SEANAD:THE CONTROVERSIAL Bill obliging adherence to standards for septic tanks was passed by 31 votes to 19. Fianna Fáil attempted unsuccessfully to require that inspections of waste water treatment systems could not be carried out without a District Court warrant or individual owners' consent.

The Opposition complained vociferously that the required standards had not yet been spelled out.

Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan said he was taking the unprecedented step of publishing the regulations for a four-week consultation period. He was doing so to allay the public concerns and the fears that had arisen from the misinformation that had been disseminated about the legislation.

Brian Ó Domhnaill (FF) said he could not understand why the Minister and Fine Gael and Labour TDs had not allowed the Environmental Protection Agency, the Irish Rural Dwellers Association and other interested stakeholders to make a presentation to the Oireachtas select committee about a central core of the Bill.

Following a warning by the Minister that the legislation had to be passed within a tight timeframe to meet European legislative requirements, a motion for an earlier signature by the President was passed by 33 votes to 17.

Criticising the proposed treaty on European fiscal union, Thomas Byrne (FF) said he was opposed to the idea of any other European country bringing us to the European Court and telling us that we were breaching European law, that we were breaking the rules on the deficit, that we should be spending less and taxing more.

Mark Daly (FF) said it was open to a majority of senators to sign a petition requesting the President not to sign a bill but to put it to the people by way of referendum.

Terry Leyden (FF) said The Irish Timeshad exposed the situation in relation to the way the proposed treaty had been negotiated.

Paul Bradford (FG) said Fianna Fáil was trying to find a political purpose by becoming a Euro sceptic party, which was quite pathetic.