Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is welcome. It is great to be here. We are fully in support of this important piece of legislation that has been talked about for a long time.

When talking about the circular economy, education is a major issue in terms of explaining it, especially from the younger generation to the older generation. I was at a meeting a few weeks ago and the circular economy came up. A man put up his hand and said he had no idea what we were talking about. We need education on the entire terminology relating to the circular economy - what it is about, what we are trying to achieve and where the information is available. The amount of education that is required is phenomenal. It is not just at primary school but through all the generations. In many ways, that will probably be the biggest task for the Minister of State. I honestly believe that the generations are struggling with the terminology and what we are trying to achieve. We need to break it down so we can get a clear understanding of the message we are trying to get out. That is one of the key points I would like to make.

The proposed levy on single-use plastics is a positive step. I do not want to mention the names of particular shops, but if one goes to any shop tomorrow morning one will see a line of cups to the left-hand side of the coffee machine. It is a significant issue. I often wonder how we are going to change. I remember that 20 years ago we introduced the plastic bag levy overnight and we moved on to more appropriate ways of doing our shopping. This is about trying to change the way we shop and the culture of society. That will take a little bit of work as well in terms of education, support and a bit of a stick to make sure that we get there.

The key issue will be to make sure that we get the big changes that are going to be so valuable in society going forward. Again, there is a generational issue. We are going to have to bring people with us. That will require a good body of work that needs to be thought through. I will be straight with the Minister of State: I do not have the solutions. I do not know how he is going to bring the generations with him without saying: "Oh my God, this is another tax." This is going to be a body of work that we will just have to work on.

One of the key issues I have identified in the legislation is the national food waste prevention strategy. The Minister of State might elaborate on that. I might be wrong in my figures, but I think that 30% of all food that is purchased is wasted, whether it is yoghurts, potatoes or other produce. Consumers are probably buying too much in one go. Again, this will involve a major change in how we alter how society purchases and stores products. We need to learn what dates on yoghurt, for example, mean. Some people believe that a yoghurt cannot be eaten after the date on the container while others believe the date does not matter until something is wrong with the product. It will take significant training and information to educate people. The point I make is about how we are going to get the information out there to all sections of society so that people can change their practices. I look forward to seeing how the Minister of State will ensure we get these important strategies across to the public and what means he will adopt to get the information out.Online will only work with certain generations. How we get that change out there would be totally different in some scenarios.

The proposed changes to GDPR for CCTV regarding dumping are very positive. I ask the Minister of State to elaborate on how that will work with historical cases and whether the legislation will apply retrospectively. Will we look back at other cases with GDPR issues? How will other cases be looked upon regarding this new legislation?

Section 4 seems to mention the chief executive. I presume that is the chief executive of the local authority. Like other Senators, I am concerned about giving all the powers to local authority management. We have elected members who do exceptional work. The Bill makes no mention of local authorities but states that the chief executive will appoint. While I am open to correction, the Minister of State is giving an executive function to the local authority management. Local authority members should have a greater role on issues regarding CCTV and dumping. Motions have come before local authorities. It is really important for the local authorities to have a real angle regarding matters on which the members have good knowledge. It is important that we be frank. Some local authority managements are absolutely brilliant while some local authority managements might not have the same respect for elected members. That interaction as it applies to this legislation might be improved. I did not count how many times chief executive was mentioned, but it is certainly more than ten times. We need to find a balance to ensure we can get everyone on the same field.

I believe the legislation is important and is well drafted. Those are my initial thoughts. Hopefully, we can work together to get the Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas and enacted as soon as we can.