Chairman of the Expert Commission on Water Charges Joe O'Toole has announced he is stepping down.

Mr O'Toole resigned after facing criticism over commonts he made over the funding of water charges.

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Housing, Planning and Local Government Barry Cowen TD said he believes Mr O'Toole has "done the right thing".

Deputy Cowen said: "There have been few more contentious issues in politics in recent years than the issue of Irish Water, and the botched water charging regime that it introduced. The political turmoil it created and the verdict passed by the Irish people cannot be ignored.

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"For this reason we fought for this Commission in the talks to facilitate a minority Government. We did so because it was clear to us that there is a massive task in building confidence around water policy and the question of how we pay for water as a country. There needs to be an open debate about all the options that are on the table. We are determined that this Commission process is above reproach and is demonstrably fair and impartial in how it does its business.

"The decision of the Chair to pre-empt any examination of the facts and promote his personal view of what should happen next is clearly incompatible with the role he was appointed to."

(CD/MH)