To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) average standing charge and (b) average effective tax rate to be levied as part of the house price tax element is under the new system of water rates from April. (119552)

When domestic water and sewerage charges are introduced on 1 April 2007 they will be phased in over three years. Consequently, customers will only pay one third of the full charges in 2007-08.

The standing charges for water and sewerage will be the same for all domestic properties and are currently estimated at around £17 each. The variable charges for water and sewerage are expressed as a rate per £1,000 of capital value and are both currently estimated at around 30p per £1,000 of capital value. The average combined charge for water and sewerage is, therefore, estimated at around £100 in 2007-08.