Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State's response outlines the current situation and the legal requirements put in place by previous Governments in relation to waste collection; what it does not talk about is whether this is an area the Minister of State would consider re-examining to see if it could be done better. Things have changed significantly since 2011. The environmental impact of waste is higher on our agenda, thankfully. In instances like this, our legislation and policies need to be dynamic and to move with the most recent evidence. I would like to hear the Government is open to reviewing that.

The Minister of State talks about how it is open to local authorities at the moment to provide this service but I have worked as a councillor, as I think the Minister of State may have. He knows our local authorities are absolutely stretched and there is no way they will look to provide a service where there is not direction from the Government that they must do it. They will not actively seek this new role and responsibility with all the infrastructure costs required to get something like this started.

The question for the Minister of State, representing the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications here today, is whether this is something the Government will consider doing and is prepared to fund. Local authorities would need funding to get a good, robust, efficient system in place which will stand us well into the future, help consumers to meet the cost of these charges and be suited to the current environmental situation.

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