Seán Connick (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I thank my colleague and friend, Deputy Michael McGrath, for his good wishes. I also thank him for tabling on the Adjournment this important matter that affects each and every one of us citizens. I am replying on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Under the Litter Pollution Acts, the primary management and enforcement responses to litter must come from the local authorities. Under this legislation it is the local authorities that are responsible for keeping public places, including public roads, clear of litter as far as is practicably possible. Local authorities take this duty seriously, as is seen in the number of litter fines issued, which have increased from 7,563 in 1998 to 27,825 in 2008, a three and one half fold increase in a ten year period.

In acknowledgement of their role, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has allocated €1.1 million this year from the Environment Fund to provide grants to local authorities for public education and awareness activities in regard to litter and graffiti. The Minister would welcome and will consider any new measures that local authorities might identify to tackle the problems of litter and illegal dumping and his Department will continue to co-operate with the local authorities in dealing with this ongoing issue.

Considerable progress has also been made by the relevant statutory agencies in dealing with illegal waste activity. In particular, since the establishment of the Office of Environmental Enforcement in 2003, enforcement has been better structured through the establishment of a national enforcement network. Annual supporting funding from the environment fund of over €7.5 million has led to some 120 additional local authority enforcement personnel and a greatly enhanced response on the ground. However, litter and dumping problems will only be resolved through a partnership approach in which all sectors, including local authorities, business, community groups, residents' associations, schools and individuals, play their part. To this end, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, has provided financial support from the environment fund to a number of anti-litter initiatives aimed at influencing people's behaviour in regard to their method of disposing of litter. These initiatives include the National Spring Clean campaign, the Irish Business Against Litter league and a grant to the protecting upland and rural environments, PURE, project, which is operating in the Wicklow-Dublin upland area.

The benefits of the support provided to all sections of the community are clear from the improved results presented by both the national litter pollution monitoring system and the Irish Business Against Litter league. These results show a gradual but steady improvement in recent years in regard to the extent of litter pollution countrywide. Under the national litter pollution monitoring system, almost 70% of the country was designated as either litter free or only slightly littered in 2008. Irish Business Against Litter has reported that 65% of towns surveyed are now classified as "clean to European norms".

Despite these achievements, the Minister is aware that litter and illegal dumping continue to present an ongoing challenge. He will continue to monitor trends in litter pollution and, in co-operation with the local authorities, ensure that measures are adopted and resources are focused on those areas where the need for action is greatest.

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