John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor. When discussing this matter on the previous occasion, I outlined my views on incineration as a method of waste disposal. I also referred to the problems that exist in many rural areas — I am sure the Minister of State has encountered these — in the context of private operators employed to collect refuse who often cherry-pick routes. It can be difficult to encourage private operators to provide a comprehensive collection service in sparsely populated rural areas.

During my six years as a Member of the House, I have taken every opportunity that presented itself to raise the issue of illegal dumping. Such dumping is the bane of my life. I live immediately adjacent to approximately 2,000 acres of State forestry. Illegal dumping takes place within the forest on a continual basis. As soon as the local authority or the forestry service remove the items which have been dumped, further items are illegally dumped. One can be sure more illegal dumping will take place almost immediately. Many parts of the country, particularly the more sparsely-populated rural areas, have a significant illegal dumping issue.

I am not pretending I have any sweeping solutions, but there appears to be a rather small number of prosecutions for illegal dumping. Some years ago it was proposed in my area of Kilkenny that those who were prosecuted would be named and shamed, with lists being published in the local media. This has not happened. We must do this because the only way to stop people from taking advantage of the countryside to dump unwanted products is to embarrass them. I encourage the Minister of State and her Department to do whatever is in their power to ensure a crackdown on illegal dumping takes place immediately.

Another issue related to illegal dumping is littering. There has been a significant improvement in the past couple of years in the appearance of many of our towns and cities but litter is still a significant problem. Despite the best efforts of voluntary organisations, the tidy towns and other groups, there is still a significant litter problem. While there appears to be more of an awareness of the unsightliness of litter among the younger generation, we are not getting to the bottom of the problem. Will the Minister of State outline the Government's position on littering?

I am anxious to know the current Government policy on incineration. The previous Government was in favour of incineration and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, shortly after being installed in that position, indicated a change in his personal view on incineration, as he was no longer implacably opposed to it. I am unsure if he indicated he was in favour of it. I would welcome an opportunity to hear him outline the current Government policy on incineration.