Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Since 2003, the Department has been engaged in this support. It has provided €115 million over that period of 17 years. It provided €5.7 million last year. It supports the provision of local authority waste enforcement staff under the local authority enforcement measures grant scheme. This grant scheme facilitates local authorities in enforcing national waste legislation dealing with national waste enforcement priorities and demonstrating to illegal operators and unauthorised waste depositors that there is a robust waste enforcement presence in place. The Department continues to fund the provision of local authority enforcement staff through the scheme with the intention of maintaining a visible presence of waste enforcement personnel on the ground across the country. Primarily, in much of this area it is local authorities that must apply national legislation. In this case, it is national funding to support that work within the local authorities by funding staff on the ground to try to counter illegal dumping.