Disability groups voice fears over charges’ effect on families

The disability sector said they fear people with disabilities and their families will still be penalised by water charges, despite the concessions announced yesterday, while advocacy groups for older people gave the preliminary water charges scheme a cautious welcome.

Inclusion Ireland is seeking further information on how a disabled child or person’s water needs will be calculated as part of the families’ overall water bill.

Under the scheme, people with high water usage due to particular medical conditions will have their bills capped “at the relevant assessed charge”.

Meanwhile, people with disabilities, carers and pensioners who are entitled to the means-tested household benefits package will also be entitled to an estimated €100 allowance off their water bill.

CEO of Inclusion Ireland, Paddy Connolly, said there are already “huge issues” for families around the cost of disability as many have greater sanitation and laundry requirements.

“How will medical conditions be measured to see if a person is entitled to a capped water bill? And what will be considered high water usage? For a great many people this is just another charge following an accumulation of cuts that is making it increasingly difficulty for families to live the life they want,” he said.

Older person’s charity, Age Action gave a guarded welcome to the water charges, but noted that the full impact will not be known until all details of the tariff package have been decided.

“As with any national scheme, the devil will be in the detail and we need to see how these charges will pan out, but we note that the plan announced today includes a number of key principles which, if properly implemented, should provide greater protection against poverty for older people,” spokesperson Eamon Timmins said.

Age Action welcomed the decision to drop plans for standing charges, which would have hit low income households and older people living alone.

It also welcomed the decision to pay €100 annually to carers and recipients of the State pension and disability pension.

“However, whether this €100 will be sufficient to protect older people — especially those living alone — against large water bills will depend on the unit price of water,” Mr Timmins said.