Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

With regard to Deputy Bruton's points, I was talking to the officials in advance of coming into the Chamber and we agreed we are probably going to have a series of legislative moves on the circular economy. This would just be a first piece of legislation. The legislation is so significant and wide in its scope that it will require further iterations, as we learn by doing and, as later amendments will show when we see how they are being delivered, we can start to measure and set targets to give real further precision, further legal enforcement powers or regulatory powers to support the development.

The example picked by the Deputy is a very good one. I absolutely agree with him. Even in the past year or two there has been an evolution of thinking, for example, on the motor vehicles issue and the recognition it is not just about decarbonisation. If we all switched to just electric vehicles, there are real supply limits in cobalt, lithium, rare earths, steel and all of the other metal and rare earth metals that are required in cars. I absolutely agree with Deputy Bruton and I do not believe it would be that far distant, and it is already happening, when we will really need to accelerate that sort of shared-use economy in travel and transport as a service. I absolutely accept that as an example of wider and other further products. I believe, however, that we are right to get this legislation through. This amendment significantly broadens and steers us towards systems thinking, design thinking, and concept around how we provide services, as well as the manufacturing of goods. I take the Deputy's point.

The EPA is one actor in the circular economy but we see this as a whole-of-government strategy. It cannot just be the EPA. In my mind one could include, for example, a number of different agencies, including Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and others.

On the removal of "to hold food", I wish to reassure Deputy Bríd Smith that it is with a view to expanding. If I was to try to list every single potential product, it would be impossible and might not be fully inclusive. By removing the words "to hold food" and leaving it open, it is widening as much as possible the definition of products, where it applies.

See this speech in context