Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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80. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment what additional resources will be given to local authorities to better enforce illegal dumping laws following the introduction of legislation clearing the way for the use of drones, CCTV and other technologies in detecting offenders; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11050/24]

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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What additional resources will be given to local authorities to better enforce illegal dumping laws following the introduction of legislation clearing the way for the use of drones, CCTV and other technology in detecting offenders?

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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While the primary responsibility for management and enforcement responses to illegal dumping, including any decision to deploy CCTV and other technologies, lies with local authorities, my Department continues to provide extensive policy, financial and legislative support to the local authority sector to support its efforts. Almost €18 million has been provided to local authorities under the anti-dumping initiative since it was first introduced in 2017, including more than €2.8 million last year alone. This is to encourage a collaborative approach between local authorities, community groups and other State agencies to tackling the problem of illegal dumping. While allocation for the current year is still to be finalised, I expect that an amount similar to that provided last year, approximately €2.8 million, will be made available.

My Department continues to invest heavily in the local authority waste enforcement network through the local authority waste enforcement measures grant scheme, with the intention of maintaining a visible presence of waste enforcement personnel on the ground across the State. A total of €7.7 million has been allocated to local authorities for 2024. A further €3.8 million has been allocated this year to support the enhancement of the role, responsibilities and staffing complement of the three waste enforcement regional lead authorities and to support the local authority waste programme co-ordination office. My Department has agreed to support these measures in order to position the local authority sector to better respond to emerging and priority enforcement challenges, including tackling the scourge of illegal dumping. My Department also supports local authority efforts to tackle litter through the anti-litter and anti-graffiti awareness grant scheme. In 2023, €750,000 was provided under this scheme, with a similar amount expected to be made available in 2024.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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I have raised several times in the House the issue of illegal dumping and the need for local authorities to be allowed to use CCTV footage to help to prosecute offenders in the courts. It has taken a long time but, finally, councils are to be legally permitted to use this and similar technologies in their efforts to clamp down on this scourge, which is destroying the countryside and towns. Unless councils are given extra resources to use and monitor these technologies, however, it will have been a toothless exercise. Will the Minister commit to allocating extra funding to each local authority to enable them to launch campaigns against illegal duping? It is the scourge of the countryside, towns and villages and, unfortunately, neither the councils nor the Garda Síochána have the resources to set up checkpoints to catch the people carrying out illegal dumping. I drove through a particular part of the country on my way home from Dublin last week. The amount of rubbish dumped on the side of the road was scandalous. We have to catch these people and stop illegal dumping.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I absolutely agree with the Deputy. I feel angry and ashamed when I see rubbish that has been dumped, often commercially for profit. We cannot reach those people through awareness campaigns. They know they are doing the wrong thing. The only way we can reach them is through gathering evidence that is admissible in court to obtain prosecution. We could not do that in the past because the challenge was that we were breaching their privacy. We needed primary legislation to deal with that. We now finally have that legislation. As of today, local authorities are empowered to set up these schemes and put in CCTV cameras. As I stated, more than €10 million in funding has been provided for anti-dumping initiatives and enforcement. If a local authority is still having difficulty, it can contact my Department. We should remember that local authorities are very good at this. They know how to install CCTV; it is a part of their competence. Now that they have the ability to catch people who are despoiling the countryside, that will be of interest.

I ask members of the public who know of a black spot for litter or dumping in their area to contact their local authority and ask it to put in CCTV under the scheme in order to catch those carrying out the dumping.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. It has been estimated that it is costing local authorities throughout the country tens of millions of euro to clean up after people who are carrying out illegal dumping. I have raised previously in the House with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, who is seated beside the Minister of State, and on Leaders' Questions the issue of what is happening on the outskirts of Galway city, in Brocklagh, Castlegar, where there is constant illegal dumping and burning of tyres, copper wire and all sorts of other rubbish, including furniture and so on. The smoke that comes in over Galway city is horrendous. The damage that is doing to the environment, in terms of both air and ground pollution, is unreal. I have met Galway County Council and senior gardaí in Galway. Have the local authorities and the Garda Síochána the power to confiscate the vehicles of those they catch carrying illegal waste with the intention of dumping it on the side of the road or burning it? I believe there is a power under the legislation for local authorities and the Garda Síochána to seize a vehicle if they believe it is involved in illegal dumping. As I always say here, we should hit them where it hurts. If the vehicles are taken from these people, it will not take them long to stop dumping illegally.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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As the Deputy is aware, a licence from the national waste collection permit office in County Offaly is required in order to collect waste. If the terms of that licence are breached, steps can be taken. I will find out whether a vehicle can be seized and revert to the Deputy with that information. In the case of Castlegar, I urge people in the area to ask the local authority to put in CCTV-----

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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They did so.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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-----to catch those carrying out illegal dumping. In the case of commercial dumping, there are stronger powers for local authorities, in that they can use drones and bodycams. Many of those involved in this activity are dangerous criminals and it is difficult for local authority staff to approach them directly or gather the evidence. The dumping may be going on behind high fences. That is why drones are required. It is a serious offence.

There is an extended producer responsibility, EPR, scheme for tyres. There is a take-back scheme for them. That has been extended beyond car tyres to all types of tyres. Those types of schemes, particularly those that apply to cars, are leading to a very high rate of take-back compared with the days in the 1980s when one would see cars dumped in fields. I want to see an extended producer responsibility scheme for mattresses, which comprise a large part of the materials we see dumped in fields. We know the EPR schemes are very effective.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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11 o’clock

I will send the Minister of State the pictures and the video recording. He will be shocked.