The Seanad debate on the controversial Water Services Bill will resume on Monday after more than 16 hours of debate ended early on Saturday.

During the debate Government Senators accused members of the Opposition of filibustering.

Opponents of the Bill said Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly and Minister of State Paudie Coffey had repeatedly failed to answer questions and said these questions would be repeatedly asked until they were answered.

By 3am on Saturday Senators had reached only the fifth section of 14 in the Bill, with almost half of the proposed amendments read through by that stage.

Following the late night finish, the committee stage of deliberations will resume at midday on Monday.

None of the recommended amendments were accepted, and there looks to be little chance of any further amendments passing ahead of an expected guillotining of discussions at 6pm on Monday, according to Sinn Féin senator David Cullinane.

“The whole thing is a farce again. There were detailed questions asked and none of them were answered, and I think we’re going to see more of the same again on Monday,” said Mr Cullinane, who remained in the chamber for the duration of last night’s marathon proceedings.

“It’s essentially just the Government railroading this through again with no amendments being accepted, not listening to the opposition and not listening to the people,” he added.

Debate on water charges has convulsed the State for the past year, since the first water charges Bill was passed in the Dáil on the last day before the Christmas recess in 2013.

The Government has not accepted any amendments to the current legislation.

Mr Kelly had told the House he would be receptive to any amendment that could strengthen the Bill.

If amendments are accepted, which looks increasingly unlikely, the Dáil would be recalled to ensure the legislation is enacted by the end of the year to allow billing for water to commence in January.

Fianna Fáil’s Ned O’Sullivan said the Minister should “put us out of our misery by stating what to me is becoming apparently obvious, the Government is not prepared to give an inch on this”.

Mr Kelly replied that Senators would not get another Minister as supportive of the Seanad as he.

Fianna Fáil’s Labhrás Ó Murchú said they would be far better off to come back to the Seanad on Monday. “I don’t see how we can do our duty properly if put in a position of having to deal with this at four, five or six o’clock in the morning.”

His proposal to adjourn at that stage was rejected.

Opponents of the charges sought to reduce or eliminate the fines.

But Mr Kelly said a huge distinction was being made “between those who can’t pay and those who won’t”.

He said there would be a range of payment plans, easy plans and once customers engaged with Irish Water "in a real way" they did not need to worry about late payments.

“I don’t really envisage a role for the Revenue Commissioners, to be honest,” he said in response to queries about the enforcement of payments of fines.

Fines will be levied at €30 for single households who refuse to pay the charges and €60 for other households.

A vote to abandon the fines was defeated by 23 votes to 14.