The government is once again being called to abolish the water charges.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Maurice Quinlivan TD is demanding the government to listen to the people after it was revealed several of them are refusing to pay the "unfair tax".

He said: "In the recent election, the majority of elected TDs stood on a platform to abolish water charges and in my own constituency of Limerick, 60% of people who voted supported candidates opposed to water charges.

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"TDs elected on an anti-water charges platform have a duty to support this motion and not the cynical version proposed by the government and Fianna Fáil which seeks to suspend charges and retain Irish Water."

Sinn Féin spokesperson on water, Eoin Ó Broin TD, accused the government of not listening to the democratic will of the people.

He said: "Water is a human right.

"We do not believe that the imposition of water charges is socially just.

"Water should not be commodified.

"We need to invest in real conservation measures. Nobody believes that the Irish water infrastructure is up to scratch.

"We need to ask, why is this?

"For decades, governments lead by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil failed to invest in water infrastructure and sanitation services. Similar to how they failed to invest in housing and healthcare.

"The answer to their shortcomings in this regard is the introduction of an unfair, regressive tax, not based on people's ability to pay."

(CD/MH)