Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone for their presentations. Everyone is in favour of bus stops, deposit return machines and street furniture, but the trick is how these are implemented and that is sometimes not as straightforward as we think. I have specific questions on the implementation of these measures and ensuring that they work right, because we are all broadly supportive of them.

Will the Minister of State indicate who has been consulted on the bringing forward of these regulations? I refer to local authorities but also other organisations that may have a concern, including those working with people with disabilities, visual impairments, etc. I also want to know the rationale for this. There is a reason the Government wants to do this. I think I can guess the answer, but it would be useful to have it on record what the Government hopes to gain from each of the three proposed exemptions.

There are a couple of tricky aspects. Some of the local authorities, while they agreed in principle with the street furniture moves during Covid, had concerns around issues such as insurance and insurance liability. I ask the Minister of State to speak to that. Street clutter is a huge problem in our city. If one goes down to the end of Molesworth Street or down to College Green, the issue is generally utility boxes rather than bus stops or other facilities, but to what extent have issues of street clutter been taken into consideration? The safety of the streets is a real problem, especially for people with visual impairments. I was on Duke Street recently. There is a high-profile restaurant there that has good street furniture. When it is being used, the restaurant cordons it off in a very safe way. When it is not in use, the stands for the umbrellas are left on the street. I witnessed a man in his 40s or 50s falling quite dramatically over one of these. A number of people, including me, went to assist him. He then went into the restaurant make a complaint. Will guidelines or a circular be issued to local authorities or businesses in order to ensure that this is dealt with in a safe manner, not just when the furniture is in use but also when it is not? It is important this is done in a way that addresses the requirements of people with visual impairments and those who use mobility scooters, etc.

I am a big fan of deposit return. It is good that despite resistance from some sections of industry, it is now becoming a reality. This is slightly off topic, but I am sure the Chair will indulge me. Why is glass not being included? We have significant problems with glass and public safety. If the young kids who, not knowing better, spend their time smashing glass understood they could make a small return by collecting it and depositing it, as we did as kids, it would be really positive. Is that something that may come down the line at a later point in time?