Households who don’t pay their water bills could be brought to court, under plans to be unveiled today.
The final shape of the new water charges regime is due to be announced - including details of the so-called ‘enforcement measures’.
The government’s adopting a Budget Day style of secrecy for today’s announcements on water charges.
Like Budget Day, the cabinet’s holding a special meeting this morning, with an official announcement scheduled in the Dail for three o’clock.
But like the Budget - and like much of Ireland’s water system - a lot of the important content has already been leaked.
The system to be unveiled today will cap charges for single-adult homes at around €60, while households with two adults will pay no more than €160.
Those figures include a €100 grant, for which every home in the country will be eligible.
But households who don’t pay up will face some sort of ‘compliance measure’ - though charges are NOT likely to be taken from wages or social welfare.
Instead, unpaid bills could be chased up in court - or attached to the value of a house, so that the property can’t be sold until the bills are cleared.
