Jimmy Harte (Labour)

Thank you. I have a question related to the environment. Many people go out walking, jogging and cycling and in the summer time in particular they notice how many cans and bottles are on the sides of the roads, country roads in particular. We are trying to attract tourists here. In countries like Germany and other European countries the practice is - like we did years ago - to charge a refundable deposit on bottles and cans. The Minister should consider reintroducing this. In Germany, the deposit is 30 cent and this is returned when the can or bottle is returned, which cuts out throwing them away. Years ago here, people collected cans and bottles and returned them to shops for a refund. The Germans, Swiss and French are environmentally correct and charge people a deposit. Will the Minister, if he is in this House in the near future, consider putting a refundable levy on cans and bottles so that they are not chucked over hedges or into parks because it is too much bother to recycle them? This waste is a cost for local authorities. The issue is dealt with efficiently in Europe and we should look at doing the same.