Attempts to clarify water charges backfire

The first attempts by ministers to bring "clarity" to water charging ended in more confusion as the Government appeared to backtrack on how much a family of four adults could expect to pay.

Despite Cabinet attempts to get a grip on the situation, Environment Minister Alan Kelly refused to rule out bringing in Revenue to threaten non-payers, even though the Taoiseach’s spokesperson said that the “mechanisations of the involvement of Revenue” have not been worked out.

And Enda Kenny also seemed to move the goal posts when, after repeatedly promising to bring “clarity” to the charges next week, he indicated to the Dáil that target could be missed.