Mr. Gerard O'Leary:

I am conscious of the time and will be quite happy to issue a written response to any question to which I do not give a clear answer.

Deputy Timmy Dooley used the phrase "drag on resources". That is exactly what I am trying to convey. We regulate 200 waste activities and there are another 600 on the industrial side of things. Therefore, there are 800 regulated activities which are large. We have an inspectorate of 40. The phrase "in the light of the programme" was used. For me, another piece of work emerges in the light of the programme. We have a small staff who supervise the role of the local authorities. For the most part, all of the legislation on illegal dumping concerns local authorities. Whereas we do have a network with the local authorities, it is an area that could be strengthened. As I said, the establishment of lead local authorities is a positive step. I am not saying those involved in all of the 200 activities we regulate are non-compliant, but if we need to go through the court system to achieve compliance, it sucks up an awful lot of time. I call for increased resources to support the local authorities. We will need a multi-agency approach to achieve success in this area. The local authorities may call for the involvement of the EPA, but there is also a role for An Garda Síochána, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and, possibly, the Revenue Commissioners. The multi-agency approach needs to be further resourced.