A junior minister has demanded that households with group water schemes be given their water for free, if water charges are scrapped.

Sean Canney says the debate over refunding water bills must also consider those who paid for water years beforehand.

He says if urban households are exempted from charges, rural ones shouldn't have to pay either.

Meanwhile the minister responsible for charges has said the money taken in on bills has already been spent upgrading the network.

Simon Coveney says the money taken in through domestic charges - which ran to €144 million for bills issued in 2015 - has already been invested in the water infrastructure.

That's despite comments from the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, who told Fine Gael backbenchers this week that the tax take for November was set to be €280 million ahead of schedule.

Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly reports: