Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

The Acting Chairman also knows it, since people are attending his clinics also. We do not know what we are voting for. I have not been a Member for long, but I have been berated for previous legislation. This Bill is loose, as it sets no standards. Amendment No. 1 could have dealt with everything, as we would then have known what the standards and regulations would be. There would have been a sense of fairness.

I understand the Government's position and that it inherited this legislation from previous Governments, but we are where we are. People must be made to comply. It cannot be stated strongly enough that every politician and 99.9% of rural and urban dwellers want clean water, to which they have a constitutional right. People who have their own system paid a great deal of money to install and maintain it to a high standard. If systems give trouble, they are normally in close proximity to houses. They were much closer prior to the regulations being introduced.

The kernel of the issue is regulation. However, no one knows what an inspection will entail. I have spoken with my county council. I am sure the Acting Chairman has also. It knows nothing about the matter. It is not ignorant, but it does not know whether it will police this issue. Last night the Minister stated inspections would be carried out primarily by county council officials. That is welcome, as the Minister can speak with most of the people involved. However, it is not welcome that an inspector's opinion will be enough to deem a system faulty. An amendment in my name addressed the phrase "likely to constitute a risk". If the inspector's opinion is that a system is faulty, he or she will give the householder a piece of paper on the day or subsequently describing the works to be carried out.

I welcome that the Minister has extended the period involved. I accept that we have made progress with the Bill, but if a householder is not happy with an inspector's opinion, the private engineer or assessor he or she will ask to inspect the system might deem it to be okay. This happens constantly. Tomorrow I will bring clients and their agents to meet senior planning officials and there will be healthy arguments and debates. If the pre-planning meetings do not go well, the agents and I - they are more technically qualified in their areas than I am - will reassess, seek further advice and might revert to the officials. We work with the county council to try to secure the best outcome for the constituent within the proper planning guidelines. Unfortunately, we are discussing the 2009 regulations.

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