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

The point of consultation is to get both sides of the argument and bring them to bear. It is not to hear only one side of the argument. There is an obligation on us to make massive changes in the way we manage resources, but we must also take their cost implications into account. The Deputy was keen to have a deposit and return scheme established, but there was evidence which the Oireachtas committee believed to be a realistic consideration that had to be taken into account with regard to whether one should impose that. When legislation is introduced by the Government, a regulatory impact assessment is conducted in the normal way. What tends to happen with Private Members' Bills in my experience is that all of that gets compacted and there may be hurried consultations. I can understand how the Deputy might construe them as being only hearing one view because there was a need to respond quickly, but it is the Department's policy and my view that everybody's voice must be heard and that we must try to achieve what we must achieve in a way that imposes the least burden and offers the most opportunity for us to succeed in our environmental objectives while also being compatible with other needs of the community. That is what I seek to do. If there are flaws in the way this is done, I will certainly seek to correct them. The approach I have taken in the consultations I have held is to be fair to all concerned. That does not mean, of course, that people will always be happy with the position I ultimately take, but that is the nature of decisions. It can be portrayed as only hearing one side of the argument. As this is so important, we seek to hear from all sides and make appropriate policies.

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