Families of pupils over 18 face €102 water fee

Parents of at least 25,000 secondary school students will be hit with €102 per child in water charges from October, placing an extra burden on families already struggling with education costs.

The National Parents Council-Post Primary is calling on the Government to exempt all school-goers from the charge, saying the extra burden could force poorer students to drop out of school.

It says that second-level pupils who turn 18 fall between two stools of not benefiting from allowances available for children, while not being entitled to adult social welfare — such as dole or rent allowance — unless they give up school.

Parents’ council spokeswoman Lynda O’Shea is concerned the charge will “bring us back to the ’80s where parents told children they were better off out of school, on the dole or going away, because it is costing too much to keep them”.

She said water charges will contribute to a “mentality” that is already creeping into working-class families that “18- or 19-year-olds are better off signing on”.

“If they are still in school, then they are their parents’ responsibility and the parents have to provide for them. But if parents can’t afford to keep them then they decide it’s better for them to get a job or to sign on. Anybody who is school- going should be exempt from water charges.”

Under cost plans, now open to public consultation, water allowances of 21,000 litres a year for children will not extend to 18-year-olds regardless of circumstances.

Irish Water has also confirmed that the free allowance, which allows for one shower and one toilet flush a day, will not be available to children aged 16 and 17 if they have finished full-time education. A spokesperson said the allowance is provided on the same basis as Children’s Allowance, which stops once a teen over 16 finishes school, if they’re not in college.

This month, the Energy Regulator set annual assessed charges at €176 for one adult and €102 for every adult after that, which will apply to homes without water meters and for six months after a meter is installed. A couple with two children over 18 will pay €482 a year, while a family with one child over 18 and one younger will pay €382.

When metered charges kick in, over 18s will cost their parents €87 a year for a seven-minute shower per day, rising to €311 if they have a daily power shower.

At least 25,000 people aged 18 or over were still in second-level education last year, according to Department of Education statistics.

However, the figure could be far higher as the statistics are based on figures showing students’ age on January 1 each year. There were more than 50,000 17-year-olds at school in January 2013, many thousands of whom would have turned 18 before the summer holidays.

Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath said many families with teenage children could face bills of up to €600.

“This will place an unbearable burden on families with grown-up children still living at home and needs to be reviewed before the charges come into effect on October 1,” he said.

“The reality is that young adults use a lot of water and many of them are not income earners. Families in this situation are going to be the hardest hit by water charges. Under the current proposals many families will be facing annual water bills of €600 to €700.”