Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

Repeating the mantra is not in any way to deflect from the truth. The relevant figures are those I have placed before the House.

In practice, waiver schemes are generally available where a local authority provides the service directly. In general, where services are provided by private collectors, local authorities have not considered it necessary to put any supplementary arrangement in place. There are, however, a number of limited exceptions. Local authorities have the power, in existing provisions, to make special arrangements in the case of hardship if they consider it necessary to do so.

The motion tabled by the Labour Party calls on the Government to introduce a uniform national waiver scheme, irrespective of circumstances, across the board. It will be clear from what I have said that this approach would be fundamentally in conflict with the thinking of successive Ministers for the Environment, including those who served with distinction from Deputy Gilmore's party. I do not believe it would be wise to simply reverse all of that which has gone before.

I made previous reference in the House to the discussions currently taking place between my Department and the Department of Social and Family Affairs and which follow on from discussions with the social partners in the context of the implementation of Sustaining Progress. The purpose of these discussions is to consider whether there is a role for some supplemental arrangement to address any cases of real hardship which may arise as a result of waste charges and which are not addressed by local waiver schemes.

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