Water levy refund could be held up by courts Bill
Ross move causes delay
REFUNDS due to be given to households who paid their water charges may be delayed due to a legislative delay caused by Shane Ross’s Judicial Appointments Bill.
The Mail has learned that legislation to give effect to the abolition of water charges was due to be introduced to the Dáil next week.
However, it has now been delayed because of the prioritisation of the judicial Bill which has caused controversy among eminent judges and within political circles.
A high-level source told the Mail that the legislation to abolish charges and bring about water refunds will now not be introduced next week, as Fianna Fáil last night hit out at the delay.
The party’s environment spokesman Barry Cowen said that Government pledges to bring about water refunds might not be paid out this year.
He told the Mail that the Government might have to ask for an extension to ensure that households don’t have to pay water bills. It comes after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he wanted to see householders get their water refunds this year.
Among his most immediate proposals upon taking up the top job was the plan to accelerate the process of repaying water charges to households who had paid them.
It was widely expected that the charges wouldn’t be repaid until at least next year, but Mr Varadkar said: ‘I wrote the line in the Programme for Government that those who have paid
Extension may be sought
their water bills should be treated no less favourably than those who didn’t.
‘It is absolutely essential that those who paid be refunded as soon as possible and that would mean this year.’
A total of €162.5million was raised in water charges from 989,000 customers.
Simon Coveney, Mr Varadkar’s leadership rival at the time and now the Minister for Foreign Affairs, had regularly ruled out refunds until the Oireachtas water committee recommended them in its report in April.
He said repayments would set a dangerous precedent, and instead spoke of pursuing non-payers.
The latest delay in getting the legislation through to give effect to that promise has caused alarm within Fianna Fáil.
Mr Cowen told the Mail last night: ‘I am very disappointed that Fine Gael has failed to live up to its commitments to having this legislation ready on time.
‘I am awaiting further developments, but what I don’t want is legislation that is rushed through, giving the Dáil possibly only a week to pass it, which could lead to a guillotine, and that will not work for us.’
He said he was worried that homeowners might not get their refunds this year.
If legislation was delayed then householders would likely not get a refund until next year at the earliest. Under the terms of an agreement on the future of water charges, homeowners who paid their bills will be given a refund.
Those who received the €100 water conservation grant from the Department of Social Protection will have this deducted from their refund.
A source previously told the Mail that the issue of refunds would fall under the remit of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform under Minister Paschal Donohoe.
Under proposals, taken after legal advice, households using 1.7 times the average usage will be hit with a levy.