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AFTER TWO DAYS of debate, the Dáil has voted 78-52 to back the government’s climbdown on water charges.

Environment Minister Alan Kelly’s announcement of the revised scheme has provoked controversy since yesterday, including a Dáil suspension after he left the chamber to give a press conference.

Concerns have been raised over – among others – measures in the plan that would require private landlords to take unpaid water charges from their tenants’ deposits, and force local authorities to collect arrears from council tenants.

Debate in the chamber reached something of a fever pitch earlier today when Fine Gael deputy Noel Coonan said Dublin water protesters “act like parasites and live off country people.”

The Tipperary North TD also warned that Ireland could face an “ISIS situation” if some water protests are not “nipped in the bud,” referring to the jihadist militant Islamic State group.

Read: We’ll delete all those PPS numbers by January — Irish Water chief>

Council tenants could have water charges taken from their rent by local authorities>