Fine Gael rejects Fianna Fáil proposal to freeze water charges until every house is metered

Fine Gael has rejected Fianna Fáil demands to defer all water charges until every house in the country is metered as the move would effectively hand Micheál Martin’s party victory in ongoing talks on Irish Water write Fiachra Ó Cionnaith and Juno McEnroe.

The move was put on the table by Fianna Fáil’s negotiating team as a way to move the talks forward after stalemate led to a crunch meeting between Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Mr Martin yesterday.