Householders who refuse to pay the water charges will not have their supply cut off but will have reduced water pressure, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said.

He rejected claims by Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams that there was nothing in the Government's proposal about conserving water and insisted that water meters would reduce wastage.

Mr Adams also claimed the Government continued to “mislead citizens on this water tax issue in an effort to get through the election”.

But Mr Kenny said the Government had the courage to spell out the details of what was involved, before the local and European elections.

Referring to conservation, he said private group water schemes metered houses and “meter the amount of water going in and you can measure the conservation”. And they had been very pleased in the results in terms of saving huge quantities and volumes of water”.

He said of people who decide not to pay “this is not fair to all of those people who are hard pressed who do make a contribution and while water is very necessary for life fundamentally that people are not going to have their water connection cut off but there will be a case of reduced pressure where people decide not to pay”.

He added: “The penalty is reduced pressure.”

During leaders’ questions Mr Adams accused the Taoiseach of misleading the Dáil. He said “you’re dishonest in claiming that Uisce Éireann or Irish Water can tell householders how much they will pay over the next few years because your proposals only bring us to 2016, just in time for the Rising at which point the tax will increase. You know it will increase.”

Mr Kenny acknowledged that any review of the average metered charge was deferred until 2016 after the next election. He said the review would be “carried out by whatever Government is elected by the people after the general election in 2016”.

The Taoiseach also said of the water tax that “it’s the last major issue imposed on the people. It’s been known to be coming for quite some time”.

He insisted that the Government’s water reform package “will provide a platform for provision of high quality high volume pristine water for generations to come”.