Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim céad fáilte roimh an Aire. Tá sé ar nós déjà vunó groundhog day. Bhí muid ag plé na ceiste seo an t-am seo den bhliain seo caite. It was a different Minister but a similar debate this time last year. The Minister has certainly been given a bit of a hospital pass with this can which has been kicked down the road. It came from the regime of Deputy Alan Kelly and was passed on to Deputy Simon Coveney who last year, while under pressure from parliamentarians, decided to put this to a committee of the Oireachtas for discussion. I do not know whether that has happened at all. That was the agreement which was made last year when this issue was brought up. That was certainly what Fianna Fáil was pressing for then. I am not sure whether they are still pressing for that now, because it would be good to have it discussed at an Oireachtas committee and to look at all the different questions which have been raised here today and particularly to bring in some of these companies and ask them about the types of profits they are making, how their money is being spent and so on. Sinn Féin is opposed to the introduction of these new charges as the Minister well knows. We tried to block them by bringing forward a motion because we are opposed to the pay-by-weight charges which the Minister is proposing. Fianna Fáil and the Minster's party have obviously colluded to bring in this new model of seeking to regulate the companies, which only shows that we can not trust Fianna Fáil on this issue-----