David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This area is particularly extraordinary and exciting. It is hugely important and has massive potential for good. I think I speak for everyone in the committee when I say we support the Minister of State 100% in what he is doing. It is massively important.

On that last issue that my colleague mentioned with respect to CCTV, is there a resource issue regarding data controllers? In dealing with the justice area, I am aware there was an issue as to who was to employ data controllers and what kind of work were they to do in the local authorities. Has that arisen? Are the local authorities to be funded to employ data controllers to look after the CCTV systems that the Minister of State mentioned? Somebody has to monitor, investigate the videos, etc., and that takes a resources. Obviously, that person, being the data controller, is legally also responsible for control of the data to make sure, as the Minister of State said, it does not leak out into the public domain in an unfortunate way and infringe on privacy.

Could he elaborate on the establishment of the centre of excellence for circular manufacturing and innovation? CIRCULÉIRE was to submit its proposal to him last July. Has that been submitted? Where is that at? How does he see this centre working? Would it be in a third level institution, as my colleague has been hinting, or would it be in the Department or somewhere else? How would it work? What is it supposed to do? When will it be up and running? This is hugely important because, in the last sentence in that paragraph, the Minister of State refers to support for business and enterprise in making that transition being important. It is important. Business needs support. As well as that, from my reading of this area, there is a huge amount going on but people do not seem to know about it. We need more awareness-raising in society with respect to what he is doing, what the need is and what people can do.

I understand deposit return scheme will be in place very soon. Am I correct that there are two ways that can be done? One is to hand the plastic bottle over the counter and the other is a machine that people feed the bottle into that chops it up, etc. Those machines, I understand, are quite expensive. I got a quote from one retailer who said they cost €48,000. It was a fairly small retailer. It is a lot of money. I am aware they get a handling fee as part of this scheme, but has any thought been given to assisting retailers in paying for these machines if they want to put them in? I will leave it at that for the moment and let the Minister of State respond.