Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)

It is essential that we protect our water supplies, both groundwater and surface water. It is in the interests of public health and the environment. There are consequences if that does not happen, as we saw in Galway when people could not use the water supply for weeks on end. Those who visit an area will never forget such an occurrence. I recall planning to go to a place in Spain on holidays about 30 years ago. I still remember the name of the place because the water there was poisoned. There are consequences and we all accept that.

I accept the importance of quantifying the number of septic tanks, although the estimated figure of 441,000 given in the Bills Digest appears to be very precise. I also see the value in organising inspections. However, there is a deficiency in the Bill. It is silent on how the really serious problems will be dealt with. In particular, non-compliant older septic tanks are more likely to be located in properties where there are elderly people, but there is no concern about their ability to put them right. I see a big difficulty in that regard.

There are other difficulties. According to the Bills Digest, the capacity in the treatment plants for accepting sludge has not been quantified. It is a question, therefore, of almost going on tour to find a treatment plant that will have the required capacity. Many local authorities are trying to retain capacity in their sewerage treatment plants for industry or potential industry. Furthermore, there appears to be a type of chicken and egg situation with regard to the promised public awareness campaign. One would have thought there would have been a public awareness campaign before embarking on this course. That would have avoided much of the scaremongering that has been mentioned here.

People feel there is something to be fearful of because they are not sure whether their septic tank will be compliant. They are not worried about the registration charge but about what it will cost to fix the septic tank. I do not expect the tanks that were installed in recent years to present a problem but some of the older ones will present a problem, and the Minister cannot be silent on how he will remediate those, particularly if people do not have the means to do it.

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