Minister Simon Coveney
FINE GAEL has down a u-turn on water charges tonight in an effort to form a minority government, the Irish Independent is reporting.
The newspaper says that Fine Gael has agreed to suspend water charges while a commission of experts draw up a report on how best to re-introduce them and encourage conservation.
That would park the issue “for the foreseeable future” according to other reports in Dublin tonight.
A commission would report to an all-party Oireachtas committee by the end of the year before a Dáil vote on the future of water services in the country.
If the reports are correct it could lead to a split in Fine Gael; but it could also stave off the prospect of another general election.
RTE reports that talks between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil negotiators have ended for the night, with both sides reporting that “progress” was made on the issue of water charges.
Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said some progress had been made “on the difficult issues around water” and that both sides would meet again tomorrow “to try to build on that progress”.
He said there had been “good engagement” between the negotiating teams, with both parties “trying to find ways to accommodate one another”.
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