James Bannon (Fine Gael)

It is shameful that a member of the Government parties should act in this manner.

Under the proposed PD national plan, a mass incinerator would be built to cover the total needs of the country and, according to the party, it would almost certainly be sited in the midlands, despite the commitment in the Progressive Democrats' local election manifesto that the party remains opposed to mass burn incinerators, where every possible type of waste is dumped into a great furnace and burned.

I also remain opposed to these incinerators and, unlike the Progressive Democrats, I will stick to that view. Fine Gael does not believe that incinerators are the solution. Along with my colleague, Deputy O'Dowd, I support an alternative policy based on recycling. Currently the State recycles less than 8% of our waste, well below European levels. Fine Gael has a target of 50% recycling of household waste.

Among the key issues that Fine Gael wishes to highlight in current Government policy is the lack of universal waiver system for waste charges. The hardship caused by the refusal of the Government to deal with this issue is a disgrace. We have been subjected to harrowing calls from elderly people on "Liveline" and other programmes on local and national media articulating the difficulty that these charges will cause. It is sickening to see the Government parties, who profess to a Pauline conversion in terms of compassion, who say they have changed and are about inclusion and caring administration after Inchydoney, sit in stony silence as this national debate lingers on.

As far back as July 2003, Fine Gael was in complete opposition to the Government stance on this issue. The right to a waiver is a statutory one for those who qualify and is granted strictly on hardship grounds. At present, in areas where local authorities sub-contract private companies to arrange collection of household waste, the householder pays the private collector. In cases where the poor and the elderly enjoyed the waiver on hardship grounds, they are now being forced to pay the private collector or their waste will not be collected. Many people have been left in limbo as a result and they are annoyed with the Government's attitude to a waiver scheme. At the moment, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, through the local authorities, compensates hardship cases for the effect of the withdrawal of this waiver system. The Minister refuses to continue to do this and the most marginalised people in Ireland are now being hit again. With refuse collection charges of up to €700 per year, this is a massive burden on the elderly, the sick and the long-term unemployed.

In 2003, the then Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government's response to Fine Gael when questioned on this subject at the Oireachtas committee on the environment was to tell these people to apply for supplementary allowance from their health boards. This is totally and utterly unacceptable and the new Minister must immediately take steps to ensure that the thousands of people affected by the loss of this waiver will be helped out by his Department through the local authorities. It is another example of the Government imposing a stealth tax except this time it is hitting the old, the elderly, the sick and the long-term unemployed.

This Government's record on waste management is embarrassing. According to the EPA, household and commercial waste in Ireland has increased by over 60% in the five years to 2002. That means that every man, woman and child generates 600 kg of waste every year. In Ireland, 2.1 million tonnes of household and commercial waste were generated in 2001 — an increase of 46% since 1995.

What is the Government's reaction when illegally dumped material is found at the Drogheda bypass? It covered it up and it only came to light following extensive probing by Fine Gael. There are questions to be answered and the Government must reveal where exactly the material was discovered, where it was disposed of, the quantity of the material and what it consisted of, whether gardaí were notified of the discovery and why the general public and the media were not informed. This shows once again how the Government continually pulls the wool over our eyes for its own ends.

Ireland's record on recycling is deplorable by European standards. We recycle less than 8% of our household waste compared with 46% in Austria, 44% in Holland, 40% in Belgium and 30% in Denmark. Already our landfill sites are at 86% capacity. In recent weeks we have been treated to reports that the State's only tyre recycling centre has shut down, the only paper mill recycling plant has closed its doors and the shocking fact that almost 70% of Ireland's recyclable waste is exported. There is a total lack of any political will in Government to drive forward the environment agenda. We have a Government that cares about roads, money and votes — all important, but only part of a bigger picture this Government cannot comprehend. It is left to the Opposition to make it accountable on these issues.

If I had time, I could speak until 6 p.m. pointing out the shortfalls in Government policy on waste management. I plead with the Minister not to poison this nation. Less than 1 g of the dioxin waste from an incinerator could kill 10,000 people. We do not want any lives to be taken by the Minister or the Government. I hope he takes note of our remarks on this matter.