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Those who don't pay Irish Water bill still get €100 grant

People who have registered for Irish Water but do not pay will still receive the €100 govern...
Newstalk
Newstalk

08.20 15 Jul 2015


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Those who don't pay Ir...

Those who don't pay Irish Water bill still get €100 grant

Newstalk
Newstalk

08.20 15 Jul 2015


Share this article


People who have registered for Irish Water but do not pay will still receive the €100 government conservation grant.

Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed to Newstalk this morning, saying: “If they have registered they will get the water conservation grant. This is why we were looking to drive registration.”

Irish Water have also confirmed to Breakfast that all those who do not pay their water bill will still receive a €100 conservation grant from the Government.

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Mr Donohoe was speaking to Breakfast following the revelation last night that just 46% of eligible households have paid their bills.

Listen to Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe discussing Irish Water here

The possibility of mass conservation grant collection without payment is remote, Mr Donohoe contended, saying he thinks it is “extremely unlikely that people would be registering with Irish Water in the first place and not paying,” he predicted.

The utility has confirmed that less than half of the country's households have paid their first bills over the first three months of the year.

Irish Water collected €30.5m of the €66.8m it has issued in bills. Of 1.5m households just 675,000 have registered – just 46%.

But the utility says the figure is "in line" with what it was expected to be.

Opponents of the water charge say the figures show their campaign is a success.

Joe Higgins TD said, "the anger against the water charges and austerity is clear by the sheer scale of this boycott. It is important now that we maintain the boycott until the General Election so that it is the key issue."

Mr Donohoe claims the numbers are a “solid start” for Irish Water.

“I don’t accept that it’s a disaster – it’s a solid start by Irish Water,” he said.

“I would accept the point that there is clearly a lot more to be done in terms of getting more people to register – that’s clear.”

Pointing to the household charge registration rates, Mr Donohoe said Irish Water is running at a similar level.

“I think it’s worth contending and emphasising here that over 670,000 people have paid,” he said.

“It is in line with where we were in the life cycle of the household charge at that point in its existence.”

The figures pose a major political problem for the Government, and the level of non-registration and non-payment looks set to ensure the water debate remains central to the political debate right through the next General Election.

When Ivan said the upcoming General Election would now be a referendum on Irish Water, Mr Donohoe contended that when Ireland goes to the polls “people will have a look at where the country is overall” and Irish Water “will be part of a broader assessment of where our country stands overall.”


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