Fianna Fáil Environment Spokesperson Barry Cowen has written to the Chairman of the Oireachtas Environment Committee Ciarán Lynch to demand an immediate hearing with Irish Water chief executive John Mullins.

It follows confirmation that the company will not be able to meet the government's timetable on water metering.

Deputy Cowen said: "This Government continues to land unfair charges on already distressed householders. After the fiasco of the Household Charge, homeowners now hear that thousands of them are going to be forced to pay unfair flat rate charges for water– because neither the Government nor the company they handed the contract to have no strategy for achieving the targets set by the Minister. This is a disgrace.

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"The contract was only awarded to Bord Gáis for this work a matter of months ago. How is it possible that the work to be undertaken could be so drastically underestimated that it will now take a further two years before metering is in place? It's estimated now that in the region of 400,000 homes will still not have meters by the government deadline of the end of 2014.

"I cannot understand how the white flag has been raised on the timeline for implementation before one single meter is installed.

"I have written to Ciarán Lynch, the Chairman of the Environment Committee, to seek an urgent meeting with John Mullins to discuss this. Minister Hogan will also have to come before the committee and explain this emerging farce. The potential for an expensive and disruptive mess around the issue of water metering is unlimited. I am seeking the opportunity to question the key players on what strategy they have before we go any further down this road."

(CD)