Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. While I accept this is not his direct responsibility, I ask him to bring back to the Minister the points I intend to raise. The Minister of State referred to the extensive consultation the Department is having with the industry. However, the representative body that represents more than 90% of the service providers, the Independent Tyre Wholesalers and Retailers Association, has pulled out of the negotiations. The association has pulled out of the consultation agreement because it believes it is mere window-dressing and the Department is not listening to any of the proposals it is making. The association itself acknowledges and recognises there are shortcomings within the existing system. However, the association does not believe that it is necessary to throw out the baby with the bath-water. It does not believe that one must give a monopoly to one particular group, namely, Repak and WEEE, to look after the disposal of tyres. Ultimately, all Members are aware that where there is a monopoly and where prices are guaranteed, what happens is that the price rises continually. Moreover, it will have a devastating impact on and consequences for employment within the sector.

As I already have stated, there may be compliance problems with the system that is in place at present but they arise more from the lack of enforcement of the current legislation than from a problem with the system itself. The monitoring of tyres can be improved without giving a market monopoly to Repak. The Minister should give consideration to strengthening the current system to allow competition among licensed contractors and to imposing stronger sanctions for non-compliance. In the case of people who do not comply with the existing system, sanctions should be introduced because at present, there are none and there is no incentive for people to comply. The introduction of sanctions would ensure that people who were non-compliant would be obliged to shape up fairly quickly or else they no longer would be in business. Moreover, mandatory registration should be introduced to ensure compliance by having all collectors monitored. This system is in place in the United Kingdom and Germany. Germany possibly has the largest tyre industry in Europe and if it is good enough there, it can be good enough here in Ireland.

Other Members of the House have requested the Minister, Deputy Kelly, to reopen engagement with the largest representative of the tyre industry and I ask the Minister of State to revert to the Minister, Deputy Kelly, and ask him to consider this again. Members do not wish to see the imposition of a further stealth tax on already hard-pressed consumers. They do not wish to have people forced into the shadow economy or the black market, in which tyres will be stockpiled and disposed of irregularly. They certainly do not seek to have an industry that currently is providing good employment lose those jobs within a number of years because people no longer get their tyres in Ireland but instead get them in Northern Ireland or across the sea in the United Kingdom, where cheaper tyres can be acquired.

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