Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly has confirmed that June 30th will be the deadline for registering with Irish Water in order to be eligible to receive the €100 water conservation grant.
He was speaking in the Dáil yesterday evening, during a private members motion by members of the Technical Group to abolish water charges.
Those who do not register by June 30th will not be able to receive the grant from the Department of Social Protection from September.
In his speech to the Dáil, Mr Kelly challenged Opposition criticism of water charges and the "myth of double taxation".
He said the State "provides our transport services, yet people pay for their train tickets. The State builds libraries, yet people pay to take books out. The State builds houses, yet people pay subsidised rents."
He added: "If water is a human right, then surely food is, surely housing is, yet the Opposition seem OK with people making a contribution towards those costs."
He said the Opposition believes "nobody ever has to pay for anything, that we live in a utopia where everything is free".
Earlier, Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Paul Murphy said people will not be "bullied" into paying water charges, after it emerged that the Government is considering introducing legislation to recoup unpaid water charges from the earnings of those who refuse to pay.
