Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for that lengthy response. I understand he will come back to me because he has not really answered the key questions. We know the Department was resistant to introducing the deposit return scheme. We know from freedom of information requests that were released to my colleague, Senator Boylan, that the Irish Government was instrumental in delaying this EU directive until 2029. This is where the Minister of State and the Green Party have to make a difference.

We spoke about ambition and it is crucial that glass is included in this deposit return scheme. I have cited best practice in the world and I could also cite what is happening in Lithuania, where they have reverse vending machines as a requirement for all rural shops to make sure there is no rural-urban divide. What has happened there is that the shops are now asking for those machines because they can see a commercial benefit to them. There is a host of best practice opportunities and my fear is that we will miss out on them. I am hoping the Minister of State will give us a clear and positive response that glass and the variable deposit scheme will be included. We will not get the opportunity to get this right again. It needs to happen now.