Family size to be factor in free water allowance

Family size will partly determine the level of free water households are permitted when metering is introduced, Environment Minister Phil Hogan has pledged.

The minister insisted he would direct Irish Water to make the concession in the face of continued opposition to the imposition of charges. Defending the levy, which is due to come into force in Jan 2015, Mr Hogan said voters had decided to opt for such service taxes instead of income tax increases at the last general election.

He said the number of people in a household needed to be taken into account when the level of charge-free water allowed to the property was calculated.

“I am directing Irish Water … that they will have to take into account the number of people in the house, but also take into account illnesses and extenuating circumstances that require people to use a lot more water,” he told RTÉ, citing the case of teenagers in a household pushing up the levels of water use.

Mr Hogan, who was believed to have been locked in dispute with Irish Water after the body favoured property size, rather than family size, determining the amount of free water allowed, said that other factors would also come into play when deciding on the free amount of water allowed.

“I have given a commitment that there will be a free allowance for all families and then there will be affordability measures, based on people, for certain reasons, suffering from ill health, or disability, or large families on low incomes, all of these factors have to be taken into account by the regulator, and that is what the regulator is working on at the moment.

“There will be a public consultation about that in October-November, and we will have decisions to be made on that in January or February next year.”

Irish Water insists the metering programme will result in the creation of 1,600 jobs as part of the nationwide installation project which will see more than one million meters put in over the next three years.

Mr Hogan also pointedly refused to rule himself out as a candidate for an upcoming post of European commissioner.

The minister was coy over whether he could replace Máire Geoghegan Quinn when the Taoiseach decides on her replacement in Brussels next year.

“I leave all that to the Taoiseach. I’ll wait till he rings me,” Mr Hogan said.

After becoming embroiled in a string of political controversies, Mr Hogan’s name has been linked to the EU post along with Education Minister Ruairi Quinn.

Mr Hogan insisted that there was no way back into the Fine Gael fold for rebels such as former Europe Minister Lucinda Creighton who were expelled from the parliamentary party for defying the whip over X-case legislation.

“I think the Taoiseach made it perfectly clear that there would be no way back for them between now and the next general election,” Mr Hogan said.