Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach may have changed, but the scripted outrage of Sinn Féin has not. It is almost a cut and paste of a speech on a question on a similar issue not that long ago. Fundamentally, it is about the environment. Landfills in Ireland are filling up. We do not want any new dump. I do not know of a single Deputy in this House who would like to have a dump in his or her constituency or town. I do not know of a single person in the country who would like to have to live beside a new dump or landfill site. Therefore, we need to reduce the volume of waste and recycle, re-use and compost more. Charging for bin collection is not new. It has been the norm for householders for 15 years and there are no new charges proposed. There will be a new system of charges, but 50% of households already pay under it. They are the people who pay by lift and by weight and with or without a standing charge. Therefore, 50% of households have been paying under this system for quite some time and are well used to it.

The system will change for the 50% of households which are not paying under the new system, who pay a flat charge once a year, regardless of how much they throw away, but it will not change overnight. Contracts stand and remain. The new system will be phased in in the next 15 months. The Government does acknowledge that there is a concern about a sudden or massive hike in charges under the guise of a new system. We understand there is this concern and it is a legitimate fear people may have. We have, therefore, agreed to put in place a watchdog that will monitor prices. We reserve the right as a Government to bring forward price regulation if the industry hikes prices or uses the change as a cover to dramatically hike prices.

I should point out that it is not an unregulated industry. This is not a free-for-all. A licensing system is in place. Someone cannot just collect bins. He or she needs a licence in order to do so.

What we do not have is price regulation. Bear in mind that price regulation does not necessarily mean that prices will not go up. We have price regulation in many areas, such as for taxis, energy, aviation and just because there is price regulation does not necessarily mean that prices do not go up. The best way to ensure quality and standards is through licensing, which we have - one needs a licence from a local authority, the regulator, to collect bins - and also through competition. There is much competition. What will happen now is that the 50% of households that are not already on the new system will, over the course of the next 15 months, as their annual contracts expire, have bin companies come to them to offer options, possibly to pay by lift, to pay by weight, or to continue to pay an annual standing charge and then pay by lift or by weight. As I said already, half the country is already on the system.

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