Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The European Court of Justice made a judgment on 28 October last that Ireland has failed to fulfil its obligations on this directive. The Minister of State has stated that the delay in implementing the directive is a result of a failure to reach agreement with various interests in the industry.

Is it true that agreement was reached between the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the SIMI, the Motor Vehicle Recycling Association and the Metal Recyclers Association in December 2001? Is it also true that the Department, at the instruction of the then Minister, then made a separate agreement with the SIMI, behind the back of the other two organisations? It is the difficulty of reconciling those agreements which has caused the delay in the implementation of the end-of-life vehicles regulations and directive that has landed us in the European Court. This has resulted in burnt-out cars and old vehicles being dumped inappropriately in many parts of the country.

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