Batt O'Keeffe (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Ireland has witnessed a rapid moving away from circumstances in which we had little regard for the way in which we handled our waste. We are now progressing to a situation in which we will have waste management services that match best international practice. As my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Roche, stressed in the House last night, this comes at a price. Successive Governments have reached a correct conclusion that the fair way of meeting the cost of waste services is by charging those who use these services. This is not only fair; it is in line with a proper application of the internationally accepted polluter pays principle.

Once this principle of charging is accepted, it becomes a matter of determining the best and most equitable system to operate. Concern has been expressed in this debate with regard to a number of aspects of charging policy, including the variances which can occur in charges. While such variances occur, they are a reflection of the particular circumstances and costs faced by individual service providers, be they local authorities or private operators. The service providers, as required by Government policy, are moving to a pay by use system of charging. This is generally accepted as a more equitable approach in that it rewards those who act in an environmentally responsible manner by maximising the amount of waste they recycle.

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