Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is great. Obviously, as has been said many times, IFFPG is collecting 100% of the levy, but not collecting 100% of the waste. Where the organisation is collecting anywhere between 70% and even 90%, there is a clearly a gap in the market for further collectors, as I would see it. They exist; there are independent operators, as we all know, but they are obviously not getting any of the levy. Would IFFPG be satisfied enough, in order to level the playing field, if there was to be an examination of changing the legislation to make it a fairer playing field where the independent operators would get their share regarding the levy that exists?

I know that in the legislation and the Act, as it is laid down, it is paid to IFFPG. However, the other issue is that while the producer pays the levy in the first instance when they produce the plastic, or whatever it is, it is actually the farmer who pays it, because they will pay that knock-on cost. Then they will pay at the point of collection, so they are paying on the double. Clearly, however, the elephant in the room is the independent operators, and the issue there is that they are not getting any share of that levy. If there was to be a change, or an examination of a change to make it a fair, level playing field for those operators, would IFFPG be content enough? Perhaps the Department could answer this as well as to whether it is something it would look at it in order to level the playing field for independent operators. There is clearly an issue here, and we know there is.