The housing minister has signalled he will freeze bin charges for 12 months - if he's given legal advice he can do it.

Simon Coveney says he's still waiting on advice from the Attorney General, as political opposition to the pay-by-weight charges grows.

A protest greeted the Minister as he arrived at South Dublin County Council this afternoon.

Anti Austerity Alliance protest in Tallaght over bin charges pic.twitter.com/HPAYFqWNAd

— Juliette Gash (@JulietteGash) June 20, 2016

 Minister Coveney says he wants to be able to force bin companies to cap the charges:

Sinn Féin says it understands there could be legal difficulties with any plan to put a cap on the new waste charges.

Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald says the government's response would be better if it first simply abandoned the new regime entirely: