Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I had to attempt bilocation in order to be in the Chamber at the same time for the statements on transition.

I welcome the officials from the EPA and the Department. On waste policy, the Minister is precluded from exercising powers in many areas. In this country we have an unusual way of collecting waste if we compare it with models used in other European states where more contro is exercisedl by local authorities. The services are either provided directly by a local authority or using a franchise model. Here we have what is termed "side by side" competition, although many householders might say there is not much competition and that it is actually side by side price fixing.

A few issues arise. Has the Department given serious consideration to other models? There are three separate trucks belonging to different companies coming in during the morning to collect waste so the issue of carbon emissions arises at a time when we are supposed to be reducing such emissions. We know the transport sector is one of the more challenging in the context of reducing the amount of energy we use. We had a discussion in the Dáil about this earlier. there is a complete clash between waste policy and our climate change targets in that three large trucks are doing the job one truck should be doing because we have side-by-side competition. That is just one effect. There is also the issue of trucks coming in and out of small residential areas at different times, which can be a bit disruptive. That is one of the issues I would highlight.

The issue of value for money also arises. If we look at the cost of waste collection here compared with other states, it does not show that this side-by-side competition is any cheaper or confers any real economic benefit on the householder.

The issue of control arises. Local councillors and the Oireachtas have no control. It is "Hands off. This is the Wild West. We'll leave it to ye lads. Have a look at it, bring in a bit of light regulation and let it run on from there". A report produced by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, raised the question of having a franchise model where the local authority would put it out to tender, members of the local authority and officials would make a decision on the best tender to accept. It would be tendered for a period of between three and five years taking a number of things into consideration such as the ability of the contractor, price, means of disposing of waste and good environmental practice. Has this been considered at official level? The Minister should really be calling in departmental officials and making political decisions on this. I wonder whether things are decided by officials behind the scenes because some people say they constitute the permanent Government. I do not know. I have never been in government so I do not know whether this is true. I have a suspicion that there is a grain of truth to it. Are officials having those conversations?

In the context of incineration, waste gas is being burnt off at landfill sites. It has been burnt off at the site in Kyletalesha in County Laois for 12 or 13 years. I remember raising the fact that they were going to put a flare on it at a council meeting. I asked if it could be captured and harnessed for natural gas and maybe used to generate electricity or used another way. Our guests from the EPA referred to monitoring. What are their views on that because a number of these old landfill sites, some of which are very large, particularly those in the commuter belt, generate significant amounts of methane? Do our guests from the EPA have any comments about that? From the agency's perspective, what are the challenges with those old landfill sites?