Hogan defends septic tank regime
He accused the opposition of “scare-mongering” on the issue.
Fianna Fáil TD Eamon Ó Cuív has urged the minister to clarify the exact standards that will be required under a new inspection regime for the tanks.
Due to an EU court ruling, more than 475,000 households will have to register their tanks in 2012 at a cost of €50 under the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011.
Mr Ó Cuív said if the current standards for newly built homes were applied to all existing septic tanks, it would “involve huge expense for most houses”.
He said there was no reason “why ordinary people out the country who built in compliance with planning at various times should now face a risk ... of spending up to €20,000 in upgrading systems”.
Mr Hogan said the Galway West TD was “scare-mongering” by saying the 2009 EPA standards for new homes would be used as the basis for the inspections, which will not begin until 2013.
He said the inspections will initially be based at areas of risk or homes near rivers, lakes and streams, to improve water quality.
“All we want to know is; is the tank working.
“If it’s not, there will be work recommended by the staff that will come out and they will get a certain length of time to deal with the remediation.”
He said if people are in a position of hardship or on social welfare, the Government would “look at the budgetary situation at the time to see if we can help people”.
More than 400 people protested against the changes in Galway on Monday.
Mr Ó Cuív said: “We want parity in terms of services and investment in rural ireland as compared to the towns and villages and cities that are covered by public sewage schemes.”
Mr Hogan said: “This is not an attack on rural Ireland. People in urban areas have paid through their noses in relation to additional charges and development levis for additional services like water and sewage. People in rural areas don’t have to do that.”
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