Water charges put back for one year

Water charges will be introduced a year later than planned in a move that the opposition claims is aimed at avoiding meltdown for Labour in next year’s local and European elections.

Finance Minister Michael Noonan confirmed that the charge, which was due to come into effect in January, will be delayed until late 2014 or early 2015. He was speaking hours after it was left to Labour leader Eamon Gilmore to deliver the news which will give some respite to house owners.

The Tánaiste, under pressure over his party’s disastrous showing in the Meath East byelection, told RTÉ radio during a trade mission to Turkey that the Coalition would not proceed with the charges from Jan 2014 as had been planned.

“We have always said that water charges will be based on a metering system and my understanding is that there will not be sufficient metering by January to allow a charging regime to come in,” he said.

Mr Noonan later confirmed the delay, saying “the roll-out of metering is a little slower than anticipated”.

Mr Noonan said he and Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin will now have to discuss the likely introduction date with the EU/IMF/ECB troika.

“Whether that date would be at the back end of 2014 or whether it could extend into 2015 we are not quite sure yet. It depends first of all on the attitude of the troika. But it also depends on the roll-out of the metering by the new water bord, Bord Uisce.”

Speaking in Limerick, Mr Noonan said the amount households would have to pay would be agreed with the troika by this summer in line with the bailout agreement. It is likely to include a flat rate based on a household’s size with a metering system for any extra use.

“It was negotiated with the troika by the previous government and we are committed to having a charge for water, but are still involved in negotiating the detail and we will continue to negotiate the detail,” he said.

“We have renegotiated many aspects of the bailout programme and this is another one where we are agreeing the principle, but the actual implementation date and the detail has still to be decided with the troika,” he said.

However, Sinn Féin said the delay had nothing to do with the meter installation. The party’s environment spokesman Brian Stanley said: “The Government is deferring the introduction of water charges to avoid election meltdown.”

Local elections are due to take place in summer 2014.