‘Savings in spending’ to pay for water charge refunds

Savings from other government areas will help pay for water charge refunds amounting to over €170m which Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has pledged will be returned to households in the coming weeks.

While the Government must still get EU approval for refunds and pass legislation with support from Fianna Fáil, the Taoiseach has now effectively signalled the end of the water charges saga.

The Irish Examiner understands the system for refunds, amounting to over €300 for some households, will be brought to Cabinet in September with the intention of starting payments then.