Dáil debates

Tuesday, 26 April 2005

2:30 pm

Photo of Bertie AhernBertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

All the measures being taken in the different areas in regard to waste paper and cardboard, amounting to 104,000 kg, have been in place for a long time. I referred to glass and cans, which are already being dealt with. Efforts are being made to try to reduce and recycle waste as much as possible, which has been the policy of the Department for several years. We must ensure that waste disposal is carried out in line with best practice. I assure the Deputy that efforts are being made to deal efficiently with the issue and to try to continually reduce the amount of waste.

The e-Cabinet system throughout all Departments will reduce the need for a large amount of paper. This is already working quite well in that everything does not have to be replicated 40 times. This is having an impact each month as people begin to have more confidence in the system. Perhaps it will take another few years, but it will continue to make a big difference to the amount of paper that goes through the Cabinet secretariat, which creates a large volume of paper. It is writing up the system in that regard. It is being recycled but it is a question of doing so in a formal way. My Department, other than the staff, use it, but we do not have a great volume in that regard.

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