Any introduction of water charges should be based on usage and not on the rateable value of the house

I refer to Professor Hillyard’s letter (January 20) concerning water charges.

He chaired the Independent Water Review Panel in 2007/8, which recommended the introduction of domestic water charges, supported by an affordability scheme to prevent water poverty.

The mod us operandi for this was that the charge should be based on the rateable value of the house, rather than on metered usage.

Northern Ireland is one of the few places in Europe that does not explicitly charge for water.

There is no incentive to conserve water at the individual level, and no efficient mechanism for NI Water to repair our crumbling water infrastructure, if water is not charged for at the actual cost of supply.

I agree with Professor Hillyard that the apparent decision taken by the Executive is not evidence-based, and flies in the face of the absolute necessity for responsible government action to engage with climate issues.

However, I take issue with his proposed method, which does not reflect actual usage at individual properties.

It is the conventional wisdom that utility services, whether water, electricity,gas or other, should be charged at cost-reflective tariffs. This means that people can see what it costs to provide them with the service in question.

Most European economies employ usage-based charging regimes. Further, this is recognised as best practice, even in developing countries, where affordability is even more of an issue than it is here, and where resources are scarce. The major aid agencies recommend cost-reflective, usage-based charges which make explicit the true cost of supply, in parallel with state “assistance to pay” programmes where needed.

If our new Executive purports to be serious about engaging in good government, it should reconsider this matter in an evidence-based approach and not on a party-political basis.

BOB HANNA Chartered Engineer