Comments by former Fine Gael minister Nora Owen have caused much debate on Twitter after she questioned whether Irish Water protesters were planning to spend large amounts on toys at Christmas.

Speaking on the Newstalk ‘Breakfast’ show about research by Aviva Home Insurance into Christmas spending, Ms Owen said: “It’s interesting that this survey should come out this week when 120,000 people were marching on the streets saying they were really up against paying water charges. I’m assuming we’re talking about a different category of people who are going to be spending all this money on toys.”

The research revealed earlier this week that the average Irish household will spend around €1,463 on Christmas this year.