Tánaiste Joan Burton said the first round of bills from Irish Water had seen a "solid response".
Asked about the fact the new utility had collected less than half the revenue it had expected in the first three months of billing, Ms Burton said the actual rate of payment among commercial users of water was also “quite low”.
She said there had been problems with the creation of the Irish Water database, with bills sent out to people who were not liable, and also to incorrect addresses.
“So I actually think that the response is a very solid response and I think it lays the foundation for Irish Water developing a collection system which will be on a par with both the ESB and with Bord Gáis.
‘Genuine problem’
“If people have a genuine problem there will be help there for them, but it will be possible to identify the people who have a liability to pay what is now a very modest water charge,” Ms Burton said.
“For a single individual it’s €60 net. For two adults or more in a household it’s €160 net.”
Ms Burton said the “feedback on the ground”, not withstanding the anti-water charge campaign, had been “very positive from an awful lot of people”.
“ I would anticipate that people, as they are reminded about their liability and their bill, I think that people will actually pay.”
The Tánaiste noted the rate of payment for TV licences could also be “quite high”.
“But I think that Irish Water’s billing system has had a very strong response for the first set of billings.”
Ms Burton said she did not have figures for what her department expected to pay in water conservation payments to householders who had not paid their Irish Water bill.
Conserve rain water
But she said there was a lot of interest in the conservation grant from people who wished to use it to install containers and water butts to conserve rain water.
“We won’t know what the response level and the take-up level in relation to the water conservation grant is until towards the autumn when people have filled in the form,” Ms Burton said.
“My experience of people is that most people are absolutely honest and if for some reason people have not paid, I would imagine that most people would be conscious that they are getting a water conservation grant and they have an obligation to pay a very modest bill compared to almost every country in Europe in respect of water.”
She said the money was needed to invest in clean water and to grow jobs, industry and tourism, and that it cost a lot of money to treat water and to carry it away as waste.