Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

It is not recognised in the motion. The levy has produced its own income stream, which in itself has succeeded in funding a host of other environmental initiatives. The Government took radical action regarding the working environment of the individual, not reactively but proactively, by banning smoking in the workplace.

Fianna Fáil, with its partner in Government, has demonstrated itself to be the sensible and practical Irish clean environment party, implementing creative and imaginative policies which aim to care for the environment and which aim to bring about sustainable changes in attitudes. Crucially, we are doing this in a way that is consistent with our growth and development as a nation and as a developing economy. When faced with the choice, I am confident that citizens will choose those who will safeguard our future both economically and environmentally.

Almost 75% of the waste discarded at home or in the workplace is biodegradable. Traditionally, the great bulk of this waste has gone to landfill. In 1998 only 11% of biodegradable waste was recycled but, by 2004, 33% of biodegradable municipal waste was being recycled. This was achieved at a time the economy was expanding. Ireland must meet a target of 80% by 2016 and the Government, in its national strategy on biodegradable waste published by my colleague, shows the way to achieve this without sacrificing our living standards, quality of life or the employment prospects for future generations. It is gradually becoming clear that the Government's environment policies are based on the principle of integrated waste management, which prioritises waste prevention and minimisation followed by reuse and recycling, with landfill as the final resort. Having made substantial progress on the latter two, we must continue to strive to make progress on the prevention and minimisation of waste.

I agree with the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government about the strong inconsistency of those who, on the one hand, praise the public for engaging in environmentally aware behaviour such as recycling, yet on the other, criticise the Government for its record in this regard. A glance at the facts highlights commitment, resolve and real results on the part of the Government. For example, construction and demolition waste recycling in 2004 reached 84%, just below the target set for 2013. Despite strong criticism from some quarters regarding the electrical waste recycling scheme, Ireland was one of only three countries to implement the EU directive fully and on time last August. In the period to the end of February, almost 15,000 tonnes of this waste was collected for recycling.

I agree with my colleague, Deputy Fiona O'Malley, regarding the Green Party's position on incineration. The party has left itself exposed as inconsistent and opportunistic in this debate. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government stated it is clear the Green Party environment Minister in Germany adopted a much more honest and responsible approach in pursuing a policy framework that had incineration with energy recovery as a core principle. Before he left office, he introduced severe restrictions on the use of landfill. How many more landfills does the Green Party want constructed throughout the State? The party has not given leadership on this issue and, while there has been a convergence of views on renewable energy, an open and honest debate is needed in this area.

The European Union is at the leading edge in this field. It should be commended on having among its ranks a number of the world's most environmentally advanced countries

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