Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am quite disappointed with the Taoiseach's response and the pettiness of it in terms of pointing out the make-up of a council. The Taoiseach will be aware that waste management is exclusively an executive function.

The Taoiseach implies a certain complacency, stating that we have come a long way. I do not believe we have. In some respects we might have but watching last night, the householder thinks he or she is recycling. The householder is doing his or her duty in terms of waste but many of these companies are not. What we thought was going into proper facilities is not going into them. Groundwater is being contaminated.

Land is being contaminated and human health is at risk. We cannot be complacent about this.

The Environmental Protection Agency is not governed by any councillors or group of councillors. It has issues in terms of transfer stations, the degree of enforcement, regular breaches of licences and the lack of any forceful impact from the regulatory regime. This cries out for a more urgent response than the Taoiseach demonstrated in his reply. I asked him if he would facilitate the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten, and the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, coming to the House to take a longer series of questions some time this week because this is an important issue. I also asked if he would have a fact-finding inquiry to try to get a national picture of what was revealed yesterday in the "RTÉ Investigates" programme. We can say we have come a long way and we should move on but a tipping point has been reached, if the House will excuse the pun, and we need to deal with it legislatively. As an Oireachtas, we need to turn a corner and make sure the kind of stuff revealed last night never happens again.

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