Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the gross estimated cost per annum of providing for all of the services, to implement the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011; the sources of funding to implement the Bill broken down between registration fees, inspection charge, other payments by owners of waste water systems, other local authority contribution and Exchequer contribution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33648/11]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 132: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he intends introducing grant aid to assist those who are required to upgrade their waste water systems under the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33649/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together.

The Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011, which provides for the establishment of a system of registration and inspection of septic tanks and other on-site systems, was published on 3 November 2011. Details of how the new system will operate are included in the Bill and the accompanying explanatory memorandum. The Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for the Bill also considers the costs arising from the introduction of the new registration and inspection regime; a copy of the RIA is available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie.

The legislation provides for the payment of fees by householders served by septic tanks and other on-site systems to have their systems registered. These fees are to be paid to the relevant local authority and to the Environmental Protection Agency respectively. The intention is that the revenues generated by the fees will be used to fund the inspection and supervision activities by the local authorities and the EPA which are provided for in the Bill.

My Department will keep under review options to provide financial support to house holders, whose domestic waste water treatment systems are deemed, following inspection, to require substantial remediation or upgrading. Any such support would have to take account of the overall very difficult budgetary situation.