An extra €80 million of taxpayers’ money will go towards subvention of the highly controversial, and much mistrusted, body Irish Water from next year, a Freedom of Information request from a Galway county councillor has revealed.
State subvention of Irish Water will increase from €399 million this year to €479 million in 2016, it was revealed following a FoI request by Independent councillor James Charity. The FoI also revealed that an additional working capital loan of €96 million will be provided by the State to Irish Water in 2016; and that a capital contribution of €222 million has been provided by the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, to Irish Water in 2015, while a further contribution of €184 million is planned for 2016.
Irish Water will effectively be provided with over three quarters of a billion euro next year, while an additional €229 million has been obtained from domestic customers, which, according to Cllr Charity is barely one-third of the State funding which Irish Water will receive in 2016.
“Irish Water is still wholly dependent on State funding and an increase in subvention funding by €80 million alone in one year is staggering,” said Cllr Charity. “This is money from the Local Government Fund, principally motor tax, which should be used for the upkeep, maintenance and development of our road network.
