Jimmy Harte (Labour)

Last week, Marian Harkin, MEP, made the valid point that it is very convenient for members of Fianna Fáil to blame the present Government even though it is their fault that the last Administration failed to introduce legislation in this area. They kept knocking it back. They blamed the owners of septic tanks for the water pollution. If anyone reads the judgment on the court case - I do not know how many Opposition Senators have read it - they will learn that the previous Government claimed that septic tanks were at fault for the bad water in Ireland. That is not the case. The pollution was caused by the last Government's lack of investment in urban water schemes and-----