Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe has described plans to charge householders for water as unfair and that the new tax burden will mean that the public will be paying three times for their water if the government’s plans to install water meters are not resisted.
Crowe was speaking after questioning of An Bord Gáis CEO, John Mullins at the Dáil Environment Committee.
Deputy Sean Crowe said: “An Bord Gáis Chief Executive Officer John Mullins confirmed today that the public will now have to pay at least three times for their water.
“Firstly through general taxation, secondly through state subsidies and thirdly through domestic water meters.
“Despite informing the Committee that Irish Water will be ready to bill households in January 2014 John Mullins, the project Chief Executive Officer, was unable to inform the Dáil Environment Committee of the real cost of the installation of these proposed meters.
According to the Local Authorities Professional Officers this project will cost the tax payer a whopping €1.2 billion.
” This Fine Gael /Labour Government are asking the public to write An Bord Gáis a blank cheque and the hard pressed public will have to foot the actual bill in three different ways.
“The Water Charge project lies in tatters. The Government need to wake up to that fact.
Initially Junior Minister Fergus O’Dowd told the Dáil that the installation of water meters would commence in 2012.
This date was put back in April when Evironment Minster Phil Hogan claimed the installation would be done by 2014.
Today John Mullins of Bord Gais said the installations would take over 30 months to complete, once they start, next year.
Sinn Féin is calling on the Government to abandon its ill-fated plan to install domestic water meters and water charges. The Government should be investing instead in upgrading our crumbling water system and dealing with water leaks. They also should be responding to the expected increased demand that will inevitably come in the near future for clean water by identifeying new sources and building new treatment plants across the country.”