Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is, perhaps, the difficulty here. Legally, it is entitled to do as has been outlined unfortunately. It is a disgusting way for the bank to proceed given the context of many of these loans.

I want to make a positive suggestion that could benefit the environment, our pockets and our health. Many European cities have taken serious steps to reduce plastic waste. The amount of plastic used on a daily basis is likely to be one of the biggest problems over the next 100 years. I like to drink sparkling water in order to stop me drinking something less healthy. With all these plastic bottles, I am contributing to it. There are novel ways in which we could try to help the environment. In Ireland, we have a very deep connection with land and our environment. We should try to come up with more innovative ways, one of which might be to have more water fountains in private and public areas around the country so that people could reuse plastic bottles and reduce waste. That would be cheap for people. When one thinks of it, bottled water is ridiculous in a country where we have good water in the taps. We are willing to pay more than in any country I ever visit. We spend more on water than the rest of our EU neighbours. We should have a debate with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment on innovative ways to deal with this. Small ways all add up so that we all become more aware of the environment and the huge problem we have with plastics.