David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

-----which provides an excellent service for Waterford city, parts of south Kilkenny and Wexford. It was a significant investment in upgrading the system at a cost of €300 million. All taxpayers, including those who live in rural Ireland, paid for the system as well as that in other urban areas to be upgraded, yet if the Minister introduces new guidelines and as a consequence, septic tanks have to be remediated, we are saying to people living in rural Ireland that if there is something wrong with their systems, they will have to pay for the work themselves. This amounts to inequality.

While I fully accept that the Minister has an obligation under the European directive and as a result of the European Court judgment - we have indicated our support for registration and inspection - I reiterate that ground water must be protected. My party has asked the Minister to examine the issue of standards and we await his proposals. We have also asked him to consider adopting a risk-based approach to inspections in order that septic tanks located close to public water supplies and lakes and rivers would be the primary focus for inspections.