Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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443. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of people who received a septic tank grant, per county, over the last three years; the number of tank inspections carried out in County Tipperary; how a person whose septic tank is not working can qualify for a grant to improve their septic tank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35306/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The responsibility for the proper operation and maintenance of Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS), including septic tanks, lies with the individual property owner.

Owners must ensure that their systems are functioning effectively and do not pose a risk to human health or the environment. Regular maintenance, desludging, and repairs, where necessary, are part of the owner’s obligations.

The policy of providing grant funding for remedial work to septic tanks, arises from the need to address damage being done to water quality in sensitive areas in particular. The grants are focused on the areas of greatest environmental priority to protect human health and the environment, and are not general in application.

Householders can avail of the grants if their DWWTS has failed an inspection under the National Inspection Plan and an Advisory Notice has been issued, or if located in designated areas where septic tanks are identified as a potential threat to water quality or human health and require remediation.

As regards details on the number of inspections of tanks carried out in individual local authorities, my Department does not collate this information. Each local authority has a Rural Water Liaison Officer who are best placed to provide the information sought and can be contacted directly in the local authority, in this case Tipperary County Council.

The table at the link below sets out the number of grants paid by my Department to each local authority from 2022 to date.