Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 14: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the position regarding the need for a national waste charge scheme, particularly in view of the 2005 review carried out for the Environmental Protection Agency with the assistance of his Department on domestic collection charges that found that almost half of local authorities have no waiver scheme in place for low-income families and pensioners who are thereby discriminated against; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8050/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The review referred to is the nationwide review of pay-by-use domestic waste collection charges in Ireland, prepared for the EPA by the Department of Geography, Trinity College, Dublin.

Waste management services have traditionally been provided at local level, with individual arrangements being locally determined and tailored to local circumstances. The present legal framework, as determined by the Oireachtas, reflects this.

In accordance with section 52 of the Protection of the Environment Act 2003, the determination of waste management charges and any associated waiver scheme are matters for the relevant local authority, where it acts as the service provider. Similarly, where a private operator provides the collection service, it is a matter for that operator to determine charges.

I recognise that significant regulatory issues have emerged as waste management services have rapidly evolved in recent years. These issues, which are the subject of formal public consultation, include the need to ensure that necessary public service criteria in the provision of services in particular areas or for specific households are properly reflected.

The existing regulatory framework requires modernisation. The identification of the changes necessary will be greatly assisted by the current OECD review of the public service, which includes a specific case study on waste management. This will be implemented in the context of the overall review of national waste management policy provided for in the programme for Government and now being initiated. In addition, the revised approach to the collection of household waste being taken by the Dublin local authorities will further inform the selection of the necessary measures to underpin sustainable waste collection services and infrastructure provision, whether delivered by the private or public sector. In this context the appropriate policy responses will be developed and elaborated.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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I considered the figures in the report to which I referred and also did a survey to find out the variations in waste disposal charges around the country. There are major variations in the cost of waste charges, which raises issues of fairness.

My local council, South Dublin County Council, charges €8 per bin lift, and that is the only charge. There is no flat charge. Other councils have a yearly flat charge as well as charging per lift. For example, in the Offaly County Council area, where there is no waiver scheme, one can be charged between €360 and €384 per annum, depending on the size of the bin, plus €5 per lift. That is considerably more expensive than in South Dublin. According to the 2006 report — charges may have increased since that time — Galway County Council, which also has no waiver scheme, has yearly charges of between €320 and €373.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Does the Deputy have a question?

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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This does lead to a question. Galway County Council also charges between €4 and €6 per bin lift. In the Galway City Council area, there is a flat rate of €159 per year plus a charge per lift, but there is a waiver scheme. The average yearly charge is approximately €250, but for people on low incomes and pensions the entire cost is covered by Galway City Council.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The time for the Deputy's supplementary question is well gone.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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When the Minister was in Opposition he said he was in favour of a national waiver scheme.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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That is correct.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Former Deputy Dan Boyle also called for one. What is the Minister going to do about this now? It is greatly unfair that charges are so high in some counties and so low in others, while some counties have waivers and others do not.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Deputy has highlighted inconsistencies among local authorities. I am aware of inconsistencies across the board, in planning, waste management and a range of other areas. We are introducing efficiency criteria and considering how to obtain greater efficiencies and consistency in all areas. The most recent legal advice suggests that in an area serviced by the private sector the local authority may not provide a waiver or subsidy in respect of services it does not directly provide. However, the local authority does have discretion either to re-enter the collection service as a direct provider or to procure competitively a service provider to collect waste on its behalf. There is an example in Limerick city of how this power has been used to arrange for collection of household waste from certain customers judged unable to meet the cost of a commercially provided service.

The difficulty is that, as the Deputy may know, there is to be a major court case in Dublin which will affect the future of these services. I have met officials from SIPTU in this regard. Dublin is a cauldron of operators in that each week new private operators seem to appear. This needs to be sorted out and it will be shortly in the context of the court case. I also made reference to the OECD report which will be issued shortly. This will also inform our decision on how to proceed.

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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The reports mentioned by the Minister are a separate issue. There are local authorities, such as Limerick City Council, that provide a waiver scheme even though the service is totally privatised. The Minister should make sure this is copied everywhere. When the Minister was in Opposition he demanded a waiver scheme operated through the social welfare system which would involve a special waste allowance. He can achieve this now. There are people on pensions of €200 — which is their sole income — who must pay a waste charge equivalent to three weeks worth of pension payments. These are elderly people who cannot afford to buy a coat or pay for fuel. This is not something that can be put on the long finger with things that are not related to it. A review in Dublin has nothing to do with the fact that some people in Galway must pay hundreds of euro per year in waste charges they cannot afford.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Waste charges and waivers are recurring issues that have been raised in the context of social partnership. My Department has engaged with the Department of Social and Family Affairs to explore all of the issues involved. These discussions, unfortunately, did not identify a role for the social welfare system in providing income support for waste charges. However, there were further discussions with the County and City Managers' Association and I have asked the relevant local authorities to engage with commercial waste collectors with a view to agreeing on a schedule of payments — that is, a phased pay-as-you-go system — which would be preferable to a periodic lump sum payment. This will make use of a waste collection service for residual waste and will make it a more manageable option for households. That is where the discussions are going at the moment.