Minister John Gormley re Water Charges
- Published: 13 December 2007
Mr. John Gormley, TD
Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government
Department for the Environment
Custom House Quay
Dublin 1
13 December 2007
Re.: Water Charges in Primary Schools
Dear Minister Gormley,
The issue of water charges being levied on Primary Schools is a matter of serious concern to Boards of Management and especially to Principal Teachers. Water is a new expense to schools and despite the recent €15 increase in capitation grants the overall increase in utility costs, continues to out-strip any increase in schools' income.
Local Authorities appear to be classifying schools as businesses in order to justify water charges. Schools are not businesses, they do not manufacture or sell goods & services and they are not in the "business" of making profit. Primary schools can not register as a public or private company and can not register for VAT. If Primary schools are businesses, taken to its logical conclusion Local Authority Rates should also apply.
The purpose of this letter is to ask you as Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government that schools should not be considered as businesses and therefore exempt from water charges for the aforementioned reasons. We understand from today's media that the a senior commission environment directorate general official, Jorge Rodríguez Romero is of the belief that such an exemption is possible and not in contravention of the EU Directive in question.
'The Government, he said, was entitled to make exceptions to the directive, which in any event did not come into effect until September 2010, by itself and without the prior approval of the commission.' (sic)
Mark Hennessy, Irish Times, 13/12/07
I would appreciate if you could instruct Local Authority Managers to defer efforts made to collect water charges from schools until this matter is resolved. Meanwhile I would appreciate if you could revert to me at your earliest convenience.
I look forward to hearing from you on this matter.
Is mise le meas
____________
Seán Cottrell
Director
cc.: Ms Geraldine Tallon, Secretary General, DoEH&LG
