This is another interview from OceanFM, NWT, June 23 2017 on the issue of the 9.4 Exemption clause of the EU's Water Framework Directive that gives Ireland an exemption on water charges. Michael Mooney, a former election candidate in Donegal with the Right2Change campaign speaks clearly and passionately on the history and importance of the 9.4 Exemption clause. He voices the disillusionment and shock that many in Ireland feel over how we were led, how the campaign against water charges has gone and about our fear that water charges are coming down the line.
OceanFM NWT, June 23, 14 mins
Buncrana Together
Charges coming down the line
Anyone interested can view the draft River Basin Management Plan 2018-2021 on the Dept of Housing's website.
Click the link opposite to view the complete draft plan. Page 77 gives you an idea of whats coming down the line with regards charging and structuring.
Imagine the importance of the River Basin Management Plan, a fundamental building block of the Water Framework Directive where all future structuring of our water is planned. Imagine after it's importance and the 9.4 Exemption was highlighted in the Oireachtas Committee and it didn't even get a mention in it's final report.
What have we got really?
Having read the report from the expert Commission in particular paragraph 2.1 'Water Charging in Ireland: Timeline of Key Decisions', page 6, we came across the following;
"September 2014: the CER decided on the water charges tariffs (taking account of the Ministerial Policy Direction) that came into effect on 1 October 2014. The main aspects of the charging regime were: a free household allowance of 30,000 litres; free allowance for each child; exemptions for certain medical conditions; charges for usage above the allowance; and households without a meter would be charged on an assessed basis, using occupancy as the criteria for assessment. More details of the Charging Plan are listed in Appendix 2.
Does that not sound all too familiar and that was back in 2014? Note also not a peep about Irish Water Ltd which is by now well entrenched, politically and financially.