Water grant will be paid to all who register, Burton confirms

Tánaiste and Labour leader Joan Burton says she is confident people who have registered for the €100 water conservation grant will pay their water bills.

Asked if the Government still intended to give the grant to those who refused to pay their water bills, Ms Burton said she was very confident those who took the €100 would pay.

“I’m very confident that the vast majority of Irish people are very honest and they deal with very honestly with Government,” she told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

“My understanding and my anticipation is, just again based on conversations with people, that people who have registered with Irish Water, the vast bulk of them as we’ve seen already, intend to pay the charges.”

Ms Burton said for a new utility the number of those who had paid to date was “actually exactly where we expected it to be”.

Recent figures from Irish Water show that 51 per cent of people have paid their second phase water charge.

Asked again if people who did not pay their bills would receive the grant, she said people who registered would be paid.

“I anticipate because people are very, very honest that those people who take the conservation grant will address their responsibilities.”

Ms Burton accused Opposition politicians of “pirouetting at a crazy rate” over the issue.

Turning to the Budget, Ms Burton said she was looking forward to focusing on families with children, among other groups.

An increase in child benefit could be anticipated, she said, along with a “better childcare package”.

No figures had been decided yet, she added.

She said last year she had re-introduced 25 per cent of the Christmas bonus for older people. “I hope to be in a position to at least double that this year.”

Ms Burton said the Budget would be a “whole of life” package.

“The target will be families with children and people who have retired and people for instance who have a disability and people who are caring,” she said.

She also said there would be a “very significant” package of investment into getting people back to work, along with a programme of building primary schools and getting more teachers into schools.

“It’s a whole of life package. That’s what the Budget will be, about improving the living standards, as far of possible, of everybody in the country. That’s what the approach to the Budget is.”

She said the country had a great future. “We stand actually improve life for everybody in this country.”