Brian Walsh (Galway West, Fine Gael)

I commend the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, for addressing this issue in a fair and timely fashion. I welcome the departure from the tactics of the previous Administration of persistently burying its head in the sand when it came to complying with its legal obligations under EU law.

I do not expect this will be popular legislation but the days of making populist decisions to the detriment of the common good have been thankfully consigned to the past by this Government. Listening to the Fianna Fáil Members this afternoon, it is clear they learned nothing from their mistakes in the past which brought us to near ruin. It is clear they would prefer if we followed in their footsteps by ignoring the problem and adopting a light-touch regulatory approach, the same approach that caused so much damage to other sectors of the economy.

I welcome the introduction of the Bill because it will bring to an end the harmful and self-serving campaign of scaremongering orchestrated by the Opposition, particularly Fianna Fáil, in recent months. This scaremongering has caused considerable distress for many people, particularly the elderly and those on low incomes, across the country. The Opposition claims the annual inspection fee would be €300. That is false as it will be no more than €50. It claims the appeal charge will be €200. Again, this is false; it will be €20. It suggests this is the thin end of the wedge with the Minister increasing the fees at every budget, another false claim as this is a once-off charge of €50.

The Opposition claims the majority of tanks will be inspected. The information from the Department, however, suggests it will be considerably less than that with only one in five tanks inspected. The Opposition alleges the cost of replacing a septic tank and the associated remedial works will cost €17,000. If that is the price Fianna Fáil can negotiate for this type of work, I am not surprised it made a hash of the interest rate negotiations on the EU-IMF deal. Thankfully, the Taoiseach was able to renegotiate a €10 billion reduction in the rate.

One of the main proponents of this misinformation campaign that began in early summer is my constituency colleague, Deputy Ó Cuív. In most cases I respect his opinion but, unfortunately, not in this instance. It appears the trauma of Fianna Fáil's general election result is having a detrimental effect on Deputy Ó Cuív's memory. As a Cabinet member, he helped renegotiate the programme for Government between Fianna Fáil and the Green Party in 2009 which pledged to introduce legislation which he is now opposing. The programme stated, "We will introduce a scheme for the licensing and inspection of septic tanks and wastewater treatment systems". The main difference between the previous Government and this one is that this Government has the courage to deal with this issue.

What is particularly disappointing about Deputy Ó Cuív's attitude to this Bill is that he should know better coming from west Galway which has had three serious water crises with cryptosporidium and E.coli contamination along with lead poisoning. He should be acutely aware of the damage poor water quality has done to families, tourism, local economies and in attracting investment, particularly from medical device and health care companies. Good water quality is an important resource in any economy.

Deputy Kyne referred to Deputy Ó Cuív's statements at public meetings that he would go to prison rather than pay the registration fee. That is an outrageous suggestion from someone who has held senior office. It is clear he is anxious to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather. He even embarked on an abortive campaign to occupy Áras an Uachtaráin but the door was firmly shut in his face by his party leader. The legislation will not see people going to prison for not paying the registration fee. Again, this is more misinformation from the Opposition.

I welcome the Water Services (Amendment) Bill and compliment the Minister on introducing it. While it may not be popular legislation, the Minister has indicated a grant scheme will be introduced after the inspections have been carried out. It is prudent to quantify the extent of the problem first and introduce the scheme thereafter.

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