Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I wish the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen, a speedy recovery and return to active ministerial duties.

In recent years, people have changed their ways and become more conscious of the necessity to stop putting all our waste in bins and dumping it. Thankfully, the European Commission has recognised that we have changed our ways. However, the delivery of that change has been brought about by individuals alone. The momentum within the Government to deliver that change has been lost.

The Minister of State told us that €22 million of Government funding has been allocated to encouraging minimisation and recycling. However, when that is shared out among all the local authorities, and considering our population, it is a small input relative to the charges which are being imposed by local authorities and private waste management facilities. Therefore, we cannot clap ourselves on the back for providing just €22 million for such a massive project because, when it is put in perspective, it is a feeble Government input.

Much of the slow progress on this issue and the failure of local authorities to respond when we began to change our ways is due of a total lack of consultation. The straw that broke the camel's back was the Minister's decision to transfer the function of producing waste management plans from local authority members to city and county managers. These city and county managers are now politically paralysed from taking action to nominate areas for landfill sites.