Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy indicated, his question is somewhat different from the generic question submitted. I cannot comment on an issue where there is, from what the Deputy has said, an apparent dispute between the EPA and Meath County Council. The Deputy is aware that Meath County Council is, in the first instance, responsible for enforcement. However, the EPA has significant powers and it oversees the adequacy with which local authorities perform their functions under the Acts. From what I read, it does not seem to be a very weak power, as the Deputy described it. The EPA has the power to request information and to require its advice and recommendations to be implemented. It can issue directives, which the local authorities needs to take, and it can prosecute the local authorities if they fail to take such direction. I have no reason to believe the EPA has reached any of these conclusions. I am sure, from what the Deputy has said, that it has requested the information and is scrutinising what has occurred but it has powers available to it.

On the wider issue raised by the Deputy, I fully recognise that illegal dumping is a huge issue. We have sought to improve the structures by having national and regional structures. At national level, a multi-agency approach is taken involving the Garda, enforcement officers and the EPA. These key players can help to ensure an integrated approach is taken to the issue of illegal dumping. We have provided additional resources for this as well as making a more general call on public authorities and communities to support individual initiatives that seek to improve areas scourged by illegal dumping.

I recognise there is a very serious problem. If I thought the law was weak, I would certainly look at it. Additional resources have gone into this area. I do not have the details chapter and verse but, from memory, the resources allocated to address illegal dumping have increased. We also recognise there is systematic dumping. This year, there is an initiative to see if a more multi-agency approach can be identified to ensure issues do not slip between the inspectors and those calling out dumping. This is part of what the Department, through the EPA and the national regional network, seeks to achieve.

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