Government denies lying about water charge
The Government has today denied lying about the level of water charges to try and get past the local election.
Figures produced by the energy regulator say the average house with two adults will pay €278 a year in water charges.
But the Government said before the local elections that the average home, which includes holiday homes, would only pay around €240 a year.
Jobs Minister Richard Bruton says the system is designed to reward people who do not waste the water coming from their taps.
"Obviously any system where you've high usage, you're going to pay more," he said.
"But this is allows people obviously to economise on their usage, it's designed in that way, and we can … over time, we will provide a system that's fit for the 21st Century."
