A Clare TD claims the inclusion of his suggestion on wastewater treatment plants in newly-drafted Government housing policy is proof backbenchers can make a difference. Minister James Browne has instructed Uisce Éireann to progress the use of modular units that can be used for new housing developments or fixed to existing plants to expedite delivery. It follows Bodyke Fine Gael Deputy Joe Cooney's proposal in June of this year that plants be constructed off-site as an interim solution to delays in unsewered settlements. Speaking in the Oireachtas Housing Committee, he says it's a "major boost for rural areas".