Irish Water pay bonus ‘won’t be scrapped’

Enda Kenny has ruled out scrapping controversial pay bonuses for Irish Water staff, but says staff with the new utility company will get no pay increases until 2016.

His comments came as embarrassed members of government were forced to respond to scathing criticism about Irish Water from the former Coalition minister who set it up.

Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd said the setting up of the company to oversee new charges had been an “unmitigated disaster”. It had a “major communications failure” dealing with customers, revealed the Louth TD, as he said he had voiced concerns several times when the semi-state company was being set up.