Fine Gael TDs urge refunds for those who paid water charges

A number of Fine Gael TDs have urged the Government to refund water charges to people who paid them.

The calls came when the report of the expert commission on water services published earlier this week dominated the weekly meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party at Leinster House on Wednesday night.

Sources present at the meeting said a number of backbench TDs told Minister for Finance Michael Noonan and Minister for Housing Simon Coveney they should consider refunds to people who have paid the charges since their introduction in 2015.

General election

Mr Noonan is understood to have said the primary objective of the party should be to get the “dead cat” of water charges off the agenda before a general election takes place. He told the meeting Fine Gael’s position on water charges had cost the party votes and seats at the last election and it was “entirely in our interest” to kill off the debate.

Two Ministers of State, Catherine Byrne and Dara Murphy, along with Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell, spoke in favour of refunds. Mr Murphy said Fine Gael could not turn their back on people who paid their charges and a path to repayment would be helpful.

Party sources said Fine Gael is divided on whether to refund the households who paid the levies or to focus on pursuing those who did not pay. However, they say there is little appetite in Government to proceed with refunds.

The report of the expert commission recommended that those who paid the charges should be treated “no less favourably” than those who did not. However, there is little clarity on what this will mean in practice. Mr Farrell told the meeting Fine Gael would lose votes if they did not refund the charges, while Ms Byrne also made a strong plea in favour of refunds.

Several party members questioned what services would have to be reduced if water charges were to be abolished.

Political priority

Mr Noonan said Fine Gael members of the Oireachtas committee due to examine water charges needed to have clear positions before deliberations began. However, he stressed the “political priority is to get this off the agenda before we’re back on the doors”.

Mr Noonan said there was money available to absorb any potential removal of water charges this year. Exchequer returns would show tax receipts were €280 million ahead of target and the money could be sourced from that revenue.