Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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420. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if provision will be made for farmers and other contractors who have their own slurry vacuum tanker to deliver the sludge from their own sceptic tanks, within the legislation governing the regulation and operation of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5284/14]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Provisions regarding the de-sludging of septic tanks and other domestic wastewater treatment systems are included in the Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012 (Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems) Regulations 2012. No permit is required by persons who de-sludge their own septic tank and subsequently spread the sludge on their own land. However, the spreading of the sludge must be carried out in accordance with the provisions of Waste Management (Use of Sewage Sludge in Agriculture) Regulations 1998, the Waste Management (Use of Sewage Sludge in Agriculture) (Amendment) Regulations 2001 and the European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations 2010.

Any person collecting sewage sludge from a property not owned by them and transporting it off site, whether for use in agriculture or for disposal at a wastewater treatment plant, require s a permit under the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations 2007, as amended by the Waste Management (Collection Permit) (Amendment) Regulations 2008. Copies of all the regulations referred to above are available in the Oireachtas library.