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Wastewater Treatment

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 June 2013

Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Questions (10, 18, 25)

Seamus Kirk

Question:

10. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of waste water treatment inspectors appointed to date; the total number of inspectors expected to be appointed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27996/13]

View answer

Billy Kelleher

Question:

18. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of inspections on waste water treatment systems carried out to date; the total number of inspections expected in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27994/13]

View answer

Seán Fleming

Question:

25. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of septic tank assistance grants distributed to date; the estimated number of grants to be distributed in 2013; the estimated average grant; the estimated total cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27992/13]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 18 and 25 together.

The Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 assigns responsibility to the Environmental Protection Agency to make a National Inspection Plan for domestic wastewater treatment systems. The National Inspection Plan 2013: Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems was adopted and published by the EPA in February 2013.

The Local Authority Services National Training Group, in consultation with my Department, the EPA and the water services authorities, has overseen the development and delivery of a training course for the inspectors who will carry out inspections under the 2012 Act . Over the past six weeks the training course has been rolled out to over 100 water services authority personnel in the Training Group’s regional training centres in Ballincollig, Roscrea, Castlebar, Ballycoolin and Stranorlar. Further courses are being scheduled.

The EPA is responsible for appointing as inspectors those who have satisfactorily completed the training course and meet other qualification criteria regarding professional or technical qualifications and indemnity insurance cover. Full details of the criteria are set out in the Water Services Act 2007 (Registration and Inspections) Regulations, a copy of which is available in the Oireachtas library. I understand that the Agency will commence processing applications for appointment as inspectors later this month. The number of appointments to be made is a matter the Agency and I have no role in such matters.

The Plan provides for a minimum of 1,000 inspections to be carried out during the twelve-month period commencing in July 2013; therefore, no inspections under the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012 have been carried out to date. Details of the minimum number of inspections for each county are included in the Plan and it is a function of the water services authorities to implement the EPA’s Inspection Plan in their functional areas.

In December 2012 I announced my intention to introduce a grant scheme to provide financial assistance to households whose septic tanks and other domestic wastewater treatment systems are deemed to require remediation following an inspection under the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012. The grants scheme will not be a universal one – it will only apply to works arising from an inspection and subsequent issue of an advisory notice under the Water Services (Amendment) Act, 2012 and only householders who have complied with the obligation to register their systems by 1 February 2013 will be eligible to apply for grant aid. Full details of the scheme will be set out in regulations which I will make shortly.

As the grant scheme will only apply to owners of domestic waste water treatment systems which are the subject of an Advisory Notice issued by a water services authority following an inspection carried out under the 2012 Act, no grants will be distributed before inspections commence in July. The number of grants to be distributed in 2013 will depend on the number of treatment systems which fail inspection. It will also depend on the number of owners of such systems who meet the eligibility criteria under the grant scheme and the costs incurred by them in remediating the problems with their systems. Provision for the scheme is being made from my Department’s Vote in 2013.

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