Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has been in communication with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding a waiver system for refuse charges incurred by elderly people; the nature of that communication; the response received by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21089/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The setting of waste management charges and the introduction of waivers in respect of waste charges is, as has been stated in this House on many occasions, a matter for each local authority. Local authorities operate under the auspices of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Since taking office as Minister for Social and Family Affairs I have not been in contact with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding a waiver system for refuse charges. My officials have discussed this issue with their counterparts in that Department.

It has been suggested that my Department could respond to the issue of waste charges through the exceptional needs payments of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Under this scheme a single payment may be made to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his or her weekly income. The payments are for such items as bedding or cooking utensils for someone setting up a home for the first time or costs relating to funerals, or visiting relatives in hospital or in prison. This scheme is not intended to meet the cost of regular household bills.

In any event, the introduction of a national social welfare scheme to address the issue would not be feasible given the wide range of charging regimes and cost structures that exist in respect of waste management throughout the State. Charges vary across local authorities and within local authorities where there is more than one provider. In addition, some local authorities and private operators already operate waiver schemes but, again, the qualifying conditions for these schemes also vary. Any system put in place to assist people with waste collection charges would have to take account of the different local arrangements.

In its 2005 report, Implementing a Waiver System: Guidelines for Local Authorities, the Combat Poverty Agency investigated the practice of charging for waste collection services, examined the rationale behind the practice, established the implications for low income households and considered potential solutions to ease the financial burden on them. A set of guidelines was developed for local authorities to consider when implementing a waste charging system. The report considered that the most effective way of achieving a fair and consistent system of waste charging in Ireland would be via the national implementation of one model that satisfies all of these guidelines.

The report concluded that if a suitable procurement approach could be developed, a locally operated waiver system would offer the most effective delivery model and I am in agreement with that finding, given that all options were considered.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I am not sure if that is a "Yes" or "No" to the possibility of a waiver system. Half of the local authorities are in a position to offer a waiver because the refuse collection service is not privatised in their areas. In the 17 local authorities where the service is privatised, the local authorities cannot offer a waiver as they do not receive the charges, which is why I have asked the Minister and his Department to implement a waiver scheme.

The exceptional needs payment is not the way to do it because that payment might be made monthly, weekly or annually. I urge the Minister to reconsider the possibility of the Department providing such a scheme. It need not be dissimilar to the fuel allowance given that the cost of fuel, depending on the type being used, can vary between different areas and this does not alter the fact that it is a standardised payment. The Minister could have discussions with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government about the issue but he should consider letting his Department take it on board. It is difficult for some people to pay the charge. The average charge is €360 per annum or approximately €32 per month. Many elderly people and social welfare recipients are simply unable to pay it.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I do not disagree with the Deputy's last point. Everybody is aware that this issue can be difficult for some people. I have some experience with the matter because I dealt with it when I was Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. This is a matter for the local authorities. Some local authorities operate good waiver schemes, and not simply where the authorities operate a public refuse collection service. In some areas private contractors are involved in a waiver scheme. It is not an excuse for local authorities to suggest that because they have privatised the service they cannot operate a waiver scheme.

The local authorities have all the necessary powers to operate waiver schemes in their areas. It is a matter on which local councillors in the local authorities should make the decision. They can do it by involving themselves in the estimates process. It is wrong that there should be differences throughout the country, whereby good waiver schemes are operated in some areas, urban and rural, while there are none in other areas. This is an issue on which local councillors should step up to the plate. We are regularly accused of taking power away from local authorities and giving it to central government. Councillors, particularly when estimates are being drafted, should put this issue to bed once and for all by demanding, through motions and submissions, the introduction of waiver schemes in their areas. That is local autonomy. This is a local issue that is better looked after at local government level.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Does the Minister intend to raise this issue with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to ensure that local authorities are in a position to carry this out and are given the funding to do so? The people most affected are those in receipt of social welfare payments who fall under the remit of the Minister's Department. They cannot make ends meet because of these charges. The Minister cannot wash his hands of the issue.

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy asked where the authority lay and I gave a straight answer. When the Deputy reads the full reply, she will see that the matter of how this issue could be managed best was considered in some detail during recent discussions between this Department and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and it was clear it was managed best at local authority level. It is not simply a matter of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government providing extra money for local authorities. We all have priorities and if one had all the money in the world, one could probably spend it. Like each Department, each local authority must decide what way the resources available will be used. I agree with those local authorities which have decided a waiver scheme is warranted and to implement one as a priority. It is an issue and other local authorities should step up to the plate and take a more serious view of the needs of their constituents. If this were done, it may lead to other issues in which we might be able to become involved.