Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

Household waste collection has developed over many years as a locally based service tailored to local needs and circumstances and is, I suspect, the most quintessential local service. The legal framework established by the Oireachtas is evidence that these services are provided locally. Existing approaches to the grant of waivers for household waste services reflect this variety of local conditions and arrangements. The Government does not propose to interfere or conflict with the principle of subsidiarity inherent in these arrangements. It has long been my belief that successive Governments have interfered too much with local government.

The issue of a waiver has been raised in the context of social partnership. As a result, my Department engaged with the Department of Social and Family Affairs to explore the issues involved. These discussions did not identify a role for the social welfare system in providing income support with regard to waste charges. I accept, however, that problems arise for households, particularly those with low incomes, from the need to find substantial lump sums for annual or standing charges and it will be important to address these in the implementation of the new pay-by-use systems. To this end, my Department has asked the relevant local authorities to seek to ensure private sector service providers make available to the households they serve a weekly payment option. This will make the use of a waste collection service for residual waste an affordable option for households which use available recycling facilities and generally act in an environmentally responsible manner.

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