Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)

The Minister should realise that nobody, including him, has a monopoly on wisdom.

I acknowledge that much progress has been made in this country in respect of waste management. Local authorities, under the guidance of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, have made much progress, starting at the basic level where they have focused on educational programmes for schools, including pilot programmes in this regard in national schools. Importance has been attached to the Green flag, now much coveted by so many schools.

Much has been achieved in educating the public on the best way to deal with its waste. In general, one would have to say the public response has been positive but we must recognise that some members of the public are not prepared to play their part. The latter engage in the dirty habit of dumping their waste at the location most convenient to them, which can be anywhere.

Last Tuesday morning, just outside Kinnegad, I witnessed what appeared to be a washing machine and a dryer dumped on the side of the N6, a national primary road. Some people must have filthy habits if they can do that. People are not prepared to take responsibility. They have the lazy, revolting view that they owe nothing and it is always somebody else's responsibility.

The motion before the House calls for the power to be returned to local authorities to ensure that the making of a waste management plan is a reserve function. If we are to allow local authorities reach their full potential and live up to their name of delivering local government, every decision of this nature should be devolved to local authorities.

Local authorities had the power to make regional waste management plans but that power was removed by the Minister at the time because he was of the view that local councillors were not prepared to make the plans. From a local perspective, however, local councillors were not making the best management plans because they disagreed fundamentally with the draft plans being put forward by the consultants. It must be said that all this happened at a time when the new approach to waste management was beginning and, because of that, it is timely that the return of the powers to local authorities be considered.

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