Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is correct that there is a Government decision from 2017. I am restating that. It is a problem that needs to be solved.

My Department has been examining this issue in detail for some time and has engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representative organisations and the HSE, in an effort to see how best to support persons with long-term incontinence with respect to the disposal of medical incontinence wear. However, there are complex issues at play in this area which are understandable given the sensitive nature of the medical data in question.

The delays in establishing a suitable scheme are primarily due to the absence of a list of persons who are in list of persons who are in receipt of free medical incontinence wear from the HSE. However, GDPR issues arising such as consent and principle of data minimisation, and procurement issues and administrative costs are also contributing factors. One can see that there is a concern if we are asking the HSE to provide a list of people with long-term incontinence problems to waste providers. It is not an insurmountable problem but there is a genuine issue there.

My officials are continuing to review these efforts to establish what further actions can be taken. These efforts will continue, focusing particularly on pricing trends. Since mid-2017, a range of charging options have operated, which encourage householders to reduce and separate their waste. This provides flexibility to waste collectors to develop different offerings that suit different households. Mandatory pay-by-weight charging was not introduced. A PMG was established in mid-2017 to monitor the ongoing cost of residential waste collection to homeowners across Ireland as the flat-rate structure was being phased out. While fluctuations in prices and service have been observed, the overall trend has been relative stability.

In September, I launched a new national waste policy for the period 2020 to 2025, A Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy. This plan contains a range of measures to empower households to enhance consumer protection requirements. It also envisages an enhanced monitoring of the market to ensure that no changes occur in relative price stability.

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