Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

Amendment No. 13 proposes the ceiling on the plastic bag levy should be retained at 26 cent. The Bill gives me the opportunity over a long period of time to increase the plastic bag levy but I cannot do it by any more than 10% of the existing levy in any financial year plus the change in the consumer price index since the last change, up to a limit of 70 cent. It will take a considerable number of years if we increase it every year and it is not my intention to do that.

A ceiling of 26 cent would not give me the flexibility to replenish the environment fund or deal with environmental matters in a serious way when additional resources are needed to deal with problems such as remediation in landfill sites in Deputy Catherine Murphy's constituency and in other constituencies. I need the flexibility. I will not say by how much or how often I will need to increase the charge but I want to give myself up to a maximum levy of 70 cent in this case.

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