Homeowners set to lose out on €100 water grant payment for 2016

Homeowners look set to lose out on the €100 water conservation grant payment for 2016 as it has been “shelved” amid deep uncertainty over the future of Irish Water, the Irish Examiner can reveal.

The news comes as a major chasm emerged between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil over the issue of suspending water charges, with one leading negotiator Barry Cowen saying the chances of success are at best “50/50”.

Fianna Fáil last night rejected a Fine Gael offer of a suspension of water charges for a period of six to nine months for the second time in three days as “woefully insufficient”.