Solving water row may take months

A solution on defusing the row over scrapping water bills could be delayed until April or even May as an Oireachtas committee resolves legal obstacles hampering an agreement between parties.

A deadline of Monday week to pass a report to the Dáil for a vote on the future of charges is now unlikely to be met, committee sources have confirmed.

Instead, an extension to the committee’s timeframe of a “number of weeks” is likely to be sought.