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Groundwater (England and Wales) Regulations 2009

Before the Minister concludes, it is of interest that there are two elements to the regulations: there is the registration requirement and the permitting element. As I understand it, the permitting element refers to those in a location that may give rise to a hazard. If that is the case, I seek to make a plea to the Minister that for those whose responsibility is purely to register that they have a non-mains sewerage system, the registration should be kept as simple as possible. If the registration requires a full description of the system employed, I can assure him that in old properties, it is almost impossible to know quite how the system operates. Bits may have been added on, and it would be difficult for individuals if they subsequently found themselves falling foul of the regulations, which carry quite heavy penalties, because they had failed accurately to describe the full implications of their system. If registration is considered to be necessary, it should be kept as straightforward and simple as possible so that people feel that they can comply without too much wear and tear on their nerves.