Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As we are coming into spring, it is a beautiful, sunny day today. In April, the Tidy Towns clean-ups will begin throughout the country. I was out and about last weekend and it was amazing to see families come together to take part in keeping our towns and villages clean and tidy. Although it is chilly out there today, it is going to be great in the next few weeks to have our towns and villages shining.

I highlight the role of CCTV footage for our local authorities. That legislation is now in place through the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022. Will the Deputy Leader call on the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to come to the House to speak about how CCTV is being used by local government to tackle litter? It has always been a huge issue but the legislation was not in place until recently. How can we now support local authorities to use CCTV cameras to tackle blackspots, not least around our bogland landscapes and all our heritage areas? There are areas where people are prone to dumping rubbish. Local authorities put a lot of measures in place at civic amenity sites. It is now possible to recycle, for example, mattresses. Many places take in products that can be refurbished and reused. How can we highlight this issue, especially as spring approaches?