Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)

I am sure the Minister is aware that there is a great deal of theft in the countryside, in particular, but believe it or not it also happens in Dublin. A copper cable 22 mm thick feeding a crane 36 metres high was robbed from me a couple of weeks ago. Copper scrap is achieving €6,000 per tonne and although I do not know what price the thief got, it cost me €5,000 to replace the cable. In Wexford and Kilkenny people have contacted me about the issue. I know councils have done much work in regulating businesses that take in scrap but a person can still bring scrap to certain places and be paid cash. That practice should be stopped. Even if the practice is stopped in Wexford but continues in Kilkenny, people will drive to Kilkenny to get the cash.

We need a policy for the country in this respect. Anybody bringing scrap to a business should provide an RSI number and should only be paid with a crossed cheque so that it must be deposited in an account. It would also be a good idea to hold the money for two weeks as this would give the fellow taking in the scrap time to check it. The Garda could also investigate potential thefts as much material would have been stolen.

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