Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)

I commend my colleague, Deputy Gilmore, for tabling this motion. This is about trying to get a uniform system throughout the country that will be fair and equitable. In particular, the motion addresses the issue of inequality for our most vulnerable citizens. There are disparate charges throughout the country. Some county and city councils have no waiver schemes while others have relatively generous schemes, but there is no uniformity. Despite this, we are asking senior citizens and other vulnerable people to pay charges they cannot afford. We are talking about people with very limited fixed incomes who are trying to come up with the money from those limited incomes. For them, it is a question of not being able to afford to pay.

My colleague in Limerick, Deputy Power, had an article in the local media last week calling for a national waiver scheme and he indicated that he had spoken to the Taoiseach about it. He also wrote that he would propose it within the Fianna Fáil Party, so I welcome that support. I hope the same support will be forthcoming when it comes to the vote tonight. I think many Members from Fianna Fáil would support a national waiver scheme, but because the Labour Party is proposing it tonight, I doubt that Fianna Fáil will vote for it. The national waiver scheme makes sense and is equitable, and if such a schemes existed, we would be more likely to avoid the kind of situation that exists in Cork city. The capital of culture, on show to the rest of Europe, has mountains of filth in various parts of it. The reason this happens is because people object to a system that they see to be inequitable. If we had a fair system, there would be much more co-operation and compliance.

Part of the problem is that local, elected public representatives have been sidelined and city and county managers have all the power. In Limerick, we had a situation where the legal validity of providing a waiver system was questioned during the estimates process in the city. The city manager received a legal opinion from the Office of the Attorney General, advising that it was illegal for Limerick City Council to pay money to private collectors in lieu of payment for customers who qualified for a waiver. The system is privatised in Limerick city.

When Labour Party councillors refused to pass the estimates without the inclusion of a waiver scheme, a second legal opinion from the Office of the Attorney General decided that such a waiver could be implemented. The question then arose as to whether a local authority could provide recompense to a number of different private collectors for waived customers or be forced to put the collection of refuse of waived households to tender. The matter is currently before the courts. I raise the matter as it demonstrates the need for a national scheme. We have national schemes in other areas, including the free schemes of the Department of Social and Family Affairs, the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance and concession travel. As precedents exist, it makes sense to introduce an element of fairness in the collection of service charges.

The Minister spoke last night about a regulator which is something I suggested in one of the national newspapers recently. I would welcome regulation in this area should the Minister introduce it. Ultimately, the issue involves fairness and the real need and inequality of senior citizens in particular and other social welfare recipients who cannot afford to pay the charges involved. In the interest of equity, the same system should apply throughout the country.

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