Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government for being present to take this debate. We need to develop a national policy on graffiti. Graffiti is an issue in parts of Limerick city in my constituency. Recently, it has been an issue along a stretch of roadway known as the Superquinn road which runs from the Kilmurry roundabout to the Monaleen Road. I am glad that the local authorities in Limerick have agreed to remove the graffiti and that they are considering the installation of CCTV cameras to monitor this issue.

Graffiti represents an invasion of private property. Many of the people affected bought their houses at high prices and walls at the back of their homes are being graffitied, which is upsetting for them. Many of them are either elderly or have young families. The younger people bought their homes at the height of the Celtic tiger boom. The Department oversees many good practices to deal with graffiti on a national level. Local authorities can avail of a €900,000 grant under the anti-litter and anti-graffiti campaign. There is a national litter action plan and a national litter pollution monitoring system. In addition, a new website, www.fixyourarea.ie, has been operational since 1 January this year through which anyone can report a problem in their area, including graffiti, and the local authority will respond within two days.

At the moment the legislation that covers graffiti is 16 years old. I refer to section 19 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997. It makes no mention of graffiti whatsoever. I call for the development of a national policy on graffiti which takes into account updating section 19 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997 to deal with graffiti. The approach should be standard practice across all local authorities.

We could consider the application of a levy to aerosol spray cans. I come from the perspective of damage to private property and public property. We must consider alternative ways of dealing with graffiti that do not involve the invasion of private property or public property without permission and ensure it is done tastefully. I welcome the Minister’s views on the matter and on developing a national policy on graffiti. The current problem of graffiti in Limerick city requires the bringing together of a range of measures that are happening at national level in a structured way. I thank the Minister for his presence and I look forward to hearing his comments.

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