Refunding water charges ‘avoids another election’

Refunding water charges was the only choice the Government had in order to avoid a general election, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has said.

He was speaking after it was confirmed that almost 1m homeowners will receive the full amount of water charges paid by the end of the year.

As revealed yesterday by the Irish Examiner, the refunds will be paid by cheque at a cost of €178m to the taxpayer, with another €114m needed to cover the shortfall in Irish Water funding caused by the suspension of charges.