Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)

I have three queries for the Minister, two of which I have raised before and which he refused to answer. First, when he says there will be no financial hardship for householders, does this mean grants will be available to assist them in bringing their septic tank up to the necessary standard? I trust this was not a throwaway remark by him. I am sure he would not speak loosely and that it is his intention to ensure there will be financial supports for home owners who, through no fault of their own, do not satisfy the new regulations.

My second question relates to the risk-based approach the Government proposes to take. If it is committed, as it should be, to providing clean water and having a healthy environment, how does it propose to assess which households should be tested? Perhaps there is a hard and fast rule or it is more vague; I do not know. If grants are made available for remediation measures, will the Government be tempted not to go too far in order to avoid costs, or is it serious about cleaning the water table?

Does the Minister believe a sum of €2,000 on average will be enough to fix septic tanks in need of remedial work? I have installed many septic tanks and would be surprised if such a sum was sufficient to remediate many of the septic tanks in County Wexford.

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