David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

That means before the end of next year. At least we have extracted that amount of information from the Minister of State, for which I thank him. It is helpful.

To be honest, I only heard about micro-beads in the past six months. I had no idea that there were tiny pieces of plastic used in everyday cleansing agents and so on. I am surprised and alarmed by this. Like other Senators who have spoken about their travels around the world, I have travelled to remote parts of the Caribbean - uninhabited islands - and seen shorelines covered in blue plastic bags from all over the world. It was horrifying. The beads are small and visually unobtrusive but subtly dangerous. Companies introduced them in their products without any concern for the downstream effects. They are now waking up to the problem and it is welcome that a number of them have acknowledged the danger. Colgate Palmolive phased micro-beads out in 2014, while unilever phased them out in 2015, as did Boots. L'Oreal, a large cosmetics company, will have phased them out by the end of next year. That represents a 50% decrease in levels. The beads are spherical micro-plastics and used in scrubbers and so on. Interestingly, they were originally based on natural materials until the companies discovered that it was more efficient and easier to produce them mechanically in large quantities in factories. There has been a shift towards plastic and away from natural ingredients. They are also composed of larger plastic units that have been broken down on the ocean bed. Micro-beads comprise a small proportion of marine micro-plastics, estimated to be 1% to 4%, but this equates to 2,400 to 8,000 tonnes of plastic entering the marine environment per year, which is a hefty amount.

Perhaps I am wrong, but I understand the Netherlands has already introduced these provisions. It was certainly calling for this as far back as 2009. In June 2014 Illinois became the first US state to ban the manufacture of products containing micro-beads. On 24 March 2015 the Canadian House of Commons voted unanimously that the Canadian Government should take immediate measures to add micro-beads to the list of toxic substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999. A series of serious political actions have been taken around the globe. In our neighbouring country I understand there has been a technical hitch in introducing the legislation, but more than 350,000 people have signed a petition to have micro-beads banned. In 2015 the UN environmental programme called for the eventual phase-out and a ban on the use of plastics in cosmetics and personal care units. There is a growing chorus calling for a ban on the use of these materials.

The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Pollution is known as - I hate these acronyms - GESAMP. It reviewed the evidence on micro-plastics and found that the research was relatively new. It is clear that we need additional information and research, but that should not delay the introduction of this type of legislation. One of my colleagues humorously referred to micro-plastics landing on my dinner plate. I am afraid that they are so small I would just gollop them down. I probably would not notice them at all. It states in the document that the annual dietary exposure for European shellfish consumers can amount to 11,000 micro-plastics per year. This strikes me as something that could do damage, but GESAMP states there is a gap in education.

We should press forward with the Bill. I hope there has been some communication between the various ministerial Members - all except the one directly responsible, of course - who have attended the House today and the framers of the Bill in order that it may be left on the Order Paper and allowed to go through. No damage would be caused. If fatal flaws are found in it, they could be dealt with at a substantially later Stage. No one is fooled by the idea that it is being delayed for technical reasons because of non-compliance with EU regulations. My colleague, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has burst that bubble. It is just not true. The evidence has been given by the Senator. The Government, therefore, does not have that fig leaf. It is repulsive to find, once again, that important legislation is being delayed for party political reasons because a collection of dogs in the manger do not want to give credit to the Green Party, but that is not unusual. I prepared a Bill on the direct provision system that would have solved all of the problems, but it was held up because-----