Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

A domestic scheme might belong to any house. Just because one has a sewerage scheme does not mean one's house is classed as non-domestic. A sewerage scheme is different from that of a domestic dwelling. It is either a domestic sewerage scheme or a publicly funded sewerage scheme in the town or village.

In a report in 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency stated that "due to the complexity of environmental issues effective environmental policies and solutions must be underpinned by a good knowledge of the science". What science is being used to determine the new monitoring systems and the pollution being caused by septic tanks in rural areas?

The department of microbiology at University College Hospital, Galway, stated that comprehensive science does not exist in the case of alleged pollution from septic tanks. If that is the case on what are we basing our strategy? On what is the Minister basing his monitoring strategy? The EPA further recommended in its 2008 report that standard septic tank properties, sited with good percolation, are the best way of dealing with waste water treatment systems. The best waste water treatment system is a domestic septic tank; it is over and above that offered by the public infrastructure within this State.

Figures for population density in rural Ireland show that very often only ten people live within a square kilometre, with a possible rise to 25 persons per square km. Those figures are based on the 2011 census. If those are the figures for rural Ireland, how can those ten to 25 people be compared to the numbers of people living in Senator Keane's constituency which has massive population densities, apartments and houses built very close together? Population density there would be ten or 20 people in an area no bigger than 100 sq. m.

We must be real about this issue. Europe may be crying up and An Taisce and Friends of the Earth and all the others may be reacting and sending all sorts of memos to Europe, but we must live in the real world. People living in rural Ireland are not the prime cause of pollution in this country and they should not be penalised accordingly. Why are we subsidising people just for living in cities? I have nothing at all against people who live in cities but why-----