Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 148: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on whether the National Study on Unsewered Wastewater Treatment Systems, ESBI 2008, conclusion that the subsoil type, permeability and thickness are critical, a significant proportion of the country has subsoil conditions that are simply unsuitable for percolation areas, the effluent cannot get away, para.2.2 p13, means that suitable would have to be imported and effluent pumped to the percolation filter bed involving very substantial costs for persons and that in this context sustainable policy requires that properties in these unsuitable areas where there are housing clusters of 100 PE and greater should discharge to a public sewer system and that in areas of low density housing where connection to public sewer is not feasible, that the local authority shall complete upgrade works to ensure compliance with EPA, 2009, and that the costs be met by a combination of tax rebate and direct grant support. [29028/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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My Department's Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines (April 2005) continue to support the concept of rural communities being able to meet their housing needs in ways that will protect the environment and the quality of ground and surface waters. As part of the planning process, applicants must submit evidence as to the suitability of their site for development and information regarding the type of on-site wastewater treatment system proposed. Site assessment and testing, including percolation testing and water table testing, are essential elements of the planning application process for new developments. The EPA's 2009 Code of Practice re-states the fact that where the treatment of wastewater from single houses is to be followed by discharge to ground, percolation tests are required to determine the suitability (or otherwise) of the soil/subsoil for those discharges. On 5 January 2010, my Department issued Circular PSSP 1/10 to all planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála. The circular emphasises that the Code is a key element in ensuring that the planning system fully addresses the protection of water quality when assessing development proposals for new housing in rural areas. Planning authorities must ensure that each development in an un-sewered area must undergo a site suitability assessment and that both the site itself and the on-site waste water treatment system to be installed are appropriate and meet required standards.

My Department has funded a Pilot Wastewater Collection and Treatment Project for Rural Villages to test a range of new, small-scale wastewater collection and treatment systems under Irish conditions. The objective of the pilot programme is to explore new, cost effective ways of collecting wastewater from houses in rural communities and to evaluate new approaches to meeting their wastewater treatment needs. All findings and recommendations regarding the project will be assessed to determine future policy orientations in this regard.