Approximately 70 per cent of Irish householders registered with Irish Water ahead of yesterday’s deadline, claiming a €100 water conservation grant from the Department of Social Protection.
While the figure is an estimation, roughly 1.3 million people are believed to have registered. A Government official confirmed the full figures will be published “in due course”.
With yet another water charges protest planned for outside the Dáil this evening, yesterday it was revealed that householders who do not pay their water bills will not be brought to court until the amount they owe surpasses €500, which would push the issue into 2017, when the general election is long over. If a householder’s bill reached €4,000, they could be forced to pay the amount through a salary or social welfare attachment order.
A household with one adult will be charged no more than €160 per year while a household with two or more adults will now be charged no more than €260 per year. The Water Conservation Grant of €100 will be paid in September 2015 to households that registered before yesterday, June 30.
