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Water charges plan to be released 'No NI water charges until 2009'
(about 3 hours later)
Details of the future of water charging in Northern Ireland are to be released. Northern Ireland households should not pay any additional water charges until April 2009, a new report has said.
The review carried out by a team led by Professor Paddy Hillyard is expected to recommend average charges for water of £160 should be added to rates bills. The review of water charging was carried out by a team led by Professor Paddy Hillyard. He said NI households should not have to pay twice.
Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has said the idea should be rejected as all the parties in government had pledged to reject water charges. "They are already paying on average £160 per household for their water and sewerage services."
"Each party promised the electorate no later than last February at the assembly election," Mr McGimpsey said. "The consumer won't pay any more for 18 months."
"It just seems to me that we're stuck with that even if we don't like it. The panel was set up in June by the Minister for Regional Development Conor Murphy, to carry out an analysis of the direct rule ministers' 2004 proposals on the water and sewerage services.
"It seems to me that's a promise that we've all made - it was the big issue at the assembly election, the number one issue at the assembly election was no water charges." It recommended those proposals should be abandoned, saving householders around £143m in 2008/09 and £153m in 2009/10.
This was in recognition that ratepayers were already paying a substantial annual contribution towards the costs of the water and sewerage service totalling £109m.