Following the European Court of Justice judgment against Ireland in October 2009 in which the Court found that Ireland had failed to transpose into domestic legislation the requirements of the Waste Directive regarding the disposal of domestic wastewater from septic tanks and other individual treatment systems, 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.