I propose to take Questions Nos. 579 and 582 together.
Neither I, nor my Department, have any direct role in monitoring the implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s ( EPA) National Inspection Plan for domestic waste water treatment systems by the local authorities. However, the EPA has conducted a review on the implementation of the Plan for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014. The report contains a breakdown by county of inspections that have taken place and includes details relating to non-compliant treatment systems and advisory notices. It is available on the Agency’s website at the following link: http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/water/wastewater/Report%20National%20Inspection%20Plan%20Web.pdf.
Responsibility for the administration of my Department’s Rural Water Programme, under which funding is provided to recoup local authorities the grants they pay in respect of domestic waste water treatment systems, is devolved to the local authorities. Information is not therefore held by my Department on applications in train with local authorities. Details of the grants recouped by my Department in 2014 to the local authorities in this respect are set out in the table below:
County
|
Grant Amount
Recouped to Local
Authority
|
Number of grants Recouped
|
|
€
|
|
Galway
|
15,300
|
4
|
Leitrim
|
2,500
|
1
|
Limerick
|
14,500
|
4
|
Longford
|
4,000
|
1
|
Louth
|
4,000
|
1
|
Meath
|
30,476
|
9
|
Roscommon
|
4,000
|
1
|
Sligo
|
11,161
|
3
|
Tipperary
|
9,741
|
4
|
Westmeath
|
2,896
|
1
|