc Fadden (@unspeakable28) February 26, 2013

Sinn Féin’s Brian Stanley said people were having gas and electricity turned off and demanded that the same not happen with water.

Mr O’Dowd said the Department of the Environment was in contact with the Department of Social Protection about ways to “poverty proof” the charge. No decisions had been made on the water charges or allowance to homes.