The Government is now planning to impose water charges from October 2014 with homeowners getting their first bills on January 1st 2015. That is a full year later than planned under the Memorandum of Understanding with the Troika as part of the bailout deal.

But a delay in the installation of water meters means that imposing the charges as planned cannot happen.

Officials from the European Commission, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank are back in Dublin this week to conduct the tenth review of the bailout programme.

The Taoiseach confirmed to the Dáil this morning that Finance Minister Michael Noonan and Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin will push for the delay to the introduction of water charges. 

Homeowners are unlikely to be asked to pay a flat rate charge for water in advance of the introduction of the usage charge like was done with the household charge before the introduction of the Local Property Tax.

Instead homeowners will face bills for usage 3 months in arrears - similar to how they currently pay for electricity and gas.