James Bannon (Fine Gael)

While welcoming the Minister to the House, I wish to protest in the strongest terms that this Bill is being dealt with less than a week after its publication. Given the complexity of the content and the fact that we lack the resources available to the Minister, it is unrealistic to expect the necessary research to be completed within such a short period. Such undue haste is not in anybody's best interest.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the Bill is the proposal to give city and county managers the power to impose charges for waste collection, making it a purely executive function and removing control from elected public representatives. Local councillors, who are sensitive to the needs of the public, will no longer have any function in deciding household waste charges or regional waste management plans.