John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

First, I want to put on record my opposition to the Bill. I believe it is an attack on rural communities up and down the country.

The principle at stake in the Bill is that rural dwellers will have to pay more for the same services as other taxpayers merely in order to live in the countryside. This sets a precedent that rural dwellers will be discriminated against by the Government on the basis of where they live and the requirements that it demands.

People are rightly concerned about the charge of which the Minister speaks. For example, the €50 registration fee may be increased in future registrations as the cost of the system unfolds. There is a telling lack of detail in the Bill on the overall costs involved in the operation. In my experience in this House, when a fee is imposed, usually at a low level, as the years go by it increases dramatically. That is what people are concerned about. The Minister might explain in his reply whether he intends to ring-fence this €50 registration fee, or whether it can be increased on an annual basis or whenever subsequent registrations are carried out.

Rural dwellers will now have to pay the septic tank charge in addition to the proposed €100 household charge. It is something that urban dwellers will not have to face. Also, the implementation of water charges will mean that rural dwellers will have to pay separate charges for water disposal through their septic tank charges and also face new fees for water through the new metering system. It is certainly double taxation.

At a time when households are under severe financial constraints, the charge penalises people for living in rural communities with no direct access to public sewerage schemes. As we all will be aware, public sewerage schemes are heavily subsidised by the taxpayer whereas, to date, no assistance has been given to those in rural areas for their effluent systems. The biggest threat to Ireland not meeting its 2015 obligations under the EU directive comes from local authorities, not rural householders. What does the Minister intend to do about local authorities responsible for so much pollution up and down the country? He should concentrate his efforts on tackling this problem and not introduce a highly discriminatory charge against rural Ireland.

There are 30,000 septic tanks in County Wexford, where I come from. They all have different sized sites, with some of the houses using septic tanks on 1.5 acres to 2 acres, depending on who has the land, in particular farmers' sons or daughters, while some are on half or quarter of an acre, with some on less. If, following registration, it is found that some septic tanks are not working properly and they are on only a quarter or a fifth of an acre, and have no chance of getting extra land to rectify the problem, how does the Minister intend that these people will be able to solve the problem? Will there be severe penalties against them? I know some of the environmental inspectors who work with local authorities, including some in my area, and while some are very reasonable, others adopt a very tough approach. If they say the problem cannot be resolved on the smaller amount of land, who will make the final decision?

I wish to raise the issue of grant aid and support for people who may have to upgrade. Figures are being bandied about that it will perhaps cost up to €17,000 to upgrade a problem septic tank. I was a Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when farmers were jumped on by the EU and asked to upgrade their farmyards, and close to €500 million was allocated to farmers to upgrade their systems under the farm waste management scheme. I had no problem with that as I believe farmers were entitled to get grant aid to upgrade their systems and bring them up to modern, EU standards. This will be very difficult for families and people, particularly with systems going back to the 1960s and 1970s when we did not have the high standards that now apply for septic tanks, percolation areas and all of that. Will the Minister help by introducing a grant aid system for people who will have to, under his legislation, upgrade their systems? If he does not introduce a grant system to support such people, including old age pensioners and those on low incomes as well as those who are working, they will not be in a position to implement the scheme as the Minister wants them to, and they will certainly not be in a position to pay €16,000 or €17,000 for an upgrade.

The Minister referred to the local authorities and the EPA. When the EPA carries out decisions under its jurisdiction, it is usually very strict and demanding and there is no flexibility or grey area - it is black and white with the EPA. I am very concerned that once the legislation is on the Statute Book, the EPA, in conjunction with the local authorities, will implement it to the letter of the law. If I go into the planning section of Wexford County Council at present to argue for a planning decision or some flexibility for a person who may be constrained in regard to land or other areas related to planning, the officials usually tell me it is due to an EPA regulation. This is where the difficulty will be.

The measure is very badly thought out. Did the Minister look at the systems in Scotland, for example? All septic tanks there must be registered but the households affected do not have to pay. In Northern Ireland, there is no mandatory inspection and the inspection costs are borne by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. Households do not pay for the original discharge consent but receive free de-sludging every 12 months.

The Minister must consider all the different options that could be available before placing an unfair burden on a large part of the population. It seems the Minister is intent on introducing the legislation. Obviously, he has the majority in the House to do that and there is little we on this side of the House can do if he decides to push it through. However, I ask him when replying to give some idea whether he intends to seek funding from the Minister for Finance and perhaps from the EU to grant aid people who, under the Bill, will have to upgrade their septic tanks to a reasonable standard at a cost of approximately €16,000 to €17,000.

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