Water move is a sham

I’ve come across a few daft ideas in my day but the latest "brainwave" from the Government takes beating — €100 in four quarterly payments will be given to 415,000 households so they can pay their annual water charges.

That means the Department of Social Protection will pay out the money with one hand and the Department of Finance will get it back with the other. It’s designed so that on the books it looks like the law-abiding householders did their duty for Éireann and the IMF/EU/ECB will think we’re all great. Would it not be logical to waive the payment or else for the Department of Social Protection to write a cheque to the Department of Finance rather than give the false impression that a major concession has been earned for the financially-stretched plain people of Ireland?

Ken Murray