The crippling impact of the charges on schools was highlighted by the Cork Independent several months ago and has seen many schools facing massive bills which they simply cannot pay. Despite the severe pressure that the charges have placed on schools finances many have paid some or all of the bills outstanding.

The Government has rowed back on earlier statements claiming that an EU directive forced them to place the charges on schools. It later emerged that the directive referred to does not required the charges to be imposed on schools before 2010 and that it was the Department of the Environment that made the decision to meter all schools in 2006.

A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment told the Cork Independent that no decision had yet been taken on whether schools who had paid water charges thus far would be refunded. The spokesperson said that the issue of refunds would be looked at as part of the overall review of water charges for schools which has been announced by Environment Minister John Gormley.

Cork city councillor Patricia Gosch who has repeatedly raised the issue said that she would be demanding that schools who have paid charges get a refund. “If they don’t refund them these schools will effectively be financially penalised for doing what they have been asked to do,” she said.

Cllr Gosch added, “The whole policy of the Government seems to be to hot the poorest and the most vulnerable. The last time I can remember something like this being inflicted by a government was VAT on children’s shoes and that brought the government down”.

Independent city councillor Dave McCarthy is also calling for schools to be refunded, Cllr McCarthy said, “I propose that Cork City Council would call on the Government to use the same ingenuity that they used to retain duty on cars despite an EU directive, now called VRT to ensure that water charges are not charged to schools. If there is no way around these charges, I propose that a cap of 1 euro per school per year apply”.

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