FIANNA FÁIL deputy leader Éamon Ó Cuív has accused the Government of seriously misleading the Dáil in relation to fines being imposed on the State if the septic tank Bill is not passed by February 3rd.
Mr Ó Cuív also accused Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan of bullying the Irish people into accepting the septic tank legislation without allowing proper debate.
In the Dáil on Thursday, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn told Mr Ó Cuív the European Commission would fine Ireland €26,000 a day unless the legislation was in place by February 3rd.
In a statement released yesterday, Mr Ó Cuív said the commission had confirmed to Fianna Fáil the European Court of Justice case was ongoing and a finding would not be reached until the summer at the earliest, so fines could not be imposed before then.
“The Government has used threats of imminent fines to force the House into hurried decisions that will have very serious consequences for hundreds of thousands of homeowners across the country,” said Mr Ó Cuív.
“From the very start, Minister Hogan and his Government colleagues have attempted to bully the Irish people into accepting the septic tank legislation without allowing proper debate and [without] providing adequate information about standards and costs.”
Mr Hogan strenuously rejected any claims the Government had misled the Dáil on the matter.
A spokesman for the Department of the Environment said yesterday that February 3rd was the final opportunity for Ireland to communicate with the European Court of Justice before it considers an application by the commission seeking the imposition of daily fines of more than €26,000 on Ireland for failing to comply with a previous septic tanks ruling.
He added that the central strand of Ireland’s defence in this case would be that the necessary legislative measures had been put in place.