Tánaiste Joan Burton told the Dáil yesterday a family of four adults would pay water charges below €200 per annum.

Ms Burton was responding to Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins, who accused her of lashing "another austerity tax" on people. He said it was nonsense to suggest that there was no clarity and no communication on the issue.

“There is communication and people understand that a family of four, including an 18 and 19 year old and two adults, will pay just under €500.

“Similarly, a family of five will pay under €600, and when metering comes in that will rise inexorably.”

Ms Burton replied: “My answer to the suggestions and scaremongering the deputy has just now undertaken in relation to levels of charges is that I am happy to say that it is my view that the charge for the type of household the deputy described will be below €200.”

Mr Higgins asked: “Does the Tánaiste take the people for fools?”

Ms Burton said the water support payment of €100 would help to defray the cost faced by households of single individuals and those where there were two or more people.

“The deputy was very wide of the mark in the figures he announced,” she added.

Mr Higgins said the figures he quoted were from the Commission for Energy Regulation.

Later, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he hoped that in the next several weeks the Government would make a decision that would be clear and deal with the problems expressed by people on what they were expected to pay.

He rejected a call by Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin that it was time to ask if Irish Water should stand down. "It is time actually for Irish Water to step up," said Mr Kenny.

Policy decision

He said the purpose of the policy decision to establish the company was to deal with a situation that had been neglected for years. “Government is about making decisions. One does not get it right all the time by any means.”

Mr Kenny said he was not prepared to allow 40 per cent of treated water in Dublin city to leak away or a position where one-third of treatment works were inferior.

“I recognise, as do the Government parties, that this could have been handled better. It is time not just to listen to the people but to act on their calls.”

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said it was very clear from the Taoiseach's "waffle" that he totally underestimated the widespread public anger at the imposition of water charges.

“They were, let us be fair about it, a Fianna Fáil idea in the first instance, but the Taoiseach has underestimated the determination of people in every house, on every street, in every sraidbhaile and county across the State.”

Mr Kenny said the Government was asking people to make “a fair and modest contribution” for domestic water supply, with allowances built in, and in return they would have a high-quality water system.

Lost the trust

Independent TD Joan Collins said the Taoiseach was head of a Government which had completely lost the trust of the people.

“That is the message that was sent loud and clear from the mass protests held last Saturday, the biggest mass mobilisation of people in the country for at least 30 years.”

Mr Kenny said in the spring of 2016 Ms Collins would be involved in a general election campaign. “The people will make up their minds as to who they want to elect.”