Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I am referring to planning issues. Tomorrow morning I will attend pre-planning meetings to discuss specific issues in County Tipperary. The question of percolation will be involved, but the meetings will mainly have to do with planning issues. Percolation systems must meet the 2009 guidelines, not the SR6. We cannot work around it. If it fails, there is no debate and one must move site, expand the existing site and so on. Under the Bill, one will have to take the opinion of the council official.

I welcome wholeheartedly the fact that the Minister has reduced the charge for an appeal from €200 to €20. One must appeal to the same local authority which will send another inspector, but inspectors are unlikely to go against their own. That is the nature of it. They will work in the same offices, be they the council's environment office, which is more than likely, or the environment and planning offices. According to the Minister, no planning offices will be involved. We will wait and see what is contained in the legislation.

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