Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wondered when we would talk about plastic bags. I thought the issue might have arisen earlier in the context of the law of diminishing returns whereby, if there are alternatives available, the multiples and consumers will find a way not to buy plastic bags. It is important to note that multiple use bags are made out of plastic and society, as well as the retail multiples, must show initiative and source alternatives. I have been travelling to the United States for more than 20 years to visit family. In the US, people are always asked whether they want paper or plastic bags when shopping. There must be a tipping point in terms of Irish consumers having a desire to eradicate the use of plastic. I welcome the initiative.

Deputy Cronin and the Chairman touched on the issue of air quality. Local knowledge empowers people. If the Department, in consultation with local authorities, were to provide air quality monitors across the country, it would provide people with instant information on air quality in their communities and have a knock-on effect on consumer behaviour and transport options. I would welcome that type of initiative. I appreciate that we are discussing the Estimates, which are not policy-related, but the Department is carrying out research in this area. Such an initiative could be considered in the future.

Deputy Devlin mentioned landfill remediation treatment. There are a couple of landfill sites in my neck of the woods. Great work is being done in this area by the local authorities and the EPA.

I thank Deputy Cronin for reminding me of the research on incontinence, which is seeking to discover whether there is a way in which individual families can be supported in that regard. Like the Minister, I recognise that this is an important political matter, albeit one for the HSE. We can no longer get involved in waste collection but we can get involved in directly supporting families of people who have a medical condition that requires them to use incontinence pads by ensuring they are either supplied with incontinence pads or supports. That is something for the Department of Health to consider rather than the Minister's Department.

I thank the Minister for the Estimates. I will refer to something I added to one of our submissions. I think it concerned building standards. We talked about the need to have more ambition in terms of public buildings. I did not get a chance to respond to the Minister's reply to my questions on retrofitting.

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of the State leading by example in retrofitting, for the very reasons the Minister outlined, including making sure our children are being educated in warm schools and energy efficient schools, and that our public buildings are brought along with the national retrofit scheme in all its various guises.