Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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306. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if information on the septic tank grant will be provided to a person (details supplied) who was unaware of the need to register the septic tank in 2013, has registered the tank since but has to wait for the seven-year period to be up before they can access the grant; how much funding was made available in 2022 for the septic tank grant; the average amount in euro awarded to householders in the form of a septic tank grant; how much of the 2022 available funding was unspent at year end; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11332/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provides funding for Domestic Waste Water Treatment System, commonly known as a septic tank, through a grant scheme. The Domestic Waste Water Treatment System grant is administered by the local authorities and all matters relating to its day-to-day operation, including applications and payments are a matter for the relevant local authority. Under the scheme, an appeals process is available for applicants who may have been dissatisfied with a decision of a local authority.

The scheme is demand led with applications made directly to the relevant local authority and therefore there is no specific amount of funding allocated by my Department on an annual basis. I can confirm that the value of funding provided in 2022 was in excess of €980,000, with the average grant paid to individual householders approximately €4,700.

The Water Services Act 2007, as amended, requires all owners of premises served by an individual domestic waste water treatment system to register their system with their local authority by 1 February 2013. Having a cut-off date before which owners must register helped to ensure that an estimated 95% of systems were registered before that date.

I can further confirm that my Department has undertaken a review of the Domestic Waste Water Treatment grant which is expected to be completed in the coming months.