Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the reply. The problem with what the Minister has done is that he has left a range of options open. Everyone wants to reduce the volume of waste being produced but the problem is that the Minister has left the system open for standing charges, pay-per-lift arrangements, weight bands, per-kilogram charging and weight allowance charges. There is a range of options, therefore, and they can be used in combination. That is the problem with what has happened. There is no control over this.

The Minister mentioned a monitoring group. Who is on the group? I understand the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission did not take up the offer to participate.

What we have is side-by-side competition. According to the Government's regulatory impact assessment in 2012, the household waste collection market in Ireland is unique. It is unique because it is very cumbersome. Poland has enacted legislation to switch away from side-by-side competition to a municipalities system. Finland has also switched from side-by-side competition to a franchise system. Has the Minister examined this? The current model in Ireland is unique among the models of OECD countries in that Ireland does not have either a franchise system or municipal system. Has the Minister considered either of these?

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