Bill on Amendments to Public Water Supply and Sewerage Act passed second reading
The Riigikogu concluded the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Public Water Supply and Sewerage Act (569 SE), initiated by the Government on 13 January.
The Bill regulates the organisation of supplying registered immovables with water and the discharge and treatment of waste water through the public water supply and sewerage system. It also provides for the relevant rights and obligations of the state, local governments, water undertakings and customers of water undertakings. If the Water Act regulates the use and protection of water as a natural resource then the Public Water Supply and Sewerage Act mostly regulates the relationships that are created between the local government, water undertaking and customer when water is not considered as a natural resource but as goods. The Act directly affects all water undertakings, local governments on whose territory public water supply and sewerage facilities are located, and the Competition Authority at the state level.
The motions to amend the Bill amended the requirements for the data that a public water supply and sewerage development plan should contain in order to receive support from the Environmental Programme of the foundation Environmental Investment Centre or the European Union funds for the development of the public water supply and sewerage system.
The Riigikogu rejected the Draft Resolution of the Riigikogu “Making a Proposal to the Government of the Republic” (543 OE), initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Faction with the intention of making a proposal to the Government to prepare a Bill that would connect the receiving of the parental benefit with medical examinations of the child.
The result of voting: 33 members of the Riigikogu in favour, 4 against and 4 abstentions. At least 51 votes in favour were needed for the Resolution to be passed.
The verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)
The Riigikogu Press Service