An overwhelming majority of voters want those who paid water charges to be refunded by the State, according to the latest Irish Times/Ipsos opinion poll.

Respondents to the poll were asked if the charges should be refunded, or if non-payers should be pursued for payment, the two options that have been discussed by Government.

Almost three quarters of respondents to the poll (72 per cent) said that “those who paid should be refunded”, with just 18 per cent saying that those who did not pay should be pursued for payment. Nine per cent said they didn’t know.

Whether the charges should be refunded or non-payers pursued is one of the chief political headaches for the Government in the water charges controversy. The recent expert report on the charges said that those who have paid should not be treated any less favourably than those who have not – though there is no sign of what this might mean in practice.

Some Fine Gael TDs have argued that there must be repayments, but Minister for Housing Simon Coveney has argued against it, saying that those who did not pay should be pursued. The Taoiseach has not indicated a preference either way. The expert report has now been referred to an Oireachtas committee which will report on the issue next March.

Although many people in rural areas have always been paying for water through group water schemes or their own wells, there is no significant difference in the views of urban and rural voters on the issue.

The wealthiest voters in the AB group favour refunds by 62 per cent, with 29 per cent in favour of pursuing non-payers. Among the least well-off DE social group, 81 per cent believe the charges should be refunded, with just 11 per cent favouring the pursuit of non-payers.

Farmers are the least pro-refund group, though even here there is a clear majority in favour of paying back the charges. Just 58 per cent of farmers say they should be repaid, while 30 per cent want those who didn't pay pursued for the money.

Fine Gael voters are the least enthusiastic about repayment with 63 per cent of party supporters favouring repayment and 30 per cent wanting to see non-payers pursued.

Fianna Fáil supporters are noticeably more in favour of repayment, with 71 per cent of them preferring refunds to 20 per cent saying the Government should seek to recover the money from those who didn't pay.

Not surprisingly, Sinn Féin supporters are the most supportive of repayment, with 84 per cent in favour, while just 7 per cent of Sinn Féin voters believing that non-payers should be pursued.

The poll was conducted on Monday and Tuesday of this week among a representative sample of 1,200 voters aged 18 and over in face-to-face interviews at 100 sampling points in all constituencies. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.8 per cent.