Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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60. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will extend septic tank grants to include homes that may have old and leaking septic tanks and are located close to waterways but are not located within the high-status objective catchment areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22052/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The policy of providing grant funding to households for work on Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS), including septic tanks, arises from the need to address damage being done to water quality in sensitive areas in particular.

There are three grants available and funding is provided under the Department’s Rural Water Programme, which is administered by the local authorities.

The grants are focused on the areas of greatest environmental priority and are available only in circumstances relating to risks to water quality and/or human health and the environment, and are not general in application.

Grants are available to householders where a septic tank has been found to be defective following an inspection by the local authority and an advisory notice has issued or if located in a designated area of greatest environmental priority.

Effective from 1 January 2024, I approved substantial improvements to the terms and conditions of all three grants. I have no plans to make further changes.