Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

While I welcome and respect the right of the Labour Party to raise the issues raised by Deputy Howlin, it seems to have forgotten that it was in power for the past five years. The abuse of women did not start today or yesterday.

I wish to press the immediate issue of the exorbitant increase in waste charges that will come into effect on 1 July. Questions have been submitted to the Government on this issue, which was also raised last week and this week in the House. How can the Government stand over these charges and the sharp practices in which waste companies are engaged? Under the polluter pays principle, the less waste a householder sends to landfill, the less he or she pays. What we are seeing, however, is that exactly the opposite is the case and people are incensed, anxious and angry. Greyhound's current service charge of €59.95 is set to increase to €169 per annum. This charge must be paid before a bin is lifted. The company will charge 35 cents per kilogram of black bin waste and 23 cents per kilogram of brown bin waste. The service charge imposed by Thorntons is set to increase from €50 to €104, while its rates for black and grey bin waste will be similar to those charged by Greyhound. The Government introduced a minimum mandatory fee of 11 cents per kilogram for black bin waste and 6 cents per kilogram of brown bin waste and yet the waste companies are charging the prices to which I referred.

What will these charges mean for a family? In the case of Thorntons, the cost of having a brown bin weighing 40 kg collected will increase from €6.40 to €8, while the collection of a black bin will increase from €9.90 to €10.50 for 30 kg of waste and €14 for 40 kg of waste. Disabled people who are incontinent and use nappies will have to pay the same price as everyone else. Under the new charges, a household which has a black bin collected 26 times per annum will pay €364 compared to €267 currently.

The Government lauded the increase of €3 per week in the old age pension last year. Most pensioners with private pensions had these cut by at least 80 cents. Local authority rents also increased and the new waste charges will wipe out the remainder of the increase. For ordinary people, the recovery means more of the same austerity.

The Government argues that the new waste charging regime will result in greater competition. Waste disposal is a cartel in which there is no competition. Competition has meant increasing waste charges. I intended to make a few points about the companies involved in the industry but I will return to that issue.

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