Dr. Tom Ryan:

I thank the Deputy for his questions. We empathise with the challenges people, planners, and regulators are facing in the area, in the context of poor soil percolation and the social issues around it. It is a challenging environment to work in. A key aspect from our code of practice is protecting people in their homes to make sure the systems they have in place are not injurious to either their health or that of their neighbours and children. Will willow evapo-transpiration systems, working in some combination with existing systems, provide zero-impact? The current research shows they are very good, and are getting there, but are not there yet. It does look promising and is worthy of support, and the EPA is working with colleagues to support that.