Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is totally unacceptable and I call on all Senators not to accept it. That has not been the practice up to now and it should not be the practice heretofore.

The Leader suggested to me yesterday that I should raise the subject of motion No. 7 on the Order Paper in a Commencement matter, as I had indicated it was very urgent. There has been a new twist in that story this morning. There has been considerable debate on Raidió na Gaeltachta with the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Kyne, and he has acknowledged that he was at the meeting with the refuse companies a number of weeks ago with the Minister, Deputy Coveney, but that they did not discuss the issues for 37% of the users in west Galway who use bags or tags. It is a very serious issue. The new regime starts tomorrow and people are irate that they are to be charged extra money. In one case, a family of two parents and two small children have estimated that it will cost them €500 extra per year. Barna Waste received 1,300 telephone calls yesterday on this issue. It has not had time to call people back. There is absolute chaos in the companies.

This must be withdrawn. It led to the scenario this morning whereby when Deputy Kyne was asked if the Minister should give a direction to the companies now to stay with the current regime until this is sorted out, he admitted that he should. We must press an amendment to the Order of Business, that motion No. 7 on the Order Paper be taken today as a matter of urgency, so the Minister can come to the House and clarify what in the name of God is happening with the refuse companies. How are people supposed to get rid of their rubbish next week under the new regime when they have not registered, do not have bags and in some cases do not have brown bins? I hope Fianna Fáil will support this amendment so we can seek clarification from the Minister. It is no good talking to the waste companies next week. This comes into force tomorrow. What is happening is an absolute disgrace and I hope the Leader will accept the amendment in the spirit in which it is put forward.