Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

I wish to ask the Deputy Leader, Senator Dan Boyle, who is probably the person closest to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, about dealing with planning regulations and guidelines on one-off rural housing. It affects some areas more than others, particularly with regard to the T90 and septic tanks. This is hitting Leitrim in particular but it will affect other rural areas also. I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange for the Minister to attend the House to see if we can find a way forward. There are two aspects to this. One concerns malfunctioning septic tanks, and the other concerns the proposed planning rules for septic tank treatment units for one-off rural houses. This matter requires a detailed debate, so I hope the Minister will agree to attend the House. I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange for such a debate as soon as possible to discuss this issue, which will have a serious effect on one-off rural houses. We must find a way to deal with ineffective septic tanks in order to preserve water quality throughout the country.