Mr. Joseph Gilhooly:

On replacement houses, the code of practice rightly makes a provision to allow for upgrading or improvement of existing sites. If somebody is developing on an existing site that has the benefit of an existing wastewater treatment system, it can be expected that the best available technology will be used to protect human health and the environment as part of that upgrade. One has to bear in mind that people in an existing property, or inheriting or buying a property with an existing wastewater treatment system, have an approved, authorised development that they can occupy. They may become part of the national inspection plan, as was alluded to earlier. That can arise depending on the risk analysis and what inspections are carried out annually in any local authority area. That works on the basis that the property already has an authorised use and people can reoccupy it and operate the system there. It is preferable to see the system improved and a higher standard system installed as part of a development, which would be required. It gives a derogation such that one does not have to establish that one can achieve the "T > 90" if one is moving into a site with an existing system. The priority is to improve the system with the best available technology and standards that one can achieve.

With regard to towns and villages, Leitrim is relatively fortunate in that most of the reasonably-sized settlements have public sewerage and wastewater treatment systems. I do not have the exact figure but the county has approximately 27 towns and villages and I imagine that 20, if not more, of those are served by a public wastewater treatment system.

Irish Water's priority for current investment in Leitrim is as I assume it is in many areas, as mentioned in relation to areas at risk and under pressure as identified by the river basin management places, to improve and deal with deficiencies in the existing systems. There is investment in that regard in Leitrim for water and wastewater but it is not to extend capacity of any existing system in County Leitrim.