Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin has said the Government's prediction that a family would pay annual water charges of €240 was "a very close estimate".

With many households set to be charged more, Mr Howlin said “it’s not a matter of misleading” when asked if the Coalition had previously misled people about the extent of fees due.

“Until we actually knew the exact number of households, the composition of each household, we couldn’t be completely exact, but as an estimate it was a very close estimate as to the actual charge people will be making.”

Mr Howlin welcomed the Commission for Energy Regulation’s announcement that Irish Water customers will have their metered charges capped at an assessed rate for the first nine months.

Speaking on his way into this morning’s Cabinet meeting, he said he believed all issues of concern around water charges have been addressed.

“It seems to me that all the issues that were of concern to people have been addressed. The volume of water that will be free for children which again is subject to review and it will be based on actual usage over time,” he said.

“I think it’s a good idea of the commissioners to cap for the first nine months the actual charge so that people can get used to being able to moderate their own bills over time.”