Irish Water non-payers will be pursued, Fine Gael TD claims

Irish households will have to pay water charges bills until the commission on Irish Water is set up and non-payers will be pursued, a Fine Gael TD has said.

“It is going to take up to six weeks to set up a commission on Irish Water, in the meantime everybody will have to pay bills for the final months,” Fine Gael TD Pat Breen said.

“Those who haven’t paid will be pursued. The arrears will be there. It will be a matter for Irish Water to deal with,” he said.

"We compromised on Irish Water, Fianna Fáil did as well. Irish Water is still there."

Earlier Fianna Fáil TD Jim O’Callaghan was asked about Fianna Fáil’s position on Irish Water following the recent government agreement with Fine Gael.

The deal involved the suspension of water charges and an investigation of Irish Water by the new commission.

Mr O’Callaghan said: “The law requires that those who have not yet paid water charges will have to do so.

“People who haven’t paid will have to pay, they were legitimately charged. It would be a dangerous precedent if people think they’re going to get money back.

“They’re not. The fairest way is for everyone to pay. If bills are lawfully due then they have to pay.”

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One's Sean O'Rourke Show, he said business in the Dáil will have to be done differently and more efficiently in the future.

“You can’t ram through policy decisions, there will need to be discussion and compromise.

“There are going to be more minority governments from here on as it is unlikely that any party in the future will get a majority. . . We are trying to bring order to chaos.”

Sinn Féin statement

Sinn Féin Donegal South-West TD Pearse Doherty, speaking on the same programme, said more and more people are not paying their water charges bills: “I don’t think people will pay. I haven’t paid and I won’t.”

Fianna Fáil could have supported Sinn Féin’s motion in the Dáil to abolish water charges, he said.

“They did not have to go into such detail with Fine Gael.

“Whatever you call it or dress it up, it is a programme for government. There are specifics in it, a level of detail that you see in a programme for government. Look at how long it took to thrash it out.

“I don’t believe it is the best they can do. Their focus has been on water charges, other issues such as health and housing deserved [the] same focus.”