Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I know. There is no facility in this Chamber for the use of laptops or other technologies but there ought to be if we are serious about being an e-nation, so to speak, and using modern technology. I hope the Seanad can lead the way by reducing the volume of paper it uses by using laptops in the Chamber to call up Order Papers during the Order of Business, etc. As Senator Norris said, we get reports, half of which, unfortunately, we do not read or simply scan. I encourage the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, to ask her colleagues to bring about this revolution to reduce the amount of paper used.

I refer to the regional plans drawn up by the county managers which I believe are on hold. How much has this cost? Where are we going with these regional plans? We need a national regulator for waste. It would be very effective in assisting all of us and, in particular, local authorities.

I was a school teacher before I became a Member of the House and I believe education is pivotal. The civics and the green flag programmes have engaged young people and have inculcated in them the need for recycling, reduction and reuse. It is a model which we should implement from primary school all the way up.

There is a major problem with littering. I was in New Zealand over the Christmas holidays and could not get over the lack of litter on, and the cleanliness of, the streets. The other night I went shopping in a centre in a suburb of Cork outside of which there was a plethora of cigarette butts and chewing gum with which one could tile the whole area. Despite the best efforts of many, we have not changed people's mindsets on littering, which we need to do. We need to prosecute and name and shame people who dump illegally or who throw litter on the ground while walking the streets of our cities or towns. We need to take on these people.

Our local authorities are under severe pressure. We have the private operators versus the public service provided by the city or county councils. At one level, it is fine for the private operators to enter the business. They offer a great deal for six weeks or six months while the public service goes out of business. That is about to happen in Cork city where Cork City Council is under severe pressure. It has reduced the workforce in this area.

Again, I praise Cork City Council for its dry recyclables collection. Will the Government consider a national waiver system similar to that which applies in respect of social welfare? Some people do not pay refuse charges because they cannot afford them. Others genuinely want to pay them but find the cost is prohibitive. We need to take on the private operators but we also need to change the mindsets of people who opt out of the public collection. In five years' time many of our cities will not have council operated waste collections which will result in spiralling costs. This is an important debate which should transcend political lines. We need to scrutinise how we, as a nation, perform in regard to waste management.