Mr. Declan Hughes:

I thank the Deputy. I assure him that the circular economy features in a whole range of our discussions. Perhaps there is a need to pull it all together, but we are active in a range of negotiations at EU level on eco-design, repair and reuse. We are trying to move from the model of take, make and waste to design in circularity at the beginning. We have a range of initiatives through Enterprise Ireland and LEOs which are direct supports to companies. The Deputy also mentioned electronics. The National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, which came up earlier, took one of the standards from the US around reuse in the electronics sector and brought it to Ireland. Companies are being certified because they provide full end-to-end recycling of electronic equipment. The real pressure comes from the market and consumers. They want to see companies build in circularity now and reduce waste in the design of products. That is where we are working. We are a member of eco-design working groups at EU level and implementing initiatives through Enterprise Ireland, working with the Department of the Environment, Climate Action and Communications, which leads in that regard.

The Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 was signed on 21 July last year. It was an important step in setting out the national legislative framework and provides a robust statutory framework for moving from a focus on managing waste to a much greater focus on adapting patterns of production and consumption. As I said, we are working on a range of initiatives with the Department of the Environment, Climate Action and Communications in this area. Most recently, we had a meeting with the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, which is responsible for reducing food waste, and Enterprise Ireland in particular and the LEOs will work with the EPA on reducing food waste. There are specific targets in that area. We have a particular interest in reducing waste from food manufacturing, in addition to the hospitality sector and others, as the Deputy mentioned, which we will also work on. We very much welcome that the EPA is leading on that initiative.

The Deputy is also probably aware that we are leading on negotiations at Council level on the Commission's approach to the eco-design for sustainable product regulation, ESPR, which will cover repairability, recyclability and therefore reduce environmental impact. A general approach was agreed on 22 May at the Competitiveness Council and it will trial out now with the European Parliament. Leading with-----