Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)

I thank Deputy Collins for raising this issue. As I have said previously, the Minister, Deputy Hogan, will announce the Government's local government reform plan in the near future. I mention that in response to what the Deputy said at the outset about the role of elected representatives when a decision was made in Dublin.

Dublin City Council withdrew from the provision of household waste collection services in January 2012 and sold that business to a private sector waste management firm. The council's withdrawal from the household waste collection market brings the council into line with the position elsewhere in the Dublin waste management region, given that Fingal County Council, South Dublin County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council have previously withdrawn from the market. The situation in the Dublin region is representative of the national position, in so far as very few local authorities continue to provide household waste collection services. A current estimate of the local authority share of the national household waste collection market is less than 5%, with the private sector having the remaining 95% share.

Any queries concerning a local authority's withdrawal from the market and the transitional agreements between that authority and a private sector waste management firm are matters for the relevant local authority. Similarly, questions on a local authority's motivation for exiting the household waste collection market should be put to that authority. I am sure Deputy Collins's party colleagues on the council are well able to do that. The general trend of local authorities withdrawing from direct provision of household waste collection services has resulted in comments about the respective roles of the public and private sectors. From a typical householder's perspective, such issues are often largely immaterial. What matters is that a quality affordable service, which meets their needs and delivers on society's environmental and other preferences, is provided.

Deputies will be aware that waste management issues are frequently raised as matters of concern in this House. In recent months, we have discussed a wide variety of such issues, including the withdrawal of almost all local authorities from household waste collection, service standards, segregation of waste, regulatory control, breaches of environmental law, pricing structures, the future of the household waste collection industry, waivers for low income households and the role of elected members in formulating waste policy. Deputy Collins mentioned the question of waivers, for example.

The Minister, Deputy Hogan, and I welcome the engagement of this House with such issues. Many of the issues raised relate to the enforcement of waste management legislation, whether that enforcement activity is directed at householders, the business community or the waste management industry. In that context, the withdrawal of local authorities from direct service provision creates an opportunity for them to refocus on their regulatory role, in particular the enforcement of waste management legislation.

Both the EPA and local authorities are charged with ensuring, through rigorous enforcement activity, that waste is managed legally and appropriately throughout the chain of waste management, from presentation to collection, processing and the recycling, recovery or disposal of that waste. Any entity which breaks the law should be sanctioned appropriately.

I note that some of the concerns raised by Deputy Collins need to be directed to Dublin City Council. I will respond in so far as I can to any other issues he has raised and I will bring them to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Hogan.

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