Bills for Irish Water are dropping through the doors of very confused customers this week. Yesterday the utility released figures showing that the amount it collected in the first quarter of this year was down almost a quarter on the figure for the last three months of 2015. All told the company collected just €33.4 million rather than €42.3 million – effectively conceding all the hard-earned ground made during extensive marketing campaigns to persuade people to pay their bills.

It has larger consequences than simply for the financial future of Irish Water, mostly because of uncertainty for people as to whether they will ever get back the money they paid in good conscience.

This is not the first time law-abiding citizens have been left high and dry financially by dithering politicians. If Government sends out a message that paying such charges is only for patsies it can hardly be surprised when next time around it has even greater difficulty persuading people to accept such charges.

As an exercise in culpable political negligence, the water charge debacle has few equals.