Inishowen-based Sinn Féin Councillor Murray said: “While being absolutely opposed to the taxing of public water as a matter of principle, I am disgusted to see that the government is now hoping to have water meters installed through cheap labour.

“The rollout of water metering across the state will cost the public purse some €539million. Phil Hogan initially dressed this up saying that it would create 1600 jobs. Now however, we see that not all of these people will earn a decent wage.

“A young person on social welfare gets €100 a week. The job bridge scheme would give them €50 extra. That is a scam and is nothing more than cheap labour. Rather than trying to create employment, the government is exploiting the unemployed by coercing them into cheap labour. That is a disgrace.”

A screenshot of the jobbridge advert provided by Councillor Murray