Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)

The Minister said that the consultation process would start later this month. Is he talking about three or four weeks time or next week? The Bill has been passed and was signed into law by the President today. How will people have an opportunity to have an input to this? We are not clear on the standards. The Bill has been passed by the Dáil and the Seanad and the President has signed the Bill. What will be the process and what will be the terms of reference? Are the draft standards available and can we see them? Must the Minister get EU approval of the draft standards and, if so, has it been received? Will the Minister take on board submissions from the public? It is fine having public consultation but sometimes it is little more than a box ticking exercise to say that the Department, the Government or the council has consulted with people. I do not want to be cynical and I take it at face value that the Minister is entering into this in a genuine way. It is important that people's views are taken on board. Will the standards refer to site size?

How will noise and odours be measured? It could be very subjective. What level of noise from pumps will be acceptable and how will the odour level be measured? I welcome the fact that the Minister is taking a risk-based approach. We have discussed this many times and it is the correct way to go. We need to give some certainty to people in high-risk areas close to aquifers and water sources, particularly those who will be in financial difficulty, that they will not be criminalised if they cannot upgrade and meet the standards very quickly as required in the Bill.

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