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

The position is that a key pillar of the clean air strategy was the approach to banning smoky fuels. Deputy Naughten will be aware of the desire to extend the smoky coal ban nationwide. This ran into a difficulty legally in that no distinction could be drawn on an environmental basis between the impact of peat and the impact of coal. This made a nationwide ban legally uncertain. I took the decision to extend the existing smoky coal ban to a series of towns representing those where the evidence shows a significant health aspect. I commend the Deputy because when he was the Minister he extended that monitoring programme. I believe it will need to continue to be extended. It has held up the clean air strategy.

The Deputy is correct on food waste. We have set a target of halving food waste, which is an EU-wide target. In the waste and circular economy strategy we are seeking to introduce measures that would deliver this. Deputy Naughten will be aware that of the 52% of food waste at consumption level, large parts and the worst waste occurs in the food sector and not in family homes. There is, nonetheless, food waste in family homes. We will target waste in hotels, restaurants and other catering facilities where very large volumes of food are wasted. While this is a huge challenge and it is very important that we do it, one of the difficulties we face is where food is sourced from other countries and we do not get the benefit on our carbon inventory. The only impact we could show is where Irish production is reduced as a consequence of the elimination of food waste, as opposed to elimination of food waste on imported products. That will fall on the inventory of others. It is a bit of a dilemma in that it is a production-based inventory and not a consumer-based one. The Deputy is absolutely right, however, and it is included in our plans.

See this speech in context