Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This amendment concerns packaging the Minister of State is proposing to take the authority to restrict. It seems unduly restrictive to insist that only food packaging be scrutinised and not packaging for other products. I know things like medical products may have their own legislation that governs the way they are packaged and we might not want to stray into territory where medical regulatory issues have already been worked through but in respect of other products, the principles of the Bill and the circularity principles that should underpin should apply equally. This is why I suggested that we broaden the definition here in order that the Minister of State can look at single-use packaging that is not for food products. This may already be caught but we hear people talking about the use of very small shampoo bottles in hotels. A lot of people feel this is unnecessary and many of these bottles are thrown away half used anyhow so it is not a very good strategy. Confining it to food packaging seems unduly restrictive.