Coffey welcomes Sensible Planning Move on Septic Tank Remediation Measures

Fine Gael Waterford Deputy Paudie Coffey has welcomed news from the Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government Jan O Sullivan TD that where remediation works need to be carried out on Septic Tanks no planning permission will be necessary. Deputy Coffey has said this is a sensible move that will allay the fears of many people around the country and will put to bed the scaremongering that has gone on in recent months by opportunistic opposition politicians.

“The Septic Tank Charge was initiated by this government in response to a European Court of Justice Ruling of October 2009; that meant Ireland was liable for once off lump-sum fine of €2.6 million followed by daily fines of €26,000. This was a prime example of the mess that the previous government left this country in, and it has been this government that has had to clean it up.

“The charge was initially five euros and many populist politicians advised people not to register their tanks and they are directly to blame for people having to pay an extra €45 in registering their tanks. We heard from the same cohort of politicians that the replacement of these tanks would cost thousands of euros and that there could a long planning process involved for people when trying to replace their tanks.

“This charge was never a revenue raising exercise and the Ministers at every turn have lifted red-tape and tried to make the entire process as easy as possible for septic tank owners. Septic Tank owners whose tanks have fallen into a state of disrepair and require remediation works will not have to apply for planning permission and this is to be welcomed as it once again makes the procedure of protecting our water more straightforward.”

“Yet again the scaremongers have been proven wrong, and in the very worst type of political bile, these politicians have ended up costing people more money than they should have ever had to pay. Many people have registered their septic tanks and I would encourage people who haven’t, to do so, so that we can ensure a better quality of water right around the country. This will hopefully mean we will not have a repeat performance of cryptosporidiosis outbreaks that have affected many parts of the country over the years; that have been damaging to households and businesses in those areas.”