The running costs of Irish Water will be twice the amount of similar UK firms, it has been revealed.

Fianna Fáil has slammed the revelations about the "outlandish spending associated with its establishment".

Spokesperson for the Environment, Barry Cowen, said: "I am not surprised by these figures because from the very beginning Irish Water has had a gold-plated bonus culture attached to it.

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"This bonus culture was facilitated by the Government when it awarded the Irish Water contract to Bord Gáis against the advice of an independent report the Government itself commissioned. This opened the door to the generous bonus system at Irish Water which is contributing to the high staff salaries.

"This opinion seems to be shared by many within Government as it consistently withheld information from the public on the setting-up costs, of which the true extent is only coming to light now. The price people will have to pay for water reflects the costs in setting it up, no wonder Irish households will forced to pay more than the Government promised just a few short months ago."

(CD/JP)