I propose to take Questions Nos. 142, 152, 159, 160, 170, 171, 188, 196, 198 and 210 together.
The Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 requires householders whose properties are served by on-site wastewater treatment systems to register their system with their local authority. The deadline for householders to register was 1 February. At the passing of that deadline, applications in respect of the on-site wastewater treatment systems of 373,954 owners, who have registered online, 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. I propose to circulate with the Official Report a tabular statement setting out details of the number of processed registrations for each County and City Council by 1 February 2013.
The 2012 Act also provides that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will make a National Inspection Plan for domestic wastewater treatment systems. I expect that the National Inspection Plan will be published shortly, and that inspections will commence in the middle of this year. Inspections will be carried out by appropriately qualified local authority staff who will be appointed as inspectors. A training course for inspectors is currently being finalised and it will be rolled out to all local authorities in the coming weeks.
The extent and cost of the remediation works that may be required will depend on the condition of the individual system and the extent of the risk to public health and the environment. Inspections carried out by Cavan County Council, based on by-laws adopted by that authority in 2004, revealed an initial failure rate of approximately 25% of on-site systems, with remediation costs averaging €2,500. However, the enactment of the by-laws and the related public information campaigns by Cavan County Council have increased householders’ awareness of the necessity to operate and maintain their systems correctly and the failure rate has, over the intervening years, decreased to approximately 15%. 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.
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. 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.
Registrations processed as of 4 February 2013
WaterServices 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 Co. Council
|
7190
|
5,369
|
74.0
|
Cavan Co. Council
|
14477
|
12,064
|
83.0
|
Clare Co. Council
|
19769
|
17,579
|
88.0
|
Cork City Council
|
586
|
496
|
84.0
|
Cork Co. Council
|
57993
|
39,309
|
67.0
|
Donegal Co. Council
|
32955
|
20,284
|
61.0
|
Dublin City Council
|
2718
|
102
|
3.0
|
Dún Laoghaire-
Rathdown Co. Council
|
1928
|
989
|
51.0
|
Fingal Co. Council
|
5213
|
2,821
|
54.0
|
Galway City Council
|
1145
|
645
|
56.0
|
Galway Co. Council
|
42161
|
30,895
|
73.0
|
Kerry Co. Council
|
28277
|
28,153
|
99.0
|
Kildare Co. Council
|
16795
|
12,165
|
72.0
|
Kilkenny Co. Council
|
15368
|
11,705
|
76.0
|
Laois Co. Council
|
11309
|
8,557
|
75.0
|
Leitrim Co. Council
|
7005
|
6,149
|
87.0
|
Limerick City Council
|
420
|
205
|
48.0
|
Limerick Co. Council
|
24207
|
17,949
|
74.0
|
Longford Co. Council
|
7556
|
5,849
|
77.0
|
Louth Co. Council
|
11633
|
7,530
|
64.0
|
Mayo Co. Council
|
26659
|
22,586
|
84.0
|
Meath Co. Council
|
21687
|
16,159
|
74.0
|
Monaghan Co. Council
|
12065
|
7,423
|
61.0
|
North Tipperary
Co. Council
|
12342
|
9,931
|
80.0
|
Offaly Co. Council
|
11170
|
8,286
|
74.0
|
Roscommon County Council
|
14297
|
11,973
|
83.0
|
Sligo Co. Council
|
11192
|
9,196
|
82.0
|
South Dublin County Council
|
2266
|
1,085
|
47.0
|
South Tipperary County Council
|
14442
|
10,971
|
75.0
|
Waterford City Council
|
488
|
343
|
70.0
|
Waterford Co. Council
|
11466
|
7,655
|
66.0
|
Westmeath Co. Council
|
12165
|
9,506
|
78.0
|
Wexford Co. Council
|
26267
|
20,282
|
77.0
|
Wicklow Co. Council
|
12070
|
9,743
|
80.0
|