Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

We have heard that work is ongoing to progress towards putting regulations in place, but the current situation is that this are no definitive plans. We do not have a particular time limit or definite commitments.

I wish to ask about another area that relates to a written submission the committee received, which is public knowledge, so I am sure it is fine to reference it. In the Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022, there is provision for a new levy on waste recovery activities, a levy on materials being incinerated or sent to landfill, in order to create a cost associated with that. We know that a huge issue around carbon and emissions in the context of construction is the waste of sending good materials that could be reused to landfill sites and not using them in a circular way. The Government has committed to not applying a levy, for the time being, on construction and demolition waste. As Deputy Duffy mentioned, if one looks at the transport costs due to demolition waste, let alone the embodied carbon, it is hugely significant.

The latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was very clear in how stark the situation is. It stated that this was the last possible chance to take decisive action on this. My view is that there should be decisive action taken against people who demolish perfectly good buildings with lots of embodied carbon in them rather than renovating and retrofitting them. If there is not a good justification for demolition, it should not be legal. If the building is good, it should be retrofitted, renovated and extended where possible. Is it correct that there is no disincentive, apart from the costs people privately incur, or policy that disincentivises the full demolition of buildings or construction waste going to landfill or being incinerated? I would love to hear if the SEAI has any views on that whole area.