Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

The reports mentioned by the Minister are a separate issue. There are local authorities, such as Limerick City Council, that provide a waiver scheme even though the service is totally privatised. The Minister should make sure this is copied everywhere. When the Minister was in Opposition he demanded a waiver scheme operated through the social welfare system which would involve a special waste allowance. He can achieve this now. There are people on pensions of €200 — which is their sole income — who must pay a waste charge equivalent to three weeks worth of pension payments. These are elderly people who cannot afford to buy a coat or pay for fuel. This is not something that can be put on the long finger with things that are not related to it. A review in Dublin has nothing to do with the fact that some people in Galway must pay hundreds of euro per year in waste charges they cannot afford.

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