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Septic Tank Registration Scheme

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 December 2012

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Questions (87, 88, 90, 94, 96)

John McGuinness

Question:

87. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for the 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]

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Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

88. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the 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]

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Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

90. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the 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]

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David Stanton

Question:

94. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for the 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]

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Denis Naughten

Question:

96. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for the 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]

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Written answers

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 Authority

Estimated total number of on-site waste water treatment systems

Number of on-site waste water treatment systems registered

Number 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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