The Minister for the Environment has said people are paying Irish Water bills, but said it is a matter for the company to give specifics as to the level of compliance.

Speaking in Galway this morning, Alan Kelly said the process of issuing the first round of bills was not yet complete.

He said Irish Water would not be in a position to announce full detail about compliance until that stage of the process was finished.

The minister said people who advocated a campaign of non-compliance with billing were wrong.

He said everyone would have to make a contribution to pay for water.

Mr Kelly said the behaviour of some people towards Irish Water and local authority staff had been unacceptable and had no place in Irish society.

He said the number who had "come on board" in relation to water charges was increasing all the time.

Mr Kelly said he was still getting a lot of abuse about the issue, and he thought it was incredible what some "keyboard warriors" felt they could say on social media to him, his family and his parents.