Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

This group of amendments strengthen the power of the water services authorities to facilitate connection of consumers to water services while also providing improved protection for water providers against unauthorised connections and underpinning the maintenance and protection of the integrity of the pipe network. Amendment No. 204 fine-tuned the wording of section 92 to ensure it is capable of being applied in the manner originally intended. The original wording assumed that the owner of the premises, to whom a notice is directed, is also the owner of the connecting pipes. This may not always be the case.

A group of related amendments, Nos. 123 to 127, inclusive, and Nos. 143, 145 and 148 to sections 55 and 61 in respect of water supply infrastructure and waste water infrastructure provide that a water services authority may attach conditions to any agreement for connection. Such conditions could include the provision of larger capacity connecting pipes and so forth. Amendments Nos. 219 and 221 provide additionally to section 103 for the designation as required of a sterilised corridor around a pipe to ensure that the structure's integrity is protected. Amendment No. 103 to section 43(4) places responsibility for the maintenance or repair on owners of premises using the connection where ownership of the connection cannot be established.

Amendments Nos. 158 and 161 to section 63 enables effluent licensing to be extended to domestic water discharges if required. An additional amendment which warrants mention is amendment No. 175 which applied the duty of care, of which I spoke earlier, under section 72 to maintain drains, manholes and septic tanks on the premises to the owners rather than the occupiers of the premises as had been originally provided. Such additional provisions as have been outlined are essential to the orderly planning and management of the water service infrastructure. I commend them to the House.