Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I was not present for the debate but I am sure I can access the record of it. Census 2011, published by the Central Statistics Office, indicates there were 21,242 septic tanks and 4,369 individual treatment systems in County Wexford in 2011. Those are the facts.

The Environmental Protection Agency is the supervisory body for the purpose of meeting the objectives of the National Inspection Plan 2015-2017: Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems. The plan is managed and implemented by the local authorities. The plan underpins the risk-based inspection of septic tanks and other on-site treatment systems. My Department does not have any direct role in monitoring the implementation of the EPA's plan by the local authorities . However, the plan has been drawn up to best international standards and I am satisfied the risk-based inspection system is consistent with the necessity to ensure compliance with the provisions of the EU waste directive and the European Court of Justice ruling against Ireland in October 2009. It also has regard to the European Parliament and Council’s recommendations of 4 April 2001 regarding the minimum criteria for environmental inspections in the member states.

Inspections are objective, evidence based and aimed at identifying septic tanks and similar treatment systems that are a risk to public health or the environment. The EPA has set the minimum number of inspections to be carried out in the years 2015 to 2017 at 1,000 nationally per annum. It is important to note this is the recommended minimum number and there is nothing preventing a local authority from carrying out more inspections than the recommended minimum should it consider it necessary or appropriate to do so.

See this speech in context