Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

If the system needs to be upgraded, a new percolation area will be required. What happens if one cannot afford to buy a percolation area or if the land is not available? In many parts of counties Meath and Donegal where ribbon developed was permitted, insufficient land is available to upgrade septic tanks. Householders will be unable to do what the Minister is requiring of them.

The proposed new section 70D is a Trojan horse which deals with the sale of premises connected to domestic waste water treatment systems. While the legislation benignly states that owners will not be able to sell their properties if they are not registered, nobody will want to buy a house if its septic tank is not up to scratch because of the risk of inspections or being made upgrade. Any solicitor worth his or her salt will have to advise potential purchasers of rural houses to hire a surveyor to determine whether the waste water treatment system is up to the standards required by the legislation. God love anyone trying to sell a house with a 30 year old septic tank and insufficient land for another percolation area. A buyer would be mad to buy a house in a rural area in such circumstances.