I refer to newspaper reports over the past few days about European Court of Justice, ECJ, fines. We dealt with this issue under the Water Services (Amendment) Act 2012. I thought by introducing the legislation and putting charges and registrations fees on people the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government had dealt with the ECJ issue. We now find we have the worst of all worlds. We have enacted a Bill but we will have to pay the fines as well. Have we any clout in Europe?

It sounds like a parliamentary question to me.

It is an important issue. The Ceann Comhairle is in good spirits this morning and I want to keep it that way if I can but it is a serious matter.

I know that.

People will register their septic tanks and I welcome the limited grants scheme.

This is the Order of Business. I cannot help the Deputy.

Under the Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011, the fines were supposed to have been addressed when it was enacted but now we are being fined.

The ECJ imposed fines on Ireland in a judgment issued yesterday in respect of the county's non-compliance with matters relating to septic tanks. That was something that went back over a period of ten years when a party of which the Deputy was then a member and that he supported for a long period-----

We all use the tanks.

These fines related to the period when the party and Government the Deputy supported was in office and did not address the problem of septic tanks.

The Tánaiste is not entering into the spirit the Ceann Comhairle asked for.

The Government has addressed the issue of septic tanks------

Is the Government still paying the fines?

-----which will mean that we will not be liable to be fined in the future. However, the fact that we were fined because of inaction in the past demonstrates the wisdom of the Government introducing the legislation relating to septic tanks, which the Deputy has been going around the country claiming should not be done. The ECJ has shown what would have continued to happen if it was not addressed.

The Government was going to solve it all.

We have.