Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber to discuss this matter. Anyone who has been out in any scenic area of the city or the country, be it near a canal or a river, in a park or on a beach, will be acutely aware of the blight on the landscape that plastic waste can often pose. We pride ourselves on Ireland being a green country and a beacon for tourists, and, indeed, an increasingly environmental country. It is my belief that the Minister and I, and all Members of this House, would consider ourselves green with a small "g" or environmental with a small "e". Accordingly, the idea of a deposit and rebate scheme for plastic bottles tends to carry the support of the vast majority of the Irish public according to all the polling and opinion pieces I have seen. More than 90% of the people I talk to are in favour of such a scheme. In a 2017 Bill, the Green Party effectively set out a deposit-and-return scheme which has been somewhat tacitly accepted by many in the House but has been subject to delays. In 2018, the Oireachtas Library and Research Service put together a publication outlining the potential costs of implementing such a scheme and its potential benefits. The benefits seem to be myriad. They include increasing the rate of plastic bottle recycling - by only 3%, granted, but that is an increase nevertheless - and a cleaner environment. I am not sure we can put a price on that. It is accepted that implementation would involve a cost, but, equally, it would bring great benefits.

I am seeking an update on the Minister's progress and perhaps his thinking in this regard. The most recent media reports suggest he has gone back to look at this afresh. Obviously, we have had a change of Minister in this portfolio in recent months. I am curious, as I am sure the public is, to hear where the Minister's thinking with regard to this matter currently is. Can he give a commitment on this? I am conscious of the day that is in it. According to the Minister's Instagram, he is a keen baker and cook. I imagine he is keen to get home to his dinner on St. Valentine's Day, so I will not keep him much longer, except to end with an appropriate St. Valentine's Day poem, if the Acting Chairman will permit me.

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