TDs and Senators may have to be recalled over the Christmas break to make sure Irish homes don't face water bills in January.
Legislation to overhaul the water charges regime is taking longer to pass than expected - and the government's minority in the Seanad could force it to return over Christmas to finish the job.
The legislation - the Water Services Bill - needs to pass into law to give effect to the changes the government announced last month, including a three-month deferral of charges beginning in the first place.
This means that unless the bill is passed before the end of the month, the existing situation will still apply - and Irish Water will then proceed to issue bills for water used between October and December.
The urgency of the bill means it's unlikely to be defeated in the Seanad later this week, where it could potentially be blocked if around ten independent senators with 'swing votes' joined forces to halt it.
However, progress in passing the bill has so far been slow - with the bill only about halfway through its passage after three separate sessions, and 13 hours of debate.
The Bill is back before the Dáil this evening, but is due to be ready for the Seanad by Thursday - meaning the government needs it to pass all stages in the Dáil within the nine hours assigned for it this week.
But with the government now having less than half the seats there - as a direct result of the John McNulty affair - there's a significant chance that the bill could be amended in the Seanad.
Among the potential changes are tighter rules surrounding a possible plebiscite on the sale of Irish Water, or allowing Irish Water workers to be represented by the Public Water Forum.
That means the Dáil could be brought back from its holidays to approve whatever changes the Seanad makes.
But this creates another scheduling headache - as the bill can only be signed into law by President Higgins between five and seven days after it completes its passage through Leinster House.
This means that unless the Dáil is recalled next week, and ratifies the Seanad's amendments before Christmas Day, the bill cannot become law in time for the New Year.
The only way to get around this is if the Seanad passes a separate motion asking the President to sign the bill ahead of schedule - but this requires the Seanad to reconvene after the bill has been passed by the Dáil.
This raises the prospect of both houses having to be recalled over the Christmas break simply to get the Irish Water legislation onto the books before January 1.
