John Ellis (Fianna Fail)

The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill is due to be returned to the House for debate in the near future. I understand the version of the Bill that will be returned will be radically different from that which was originally passed by the Seanad. Prior to its being returned to the House, would it be possible to obtain clarification from the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, of the prescribed limits relating to discharges from sewage treatment units? I am reliably informed that the EPA is not in a position to provide a definitive indication regarding acceptable discharge levels from sewage treatment units, which is ridiculous. The units to which I refer are installed in order that the sewage from one-off housing developments can be treated. It is not acceptable, therefore, that the EPA cannot indicate what should be the discharge rate or what level of bacteria is acceptable. Many of these units discharge what is known as "grey" water which is suitable for gardening or non-domestic purposes. Despite this, the EPA will not provide a definitive indication of what should be the acceptable level of discharge. Will the Leader request the Minister to ask the EPA to provide such a definitive indication?