Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for coming late to the debate. I welcome this Bill and thank our Sinn Féin colleagues for introducing what is an important piece of legislation. The Labour Party is glad to support it.

I acknowledge what the Minister of State said about European law, but we have to make a stand in Ireland as well. I am sure that is what colleagues have told him already. When we hear a company like Burberry incinerated €90 million worth of product in the five years preceding 2018 it shows the urgent need for a Bill like this and that is why Sinn Féin must be congratulated.

I brought in a Bill last year on the use of CCTV cameras that still has not taken effect, unfortunately. That is not related to this Bill, but this is a problem for our rural areas, towns and villages. The Minister of State has accepted that and brought it in as part of the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, but it has not been rolled out yet and we need to see that legislation. There are negotiations going on with the City and County Managers Association etc. to try to get that up and running but it needs to happen quickly.

Returning to the Bill before us, the Labour Party is happy to support it. I have a lot more to say on it, but I do not want to hold up Senator Boylan’s reply to the Minister of State. This Bill is essential. There are many community associations that could use the technology and products the Minister of State has mentioned. They could make a difference to a lot of communities, as opposed to being exported. That should be incorporated somewhere. This is all about image and greenwashing. It is totally unacceptable to us in the Labour Party that this is happening at the moment. I again thank Senator Boylan and Sinn Féin for bringing forward the Bill.