Businesses burdened with water bill for freeloaders – Neville

Businesses who pay their water bills should not have to cover the cost for freeloaders and this must be dealt with as a priority by Uisce Éireann, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Deputy Joe Neville said that the anomaly emerged when the Financial Officer of Uisce Éireann recently appeared before the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, which Deputy Neville is a member of.

Deputy Neville said: “The CFO of Uisce Éireann told PAC that he cannot be certain that Uisce Éireann is billing every single non-domestic customer. This gives cause for concern.

“Commercial water charges increased by 9.8% on October 1^st.and I don’t underestimate that this has required businesses to double down their efforts to keep bills manageable.

“The Franciscan Well brewery in Cork recently announced that they will cease production early in 2026 and have cited commercial water rates as an economic pressure impacting the business, which has prevented the brewery from growing the brand to the level needed to be sustainable.

“Why is a company like this they being punished while those who do not pay for water avail of the services for free? Those complying with the laws are taking the heft for those freeloading.

“How can businesses who employ people and pay taxes and water charges expect cheaper rates when more are getting off scot-free without paying a cent?

“Uisce Éireann says it has 180,000 non-domestic customers, which generates revenue of €272 million revenue per annum.

“It’s imperative that all commercial customers of Uisce Éireann are paying for their water. Uisce Éireann is currently working off a database of users provided by local authorities from as far back as 2016 or 2017. They are building this database as new connections to businesses are made.

“But there was no assurance given by Uisce Éireann that non-domestic entities are not using water without their knowledge as the network is 65,000km long.

“There is a clear need for Uisce Éireann to review its revenue assurance policies immediately, so any freeloaders are identified and penalised.

“The majority of businesses are paying for water, but they need to be assured that their partners, neighbouring businesses and even competitors are also paying the same for their water.

“It’s crucial that our businesses stay viable and competitive, so our economy continues to thrive. But we are reliant on state bodies like Uisce Éireann to have robust compliance frameworks in place to ensure all businesses are treated fairly and equally.”