There has been no U-turn on school water charges although a new system for implementing them has yet to be established, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the Dáil this morning.
Pressed by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny on the announcement yesterday of a two-year exemption from paying full water bills, Mr Ahern said the Programme for Government included water charges for schools.
Mr Ahern told the House that it was likely that a flat rate depending on school size would be implemented after "allowances" had been exceeded.
Provision had been made for assisting schools make repairs which reduce water usage, he added.
"It seems to us that the fairest system to have is where you can have a flat rate but also build in where there should be some kind of incentive for conservation of water," Mr Ahern said.
He quoted from the Programme for Government which states the provision of waste and water allowances will be examined, "with charges becoming effective after these agreed allowances are exceeded".
"I think it is the first time in my memory of implementing Programme for Governments [sic] that when you implement something, it is considered to be a U-turn," Mr Ahern said.
He said local authorities and department officials would try to work out a tariff system before Christmas which the Cabinet could consider at its first meeting of the New Year on January 4 th.
He hoped a comprehensive statement would be issued before schools are due to return from the Christmas break on January 7 th.
Mr Ahern surprised the Dáil yesterday when he said schools would only be required to pay a flat rate charge "appropriate to their size" for a transition period. Today he said the period "can be up to the end of 2009" though the date had not been decided.
But Mr Kenny today said the Taoiseach had not explained how the flat charge would be calculated nor what schools that had received bills should do in the meantime.
"Are they going to have to pay them at all; or some element of them in a flat rate; or can they dispose of them in the waste paper bin," he asked.
He said Department of Environment officials today said it was "completely impractical" to implement flat charges.
"Certainly people are very confused about the outcome of what you said."
Mr Kenny also asked whether schools that had paid bills were entitled to refunds.
Mr Ahern made no reference to the question but Minister for Education Mary Hanafin told RTE radio this morning that she did not think this would happen.
She also said that while schools were advised to take no action unpaid water bills, it was likely they would have to pay some amount.