Fitzgerald: Household Charge needed for local services

Children's Minister Frances Fitzgerald has insisted that the Government needs to implement the Household Charge to maintain local services.

"I would encourage everyone out there to go out and pay this charge so that we can continue to provide the kind of local services that people understand are necessary - our libraries, our parks, our paths," she said.

"This money will be used locally, people have to be assured of that. It's ring-fenced."

Minister Fitzgerald said that the deadline for the €100 euro charge will not be extended.

"The deadline is the deadline, for the 31st of March."

With just six days to go until the deadline, 1.2 million people have yet to pay.