Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I have a few brief questions for the Minister. Is it not true that other than the registration, the Minister is announcing exactly what is already in force in each local authority area in the country and where problems are being identified? Will financial or grant aid be provided to those people who need to upgrade their septic tanks? With regard to research, the EPA is carrying out research on new septic tanks in cases where planning permission is being sought. This is an issue in my constituency in County Leitrim. Householders may be in control of only a quarter of an acre site and no research has been done on the situation where the septic tank is not functioning. Can research be carried out to come up with a solution to this? If a septic tank is operated properly and situated in proper ground conditions, it would not be necessary to carry out desludging of the tank. Will advice, support and research be provided to householders to encourage them to desist from using Domestos, for example, which kills the bacteria that make the septic tank work? We could then reduce the potential costs for householders.

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