Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1110: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress made to date on upgrading all local group water schemes to match the highest drinking water standards. [19977/07]

Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Action Plan for Rural Drinking Water Quality, drawn up by the National Rural Water Monitoring Committee, has identified 728 group water schemes serving 88,627 households as being subject to the requirements of the EU Drinking Water Directive. The Plan also identified treatment solutions to ensure all schemes achieved compliance with the drinking water quality standards in the Directive.

The position on 30 June, 2007, is that improvement works to 473 schemes serving 64,507 domestic connections are now completed, work is underway on a further 49 schemes and the remaining 206 schemes are expected to commence construction within the coming months.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1111: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to further invest in waste water schemes. [19978/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The National Development Plan 2007-2013 identifies proposed investment of €4.7bn in new water services infrastructure — an increase of 27% over the previous Plan period. Priorities identified in the Plan for the wastewater sector include: completing the remaining infrastructure needed to provide secondary wastewater treatment in compliance with the requirements of the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and to meet the requirements of all centres over 1,000 population; rehabilitation and reinforcement of existing wastewater networks, prioritised by reference to asset management studies by local authorities; addressing specific environmental issues identified by River Basin District Management Plans under the EU Water Framework Directive and/or associated with the introduction of licensing of municipal wastewater treatment plants to improve operating performance standards; and increasing the availability of serviced sites to support residential development under the Serviced Land Initiative.

I recently published the Water Services Investment Programme 2007-2009, which is available in the Oireachtas Library, and which contains details of all currently approved wastewater schemes.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1112: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to implement higher standards of water protection and initiatives to ensure that farmers have all the necessary supports to operate to these standards. [19979/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I presume that the Deputy is referring to the requirements on farmers arising from the European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2006.

The EU Nitrates Directive aims to protect all waters against pollution from agricultural sources. Particular care is required for the protection of public health in the case of waters which serve as the source of drinking water. The European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2006, implement the Directive in Ireland and provide statutory support for good agricultural practice to protect waters against pollution. These Regulations were developed in close consultation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, and Teagasc, and are supported by an enhanced package of financial supports for farmers, together with cross-compliance systems operated by that Department. Significant funding is being provided under that Department's Farm Waste Management Scheme to support investment by farmers to meet the requirements of the Regulations.

The European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2006 contain appropriate and necessary provisions to allow for verification by the relevant authorities of compliance with the Regulations. These largely standard provisions allow for matters such as the entry to premises by an authorised person with the consent of the occupier or, for example, where there is a significant immediate risk to the environment, by court order; the inspection of premises; the taking of samples and other matters considered essential to ensure compliance with, and to support implementation of, the Regulations. Similar provisions are to be found in environmental legislation generally.

I believe that these measures relating to the agricultural sector, together with a range of other measures I propose to take in relation to waste water and other discharges to water, will result in higher standards of water quality over the coming years in line with the overall objectives of the Water Framework Directive.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1113: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to introduce a scheme of support for the replacement of septic tanks older than 15 years with newer systems. [19980/07]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 1143: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when he plans to launch the scheme to aid the upgrading of domestic septic tanks as outlined in the Programme for Government. [20853/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1113 and 1143 together.

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce a support scheme for replacing and upgrading septic tanks older than 15 years with newer systems. I am currently considering the terms, conditions and other arrangements that may be appropriate to taking forward this commitment.