Martin Ferris TD to attend public meeting in Wicklow to Oppose the Septic Tank Charges

Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris will be the guest speaker at the public
meeting being held by the party as part of the campaign to oppose
Septic Tank Charges, it will take place on Wednesday 15th February in
the Glenview Hotel in the Glen of the Downs, the meeting will start at
8pm.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillor John
Brady said " The public meeting on Wednesday 15th February is part of
Sinn Féin's campaign of opposition against the Septic Tank charges and
follows on from a very successful meeting that Sinn Féin held in
Baltinglass recently. There is genuine outrage in rural areas over
these plans and Sinn Féin and the public has exerted pressure on the
Government at both local and national levels, this has resulted in
them trying to muddy the water on the issue. The government must stop
playing mind games with the registration cost. The registration fee,
regardless of cost, is not the biggest concern for families. The key
issue is the standard against which their tanks will be assessed and
the cost of upgrading.

“Phil Hogan has moved the goal posts on several occasions. The appeals
process was to cost €200 now it is reduced to €20 while the
registration is now a once off €5. All these changes, while welcome,
were brought about by public pressure. But the core issues for the
public are the funding of upgrades and the standards. The current
situation is farcical. We have legislation that demands the
registration of septic tanks and the upgrading of these septic tanks
but there are no standards to assess them by and no financial
assistance for households to carry out the necessary work. The
legislation as it stands is extremely punitive. It dictates that
householders will be dragged through the courts and may be fined up to
€5,000 if they cannot comply with these secret standards. This
threatening behaviour by Minster Hogan is unacceptable and will be
rejected by the public" Brady continued.

Cllr Brady finished by saying "I am delighted that Sinn Féin Deputy's
Martin Ferris and Michael Colreavy will be present at the meeting on
Wednesday in the Glenview and it will give the public an opportunity
get find out more information on this important subject. We will also
discuss the Household Charge and Water Taxes and on the night we will
be launching a County wide petition to oppose these family taxes and
we will continue to build a campaign to against them"