Housing, Local Government and Heritage | The availability of grants for the refurbishment of septic tanks

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Housing; Local Government and Heritage the availability of grants for the refurbishment of septic tanks; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

The policy of providing grant funding to households for work on Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS), including septic tanks, arises from the need to address damage being done to water quality in sensitive areas in particular.

Three separate grants are available to provide financial assistance to householders to repair or upgrade their defective DWWTS. The grants are focused on the areas of greatest environmental priority and are available only in circumstances relating to risks to water quality and/or human health and the environment, and are not general in application.

Householders can avail of a grant where their DWWTS has been found to be defective following an inspection by the local authority or if located in a designated area of greatest environmental priority. Modifications to the conditions and amount of the grants available came into effect from 1 January 2024 following a review of the scheme.

Further details are available on my Department’s website at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/6cc1e-domestic-waste-water-treatment-systems-septic-tanks/