Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with my colleague on the environment issues. I regret very much that it is not staying with the Department because in my mind when people see the Custom House the first word that came into their heads is “environment”. I am sorry that will not be the case from now on. Housing is obviously extremely important as well, but I regret that this is happening.

On the water metering programme, does the Minister have the current costs to date of the programme? Is it within its budget? I am not sure whether my second question relates to the same issue as raised by Deputy Ó Broin but it concerns houses that would have been in the second phase of metering. Those are houses built during the 1950s or whenever it was. What is the position there? Will the metering programme continue anyway?

My final question relates to waste management, which is part of this section as well. I raised an issue with the Minister last week about tagging bins. I do not know whether there is an update on that. If there is not, could he give it to me some other time? I acknowledge that this might not be a matter for right now, but the problem that arose was that people who paid by lift only were being forced by some providers, certainly in County Louth, to pay a monthly charge as well as a lift for the bin, which meant they were being screwed to the wall by a waste service provider that they had no choice but to accept.