Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

When it comes to our communities, whether they are urban, rural, inner city or remote, there is not a single issue that animates such a large number of people or drives them more crazy than that of illegal dumping. Many of us have previously served as councillors and the housing shortage and illegal dumping are probably two of the most frustrating and intractable issues that we have had to confront on a daily and weekly basis.

I am really delighted and very proud that my Labour Party colleague, Senator Wall, has brought forward this Bill today. I know many others have worked on such matters over the years but we are debating this Bill today as it has made it to Second Stage. The Local Government (use of CCTV in Prosecution of Offences) Bill 2021 is really important as a potential additional tool for communities and authorities to fight back against illegal dumping.

It has been said today that this is not a magic bullet but we are not claiming it is. There are few magic bullets in life. However, this is an important additional tool in the arsenal of local authorities in trying to deter and detect those who are engaged in illegal dumping. It is usually people who are engaged in persistent illegal dumping, as all the information on the ground is that this is not typically a once-off activity, and time and again the same people are involved. It has been said already today that local authorities do not have the power to use data collected by CCTV to prosecute at this point.

I live among many communities in Dublin Central where areas are unfortunately and sadly singled out for some of the highest levels of littering and illegal dumping activity in the country. Walking through these communities, starting from Stoneybatter and going all the way to North Strand or East Wall and up to Phibsborough, Cabra, Drumcondra and Glasnevin, one finds very proud communities and residents who, month in and month out, engage in clean-ups, the Tidy Towns competition and other local initiatives in trying to do their bit for that community. The work is driven and complemented by the great work of Dublin City Council and I pay particular tribute to the public domain enforcement officer, Mr. John McPartland, with whom I have had many dealings over the years. There has been great innovation from some waste management officers, including Mr. Sean-Michael Larkin, in working with local communities and bringing initiatives to help detection and the cleaning up when illegal dumping occurs. In ways we are only tipping around the edges and tackling the symptoms with the speedy collection of illegally dumped waste and communicating with local communities. We are not dealing with the underlying reasons.

Illegal dumping is not a victimless crime and it imposes an enormous cost on local authorities that are under massive financial strain. Dublin City Council could spend millions of euro more on waste collection and management but it still would not tackle the issue. We must start that conversation and this Bill is as much about that as it is about CCTV. It is about starting the conversation about resolving these matters.

This is about culture. It is not okay that we have a personal disregard, lack of responsibility, ignorance or a feckless attitude towards local communities.That is not okay. That is the number one issue and we need to look at that.

We also need to consider housing and overcrowding, particularly in my part of Dublin city, but also in other cities and towns throughout the country. Overcrowded houses are leading to a situation in which people are engaging in illegal dumping. There is never any excuse for illegal dumping but overcrowding is a cause of it. I could bring the Minister on a tour of many of the roads and streets I am familiar with in my constituency and there are examples there of ten or 15 people squeezed into two, three and four-bedroom houses. Where are they going to go with their waste? Waste is the least of their concerns. We, therefore, have to look at overcrowding.

We also have to examine the provision of waste management services across our counties and cities. There are multiple operators in Dublin, often operating on the same road or street. There is a patchy service and communities are effectively falling through the cracks. Nobody is taking overall responsibility for co-ordination or management of waste collection. We need to start that conversation about bringing those waste management services back into the local authorities, having them managed by the local authorities, and effectively getting to the root of illegal dumping on a permanent basis.