Households to get supplement for water bills

Every home will get a water support payment which will be administered by the Department of Social Protection.

But people will have to sign up with Irish Water to receive the supplement and penalties are being considered for those who fail to register for water charges.

Government sources confirmed that a universal payment or supplement for all homes will be announced next week.

The confirmation comes as a fixed water charge up until at least 2018 is expected to be announced by the Government as part of its water reform package next week.

Tánaiste Joan Burton said yesterday this was her “personal preference”, and also that a special unit is being set up to administer a €100 supplement for households to ease the cost of water bills.

It remains unclear if this will be the amount given to all homes, but sources confirmed a universal supplement would apply to all households.

The full water charge reform programme will be announced next week followed by a Dáil debate on the new measures later in the week.

Speaking to Newstalk’s Breakfast Show, Ms Burton said: “People will have to apply [for the supplement] because in order for social protection to make the payment, we will have to have an application from people.”

She also confirmed that the Government was contemplating considering a fixed or capped charge for at least three years.

“That’s the timeline that’s being examined.”

The Labour leader said it was her personal view that a referendum on the future ownership of Irish Water may “cause difficulties in constitutional terms”.

Instead, a “mechanism” was being worked out by the Attorney General to ensure the public that the semi-state will remain in public ownership, Ms Burton said.

Sources yesterday also confirmed that some sort of penalty was being finalised for the new water measures.

Ms Burton refused to say in the Dáil whether water bills might be deducted directly from people’s pay or welfare payments.

Meanwhile, opposition TDs have claimed that estimates which suggest water usage in homes will only fall by 6% with metering show that Irish Water “is nothing more than another money- making machine”.

Independent TD Thomas Pringle made the claim after the Irish Examiner revealed the internal estimate calculated by the semi-state company for the energy regulator.

The water saving equates to 22 litres a day or one less dishwasher cycle for an average family, data shows.

“For this minimal saving the installation of meters will cost €539m over the next two years, and we all know who will be footing the bill on that one,” said the Donegal TD.