Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)

There will be households in some of those high-risk areas which will need financial assistance. I urge the Minister to bring that forward. We want to protect water but if there are families caught out and they cannot afford remediation, there will be a need for financial assistance.

On the standards, the devil will be in the detail. When inspections commence, it is important the inspectors take a considered approach with householders. Initially, these will be carried out by engineers from local authorities which is good news because they know their local areas' circumstances. I hope the inspections are rolled out in a practical way and will not be an imposition on people.

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