John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have the Minister's replies to parliamentary questions and he has been consistent in saying the companies set the rate, not the Government. However, it was the action of the previous Minister in trying to introduce pay-by-weight that led to this dramatic shift. It was driven by a Government policy decision and the Minister rowed back on it. The Minister said there would be a range of charging options in different companies and that the flat rate would be gone. I am speaking from the consumer's point of view. As companies roll out their new suite of charging options, I urge the Minister to oblige them to give their existing customers the breakdown and advice as to their most suitable option based on their previous usage. The intent of the legislation is to go increasingly towards recycling. A customer should be able to compare what they paid in the previous 12 months with what it would cost in the new programme. The Minister may not control prices but he does have a degree of control over this and he has some flexibility. I urge him to ensure there is transparency to avoid the chaos in the industry which there was this time last year.

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