FIFTY-SEVEN per cent of households have paid the Government charge, Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan told the Dáil.

“Ultimately, people must decide if they want to comply with the law or not and if they do not comply with the law, they face litigation,” he said.

Fianna Fáil environment spokesman Niall Collins said those who had not paid were people with a principled objection to the charge and those who were unable to pay. He added that the campaign lacked information. There were insufficient payment methods and a series of incoherent messages from the Government about paying through An Post.

Mr Collins said provision should be made to accommodate those unable to pay and consideration should be given to extending the deadline.

Mr Hogan said no comprehensive property database was available, which meant a bill could not be sent to people.

An Post had not won the tender to deliver the information leaflet.

Another company won it, “although I have concerns about the manner in which it did that, which I will deal with in another way”, he added.

Mr Hogan said he had rejected a Fianna Fáil proposal that the deadline be extended to September.

“I operate on the basis that people will come up to a deadline and then pay,” he added. “That is what happened, with 25 per cent paying within a week of the deadline.”

He said that processing payments made at the eleventh hour through An Post would be completed in the next week or two. People would then get reminders in the same way as any payment that was needed for any utility.

The Minister said he would not introduce exemptions for those who had not paid. They would continue to pay in line with the legislation passed by the Oireachtas.