Written answers

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Septic Tank Registration Scheme

Photo of John McGuinnessJohn McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons who have registered their waste water systems to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54193/12]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number and percentage of private waste water systems registered in each county to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54196/12]

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if, in view of the delay in providing the operating manual for private waste water systems, he intends to postpone the latest date for registering private waste water systems under the Water Services Act 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54195/12]

Photo of David StantonDavid Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the progress that has been made in finalising a national inspection plan for domestic waste water treatment systems as provided for by the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54208/12]

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to review the current septic tank regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53804/12]

Photo of Phil HoganPhil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 87, 88, 90, 94 and 96 together.

The Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 provides that the Environmental Protection Agency will make the National Inspection Plan for domestic wastewater treatment systems. A public consultation on a draft plan was publicised by the Agency on 11 October 2012. The submissions received are currently being reviewed by the Agency with a view to finalising the Plan. A training course for the water services authority personnel who will be appointed to carry out inspections under the new legislation is also currently being finalised and this is being overseen by the Water Services Training Group. I understand that the Plan and the training course will be finalised shortly. The training course for inspectors will be extended to suitably qualified local authority staff in early 2013. This will be followed by the commencement of inspections, which will be based on the national inspection plan.

Since enactment of the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 I have made a number of regulations to give effect to the provisions of the primary legislation including the Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012 (Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems) Regulations 2012 which inter alia, set out the requirements for the operation and maintenance of treatment systems. The implementation of all regulations is kept under on-going review. I have no plans at present to make any amendments to the provisions of the Regulations made to date. The Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012 Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (Registration) Regulations 2012 prescribe 1 February 2013 as the date by which owners of domestic wastewater treatment systems must register their systems. Registration facilities have been available since 26 June 2012. I have no plans to amend the date specified in the legislation.

Since June 2012, a public awareness campaign, which included the nationwide delivery of an information booklet to unsewered households, has helped to inform owners of domestic waste water treatment systems of their legal obligations to register their systems and to operate and maintain their systems so as not to cause a risk to human health or the environment. Prior to inspections commencing in 2013, an extensive information campaign to advise householders of how to comply with the legal requirements regarding operation and maintenance of on-site waste water treatment systems will be undertaken.

As of 29 November, applications in respect of the on-site wastewater treatment systems of 226,156 owners, who have registered on-line, by post or in person at their local authority offices, have been processed. I understand that more than 60,000 registration applications are awaiting processing by the bureau operated by the Local Government Management Agency. In total, therefore, some 290,000 householders have already applied for registration of their waste water treatment systems. Census 2011 recorded that there are 497,281 households served by septic tanks or other treatment systems in Ireland.

Details of the numbers of processed registrations for each County and City Council are set out in the following table.

Water Services AuthorityEstimated total number of on-site waste water treatment systemsNumber of on-site waste water treatment systems registeredNumber of on-site waste water treatment systems registered as a percentage of the estimated total number
Carlow County Council
7190
3448
48%
Cavan County Council
14477
7566
52%
Clare County Council
19769
13122
66%
Cork City Council
586
307
52%
Cork County Council
57993
22995
40%
Donegal County Council
32955
8377
25%
Dublin City Council
2718
66
2%
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
1928
656
34%
Fingal County Council
5213
1734
33%
Galway City Council
1145
403
35%
Galway County Council
42161
16894
40%
Kerry County Council
28277
18082
64%
Kildare County Council
16795
7764
46%
Kilkenny County Council
15368
8163
53%
Laois County Council
11309
5617
50%
Leitrim County Council
7005
3464
49%
Limerick City Council
420
136
32%
Limerick County Council
24207
9886
41%
Longford County Council
7556
4285
57%
Louth County Council
11633
4012
34%
Mayo County Council
26659
11631
44%
Meath County Council
21687
11493
53%
Monaghan County Council
12065
4769
40%
North Tipperary County Council
12342
5726
46%
Offaly County Council
11170
4945
44%
Roscommon County Council
14297
7459
52%
Sligo County Council
11192
5517
49%
South Dublin County Council
2266
665
29%
South Tipperary County Council
14442
6945
48%
Waterford City Council
488
232
48%
Waterford County Council
11466
4724
41%
Westmeath County Council
12165
5865
48%
Wexford County Council
26267
12327
47%
Wicklow County Council
12070
6881
57%

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