Fifth in our series looking at articles relating to water charges in Northern Ireland. This article, by The Irish News dated July 5 2016 relates to NI Water installing meters even after the practice was exposed by the newspaper in 2014 that forced Ministers to pledge that they would stop the practice. Two days after this article came out the Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard instructed NI Water to cease installing meters. However, it was not until December 2016 that legislation wasput in place by Stormont.

Water ministers since 2007, from left, Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy, UUP's Danny Kennedy, DUP's Michelle McIlveen and Sinn Féin's Chris Hazzard

Thousands of water meters still fitted at homes despite Stormont pledge

Brendan Hughes
05 July, 2016 01:00

WATER meters continue to be installed at homes across Northern Ireland despite a Stormont pledge two years ago to end the practice.

More than 7,000 meters have been fitted at domestic properties since 2014 bringing the number of water meters installed since 2007 to 42,200 at a cost in excess of £13 million.

Stormont faced accusations of "deception" over water charges when The Irish News first revealed in 2014 the scale of meter installations.

In response to the revelations the then regional development minister Danny Kennedy vowed to change the law on water meters for households.

However, the legislation brought forward earlier this year has not stopped meters being fitted, even though domestic water charges are deferred.

The new law gives the department the power to make regulations to remove the requirement for NI Water to install meters.

Any such regulations however would still require approval through the assembly and consultations with bodies such as the Consumer Council and Utility Regulator.

Opposition parties last night called for the executive to end meter installations at homes to prevent "charging infrastructure taking root".

SDLP West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan, the party's infrastructure spokesperson, said: "The executive's promise to defer water charges will be cold comfort to those living in the 42,200 family homes that now have water meters installed.

"They'll rightly ask what other purpose those meters serve than to pave the way for a domestic charge.

"Every day that he delays sees more and more meters installed with the charging infrastructure taking root. The answer is simple – table the regulations."

Water charges continue to be a divisive issue on both sides of the border, with bills recently suspended in the south.

In the north water charges currently only apply to non-domestic properties.

But under legislation introduced in 2007, NI Water must install meters on supplies to domestic properties newly connected to the public water supply.

NI Water had sought to stop fitting meters at new homes but is still legally required to continue.

There have been four ministers in charge of the issue since 2007, including Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy and Ulster Unionist Danny Kennedy.

In November 2014 Mr Kennedy told The Irish News he intended to change the law following calls for meters at new homes to be banned.

"It is my intention to amend the existing legislation on this issue through the forthcoming Water Bill," he said.

The DUP's Michelle McIlveen succeeded him last year as minister of the Department for Regional Development (DRD).

And earlier this year its responsibilities were moved to the new Department for Infrastructure, currently headed by Sinn Féin minister Chris Hazzard.

Mr McCrossan urged the minister to push forward with the regulations saying he had the power "end this practice and that's exactly what he needs to do".

TUV leader Jim Allister also called for a "clear explanation as to why the promised action has not been followed through".

Mr Kennedy was unavailable yesterday, but party colleague Jenny Palmer urged the executive to continue the work he started.

The assembly member, the party's infrastructure spokesperson, said: "The work that was done by Danny Kennedy to bring forward this legislation must be given effect as soon as possible in this mandate.

"If the executive does not intend to implement water charging, then public confidence should not be undermined by the continued installation of water meters."

A spokesman for NI Water said the total number of meters serving domestic properties has reached 42,200.

He said the new laws on water meters "cannot be implemented until guidance is given by the Department for Infrastructure".

The Department for Infrastructure last night did not respond to requests for a comment.

However when asked in April during the last Stormont mandate a DRD spokesman said: "The Water and Sewerage Services Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 gives the Department power to make regulations to remove the current requirement on NI Water to install water meters at domestic properties connecting for the first time to the public water supply.

"The department is working to form the necessary regulations which must be approved by the new assembly."

We are presenting a series of articles about the water charges campaign in Northern Ireland. We are amazed that the present day anti water charges campaign in the 26 counties have not highlighted what was not only a forerunner to the fraught water charges campaign here but also the fact that it was such a successful campaign, albeit an ongoing one.

Imagine up to now we have been fed statements from Sinn Féin about how they put a stop to water charges in Northern Ireland. Literally, or as in political parlance, that may be true since Sinn Féin were in a position of authority in the power sharing arrangement in Stormont. However, what we were not told was that they, along with their DUP colleagues in the NI Executive, were forced into adopting the stance they took by a well organised, cross community anti water charges movement led by NIPSA. What is also significant is the other little fact that was left out, which was that the leadership did not support what turned out to be the mainstay of the campaign 'non-payment of water charges'. Doesn't that ring a bell.

The first article is from BBC NI 2007 'Water Bills on hold after deal'.

Water bills 'on hold' after deal

*Anti-water rates protesters took their campaign Stormont*

Water bills due to be posted out on Tuesday have been put on hold following the news that power-sharing will return to Northern Ireland.

Secretary of State Peter Hain said the move had been made at the request of the DUP and Sinn Fein.
The executive will deal with the issue when devolution is restored on 8 May.

The parties have now asked for further talks with Gordon Brown. News of the postponement came after trade unions protested against water bills.

Nipsa's general secretary John Corey addressed the demonstration at Stormont, on Monday saying the campaign for non-payment of water charges applied "with equal force" to direct rule ministers or to a devolved administration.

"For the last four years we have listened to direct rule ministers insisting there is no alternative to household water charges," he said.

*Water bills are in their envelopes ready for the post*

"Now the secretary of state says water charges can be suspended - or even abolished by the assembly.

"Why would anyone pay charges that the government is prepared to switch on and off and use as a political football?

"This confirms the nonsense and the unfairness of these charges in Northern Ireland."

The new charging system, linked to the value of homes, was due to start in April.

The system - to be phased in over three years - was being introduced because the government wanted water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland to become self-financing.

But the decision proved highly controversial - with critics arguing that the government had not justified the soaring bills.

Gary Mulcahy, secretary of the We Won't Pay Campaign, said news that water bills would not be delivered this week was another "humiliating climbdown for the government and a welcome relief for householders".

"The threat of mass non-payment of water charges has forced the DUP and Sinn Fein to negotiate the delaying of the charges," he said.

"But this does not go far enough. The charges should be completely scrapped, not just delayed for another 12 months. As long as the threat of water charges looms, so will the threat of mass non-payment.

"The We Won't Pay Campaign will not shy away from organising mass non-payment of water charges if they are introduced, in any form, by the assembly."

On its website, the Department of Regional Development said that £3bn was needed for water and sewerage services in the 20 years to 2023.

"A Northern Ireland Executive could decide to reverse the policy on water charges," it said.

"But if it did it would have to decide how to sustain current levels of investment without cutting back on other public services such as health or education.

"This would be made extremely difficult by the loss of the Treasury concession on Water Service capital costs which is dependent on self-financing status being obtained.

"This concession is worth tens of millions of pounds over the next 20 years."