I propose to take Questions Nos. 638, 652, 653, 695, 710, 711, 713 and 722 together.
As of 31 December 2012, applications in respect of the on-site wastewater treatment systems of 266,151 owners, who have registered on-line, by post or in person at their local authority offices, had been processed and approximately 25,000 additional registration applications were awaiting processing by the bureau operated by the Local Government Management Agency on that date. Details of the number of processed registrations for each County and City Council by 14 January 2013 are set out in the table.
The Water Services Acts 2007 and 2012 Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (Registration) Regulations 2012 prescribe the date for registration of domestic wastewater treatment systems as 1 February 2013. There has been an extensive public information campaign, involving local and national media as well as the distribution of an information booklet to households in unsewered areas, to familiarise owners of domestic waste water treatment systems with the requirement to register and the registration options available to them. Registration facilities have been available since 26 June 2012 and I consider that ample time has been afforded for people to register their on-site waste water treatment systems. I have no plans to extend the registration period.
Following the European Court of Justice judgment against Ireland in October 2009, my Department commenced the preparation of legislation to ensure compliance with the Court’s ruling; this included extensive stakeholder consultations between October and November 2010. On taking office in March, 2011, I prioritised the finalisation of the legislation and this culminated with the publication of the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011 on 3 November 2011 and its enactment on 2 February 2012.
I recently announced my intention to introduce a grant scheme to provide financial assistance to households whose septic tanks and other domestic wastewater treatment systems require remediation or upgrading following inspection under the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012. I am making provision for the scheme in my Department’s Vote for 2013. The scheme will apply to treatment systems which have been registered by the due date of 1 February 2013 and which are deemed to require remediation having failed an inspection carried out under the 2012 Act. The grant payable will depend on the cost of the work necessary and the income of the household concerned, and the scheme will provide a higher level of support to households on lower incomes. Full details of the scheme will be defined in regulations which I will make in advance of inspections commencing this year.
It will be a matter for the Environmental Protection Agency to determine the level of inspections required. At this stage it is not possible to indicate how many systems will require remediation. However, the remedial action required on foot of an inspection of a septic tank will, in many cases, only involve householders having to de-sludge their tanks more frequently. The experience in County Cavan, where inspections have been carried out under the bye-laws in operation in that county since 2004, indicates that, where remediation was required, the average remediation cost was €2,500 and the failure rate was approximately 15% of systems inspected.
Registrations processed as of 14 January 2013.
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
|
4,342
|
60%
|
Cavan County Council
|
14477
|
9,233
|
64%
|
Clare County Council
|
19769
|
14,521
|
73%
|
Cork City Council
|
586
|
381
|
65%
|
Cork County Council
|
57993
|
28,165
|
49%
|
Donegal County Council
|
32955
|
10,471
|
32%
|
Dublin City Council
|
2718
|
80
|
3%
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council
|
1928
|
755
|
39%
|
Fingal County Council
|
5213
|
1,918
|
37%
|
Galway City Council
|
1145
|
455
|
40%
|
Galway County Council
|
42161
|
20,903
|
50%
|
Kerry County Council
|
28277
|
24,188
|
86%
|
Kildare County Council
|
16795
|
8,583
|
51%
|
Kilkenny County Council
|
15368
|
9,408
|
61%
|
Laois County Council
|
11309
|
6,733
|
60%
|
Leitrim County Council
|
7005
|
4,608
|
66%
|
Limerick City Council
|
420
|
154
|
37%
|
Limerick County Council
|
24207
|
13,842
|
57%
|
Longford County Council
|
7556
|
4,641
|
61%
|
Louth County Council
|
11633
|
4,854
|
42%
|
Mayo County Council
|
26659
|
16,437
|
62%
|
Meath County Council
|
21687
|
12,497
|
58%
|
Monaghan County Council
|
12065
|
5,847
|
48%
|
North Tipperary County Council
|
12342
|
7,897
|
64%
|
Offaly County Council
|
11170
|
6,781
|
61%
|
Roscommon County Council
|
14297
|
9,596
|
67%
|
Sligo County Council
|
11192
|
6,857
|
61%
|
South Dublin County Council
|
2266
|
714
|
32%
|
South Tipperary County Council
|
14442
|
8,651
|
60%
|
Waterford City Council
|
488
|
285
|
58%
|
Waterford County Council
|
11466
|
5,563
|
49%
|
Westmeath County Council
|
12165
|
7,911
|
65%
|
Wexford County Council
|
26267
|
14,562
|
55%
|
Wicklow County Council
|
12070
|
7,647
|
63%
|