Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)

The Government has inherited many legacies from the previous Government and we have seen the damage that has been done to our economy as a result of the economic and employment crises in which we find ourselves. This is an environmental legacy the previous Government knew about since 2009. The European Court of Justice made a ruling which found Ireland to be negligent.

Despite the fact that the previous Fianna Fáil and Green Party Government, in its programme for Government in October 2009, clearly stated its would introduce a scheme for the licensing and inspection of septic tanks, it has the gall to come in here and criticise the same measure. It is a responsible measure and one which is probably unpopular for Deputies like me who represent vast parts of rural Waterford. It is a legacy that needs to be addressed.

In fairness to Deputy Wallace, he outlined many problems and I agree with him. Historical legacy issues with regard to septic tanks will have to be faced and we cannot turn a blind eye and continue to ignore them for many reasons. Deputies have already spoken about the €2.7 million lump sum fine and the €26,000 fine per day we will incur if we do not do anything about the issue. The country cannot afford to do nothing.

I agree with the Deputies who called for some grant assistance where septic tanks are found to be faulty. I agree with Deputies who pointed to local authorities who are discharging into water courses, something which should not be ignored. The EPA and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government have a role in monitoring and regulating local authorities.

I come from a small town which suffered a number of years ago from a cryptosporidium crisis. There is no point in telling people, such as vulnerable elderly people and parents who cannot bath young children, when they cannot drink their water two months that there is a problem up the road, a septic tank issue or effluent leaking from a farm or business. They do not want to hear that.

Any responsible Government or local authority will take proactive measures ahead of the problem. If we do not do that, there will be further outbreaks. It is galling to hear Deputy Ó Cuív, who comes from Galway, speak about this issue. There was a serious impact on businesses in Galway when there was an outbreak of cryptosporidium. It is too late to cry when the damage is done. I urge the Minister, his officials and local authorities to work in a tangible and practical way within the regulations. It may be a good thing that there are not too many specifics in the Bill because it will give some flexibility to local authorities if the Minister implement regulations which are realistic.

Deputy Wallace is correct when he said a lot of oldsites where people had a cottage with a septic tank might not have the space required to comply with the new regulations. Practical solutions will have to be found and I expect to see flexibility in that regard. I call for a grant scheme, where possible, to assist people with substandard septic tanks. I also ask the Minister and his officials to ensure that site specific solutions are adhered to in the guidelines and regulations.

Food Harvest 2020 provides huge potential for the country to recover through the agricultural production sector. If we want to have the green clean spectacle of good food being sold from Ireland and across the globe, we need to do something about it. It will not be popular among many members of the public, which I appreciate, but a lot of the scaremongering is very unfair.

The charge is only €50 over five years, but some people proposed charges of €300 per annum. That is not going to happen. I hope we can find tangible solutions which will help people to upgrade their wastewater treatment systems because we are ultimately responsible for handing on an environmental legacy to our children and their children.

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