Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to have an opportunity to raise this topical matter, which is very pertinent to our capital city. The Minister of State will agree that the privatisation of the refuse service that has taken place in Dublin has been an exemplary case study in how not to transfer a service from the public sector to the private sector. A great deal of uncertainty has evolved as part of the fall-out from the transition process.

I will set out where it all began to go wrong. When the initial decision was taken, the members of Dublin City Council were not consulted in any shape or fashion. They were told that a decision had been taken and given a week's notice of the privatisation of the service. It is deplorable that local public representatives who were democratically elected in the Dublin City Council administrative area were not given more than a week's notice of such a major decision. The Fianna Fáil group on the council called an emergency meeting, with the support of the Fine Gael and Labour Party councillors who control the council but it did not get any degree of satisfaction in this respect.

It is not good enough that the private service provider, Greyhound, is not providing the level of refuse service that was formerly provided by Dublin City Council. Bins are not being collected on the designated day. Bins are being collected at irregular hours of the day and night. The service is wholly inadequate. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, is in attendance. Her senior colleague in Dublin City Council's parent Department - the Minister, Deputy Hogan - should have ensured there was a seamless transition when an important service like refuse collection was the subject of such a major change.

The contract that was agreed between Dublin City Council and Greyhound is shrouded in secrecy and confidentiality. Dublin City Council has form in this regard. We are familiar with the issues that have developed with Covanta in the case of the proposed Poolbeg incinerator at Ringsend. We have been told that commercial sensitivities and issues of confidentiality are at stake. That is not good enough, given that section 136 of the Local Government Act 2001 provides that if councillors pass a resolution looking for information, as was the case in this instance, it is incumbent on the management and the executive of the council to put that information into the public domain.

Approximately 40,000 people currently benefit from refuse waivers. I understand the waivers will run out at some stage. What will happen to those people when their waivers expire? I suggest we will have a major litter problem in Dublin. The only response we have seen from Dublin City Council to date has been to remove many of its bins from public areas, on the basis that they are being stuffed with domestic refuse. That is the wrong way of dealing with the issue. A growing litter problem could have a negative impact on tourism and this country's Presidency of the EU, for example.

The issue of the upfront payment has been partially resolved. Issues with upfront payments arose in other administrative areas after companies developed commercial difficulties. I suggest that a bond system should be used. The Minister, Deputy Hogan, should consider asking these companies to put in place a bond in case issues arise with regard to people who have made upfront payments.

I will not speak at length about the service level agreement because I do not have enough time. If Dublin City Council were to publish the service level agreement it arrived at with Greyhound during the negotiations, it would be informative for the public. What is the up-to-date position in the Department on this issue? Where will those who currently have waivers, many of whom are old age pensioners who are having to deal with issues like the household charge, stand when their waivers run out? Will Dublin City Council put in place a plan to assist the approximately 40,000 people who hold waivers?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank Deputy Collins for raising this issue. As I have said previously, the Minister, Deputy Hogan, will announce the Government's local government reform plan in the near future. I mention that in response to what the Deputy said at the outset about the role of elected representatives when a decision was made in Dublin.

Dublin City Council withdrew from the provision of household waste collection services in January 2012 and sold that business to a private sector waste management firm. The council's withdrawal from the household waste collection market brings the council into line with the position elsewhere in the Dublin waste management region, given that Fingal County Council, South Dublin County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council have previously withdrawn from the market. The situation in the Dublin region is representative of the national position, in so far as very few local authorities continue to provide household waste collection services. A current estimate of the local authority share of the national household waste collection market is less than 5%, with the private sector having the remaining 95% share.

Any queries concerning a local authority's withdrawal from the market and the transitional agreements between that authority and a private sector waste management firm are matters for the relevant local authority. Similarly, questions on a local authority's motivation for exiting the household waste collection market should be put to that authority. I am sure Deputy Collins's party colleagues on the council are well able to do that. The general trend of local authorities withdrawing from direct provision of household waste collection services has resulted in comments about the respective roles of the public and private sectors. From a typical householder's perspective, such issues are often largely immaterial. What matters is that a quality affordable service, which meets their needs and delivers on society's environmental and other preferences, is provided.

Deputies will be aware that waste management issues are frequently raised as matters of concern in this House. In recent months, we have discussed a wide variety of such issues, including the withdrawal of almost all local authorities from household waste collection, service standards, segregation of waste, regulatory control, breaches of environmental law, pricing structures, the future of the household waste collection industry, waivers for low income households and the role of elected members in formulating waste policy. Deputy Collins mentioned the question of waivers, for example.

The Minister, Deputy Hogan, and I welcome the engagement of this House with such issues. Many of the issues raised relate to the enforcement of waste management legislation, whether that enforcement activity is directed at householders, the business community or the waste management industry. In that context, the withdrawal of local authorities from direct service provision creates an opportunity for them to refocus on their regulatory role, in particular the enforcement of waste management legislation.

Both the EPA and local authorities are charged with ensuring, through rigorous enforcement activity, that waste is managed legally and appropriately throughout the chain of waste management, from presentation to collection, processing and the recycling, recovery or disposal of that waste. Any entity which breaks the law should be sanctioned appropriately.

I note that some of the concerns raised by Deputy Collins need to be directed to Dublin City Council. I will respond in so far as I can to any other issues he has raised and I will bring them to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Hogan.

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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A significant body of households are dependent on the refuse waiver in Dublin city at present but there is a wider policy dimension throughout the country in regard to refuse waivers per se because there are different policies in different electoral areas. It is high time we had a national policy in regard to the provision of refuse waivers. Clearly, the policy of the State is to withdraw itself from the refuse collection business and to subcontract it out to the private sector. That being the case, there is a pressing need in this regard. There is an overlap between the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Department of Social Protection in potentially devising a national policy for a national refuse waiver. With regard to Dublin, I would appreciate it if the Minister of State could use her good offices to find out and reply to me on what will be the position of the approximately 40,000 refuse waiver holders in Dublin.

The Minister of State said this is an issue for Dublin City Council, and I understand her point. However, there is a wider social issue in regard to the litter problem that exists in parts of Dublin. There are 18,000 households in Dublin which are at present not registered for refuse collection. The Minister of State might comment on where stands that issue. As I said, there are wider issues. We have the EU Presidency coming up and we want to put our best foot forward. Dublin is the capital of the country and a major tourism hub and destination. Image is very important in terms of tourism. When we have a significant number of households that are not registered for collection, where is the waste going? The answer is obvious. It is a significant issue of public interest. Dublin City Council management is not giving sufficient answers to the questions outlined. The Minister of State can say it is an issue for Dublin City Council but there is a wider public dimension to it, which is why it must be raised here.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me the opportunity to raise what is a very important issue for Dublin.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I agree it is a very important issue. If I can get answers to those questions, I will come back to the Deputy. The approach to the future regulation of the household waste collection market in Dublin and elsewhere will be carefully considered by Government and will take account of the full range of economic, environmental and other relevant issues - the Deputy has just raised the issue around the 18,000 who are not registered - and the many perspectives being offered by the people being consulted.

The Minister, Deputy Hogan, expects to be in a position to submit final proposals in regard to household waste collection to Government in the coming weeks as a part of a new national waste policy, which is part of a commitment that has been given. Deputy Collins has raised legitimate concerns. A transition such as this raises significant issues and we acknowledge there are issues to be addressed. If there is further information we can get from the Department I will forward that to the Deputy. However, I suspect some of the questions need to be directed to Dublin City Council.