Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 282: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the initiatives which are planned regarding extended producer responsibility; the persons who shall have responsibility for their implementation; the roles which local authorities will play; the budget he plans for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16607/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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A key component of waste management policy in Ireland in recent years has been the development of producer responsibility initiatives. Such initiatives are in line with EU and national policy on waste management, which is firmly grounded in the internationally recognised waste management hierarchy that prioritises respectively waste prevention and minimisation, increased levels of reuse, recycling and biological treatment, energy recovery and utilising landfill as the last resort for residual waste that cannot otherwise be recovered. This approach is reflected in my Department's policy statements: Changing Our Ways, 1998, Delivering Change, 2002, and Taking Stock Moving Forward, 2004.

Successful producer responsibility initiatives operate in Ireland in packaging, farm plastics and construction and demolition wastes. I recently made regulations to streamline further the packaging regulations made in 2003. The idea of producer responsibility is embedded in waste management policy and practice, but we need to build on this experience so it can contribute to waste prevention and reduce negative environmental impacts. Extended producer responsibility involves assigning increased responsibility to producers. It gives producers a direct financial incentive to incorporate environmental considerations in the design of products. It deals not only with the waste phase, but also with upstream issues relating to resource selection and product design. The focus on design is included in EU legislation on end-of-life vehicles and waste electrical and electronic equipment and the directives on the restriction of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Regulations transposing the directives into Irish law will be made this year.

Producer responsibility places financial and logistical burdens on producers. Local authorities play an important complementary role in providing the necessary infrastructure and enforcement. The Government is committed to establishing an effective regime to ensure that producer responsibility initiatives are backed up by effective enforcement. The establishment of the Office of Environmental Enforcement in the EPA in late 2003 and the provision of additional funding to local authorities from the environment fund to facilitate co-ordinated and stepped-up enforcement of waste management legislation are intended to assist in this regard. The national waste prevention programme, which is being developed and implemented by the EPA, involves the development of waste prevention and minimisation strategies aimed at reducing negative environmental impacts. The EPA was given an initial budget of €2 million to fund the programme.