Áine Collins (Cork North West, Fine Gael)

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. The Water Services (Amendment) Bill proposes an inspection scheme for septic tanks and other domestic wastewater treatment systems. While there will be a €50 charge per household, it will save the State from paying fines of up to €20,000 per day, a cost that would otherwise have to be borne by the general taxpayer. It should also be recognised that households which were connected to the public waste water facility had to pay huge development charges of between €5,000 and €12,000 per house over the past five years. Many of these households are now in serious negative equity. That is why the cost of implementing this new regulation must be borne by the individual households which have septic tanks.

Having said that, any additional charge to a household is a burden in these difficult times. For that reason, the system introduced must be operated effectively and efficiently. Where necessary, some financial assistance must be granted to households to allow them to upgrade or replace their tanks. Many will have to switch to bio-cycle units, the cost of which should be taken into consideration. The initial registration fee is €50, with a re-registration required every five years. This seems reasonable and, if managed properly, will generate finance for households which have to upgrade their systems. The scheme should be operated initially along the lines of the second home charge, with a €10 late payment fine. This has been a very cost effective way of implementing the tax on second homes.

The Minister has been clear that this is not a witch hunt and that inspections will be targeted towards environmentally sensitive areas in the first instance. The implementation of the law should not be regarded as punitive even though there will be some cost for up to half a million households. The objective of the legislation is to achieve a significant improvement in the protection of human health and the environment. It is important to note that faulty septic tanks and treatment plants result in contamination of ground and surface water. This affects the quality of drinking water, creating health risks from the overflow or ponding of domestic waste water.

Some farming organisations have been particularly vocal in their opposition to the proposed registration fee and possible knock-on costs. This is understandable as most of their members live in rural areas without public treatment plants. Farmers have no choice but to use private treatment plants and have spent substantial sums in recent years installing anti-pollution measures on their farms. They did so for two reasons - first, they were obliged to comply with the law and, second, they wanted to meet the highest environmental standards, thereby increasing and enhancing our image as a country that produces the best quality food in the world. The reality is that this legislation, by solving the septic tank problem, will lead to an improvement in water quality. The implementation of pro-environment EU directives will enhance our reputation as a food producing country, benefiting farmers and the economy as a whole.

The bottom line is that in our current economic difficulties, free schemes are not an option. The charge should cover the cost of registration prices and the inspection regime and provide some grant aid towards effected households. While I accept the necessity of huge cutbacks in public capital spending, the Minister should prioritise funding for local authorities to install and, where necessary, upgrade their own out-of-date and inefficient systems, which are causing far greater harm than individual septic tanks. These projects should have been completed during the boom years but, as with so many other issues, the previous Government ignored the problem. By prioritising funding for improving local authority treatment plants, the Minister will demonstrate his intent in this regard. Only multilateral action by the Department, farmers and rural dwellers will solve the problem.

The accusation is often made that we are over-zealous in implementing EU directives. However, the European Court of Justice has found that our lack of a registration and inspection regime is in breach of standard obligations under two EU directives. Irrespective of any court ruling, environmental concerns are, and should be, hugely important in a country dependent on food production and tourism. These regulations have long since been implemented in England and Wales and will also shortly apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This directive is very important from an environmental, food production and tourism point of view. The process to be introduced must be effective and cost neutral for the Exchequer. The burden can be eased for those who have to upgrade their systems by providing grant assistance through the registration fund. I commend the Bill to the House.

See this speech in context