An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (Resumed)
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-09
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Gareth Scahill (FG), Nominated by the Taoiseach

I raise an issue that has been brought up with me by a number of families recently in relation to domestic wastewater treatment systems. The local authorities through the national inspection plan have an onus on them to inspect a certain number of domestic water treatment systems annually. Unfortunately my area in Roscommon has historically had a very high failure rate. In 2025, the failure rate was 85% of the systems inspected. Thankfully in 2026 that is down substantially to about 50%, I think, so far this year. All of the households and individuals I have been engaging with understand why they need to be inspected. They want to participate and ensure their systems are up to scratch. In 2023, supports for domestic wastewater treatment increased from €5,000 to €12,000 but as we constantly hear in this House and in the Lower House, the cost of doing any job has significantly risen in recent times. People are finding now that even the €12,000 support, when they are eligible, does not cover enough of the cost.
It is leaving an increased burden on these households. These people are potentially facing the prospect of having to appear in court over not being compliant. I was hoping that we might be able to have a look at this in the House. I know the Minister has proposed some amendments to the schemes to try to bring more guidelines in for local authorities but I would welcome the opportunity to further discuss that.
In the time I have left, I would like to acknowledge Ernie Caffrey in Ballina. I extend my sympathies to his family. I did not know Ernie but I was familiar with the Moy Valley Resources centre. Back during the downturn, I know the support that resource centre gave to the community in Ballina in terms of training and access to further job opportunities. It is good that he has a legacy like that to follow him.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:01+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-09