Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The point I am making is that the approach that was being proposed that resulted in such a negative reaction from many households who had genuine concerns is now not happening. Instead we have a different approach that involves a 12-month freeze in charges so no one needs to worry about getting ripped off. While they are considering now in a serious way switching to pay by weight, they will be given all the information they need and then will be given the option to opt in, if they want to, to pay by weight for the first half of next year. We have committed to a full structural review of the waste industry at the end of that period, which will incorporate many of the things that Senators have been raising here today, namely, whether we should have a regulator, whether the current competitive market is functioning as it should, in the interests of households, waste and recycling, reducing and minimising, composting and so on-----