Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 87: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on whether the end-of life vehicles draft regulations would push up the cost of cars; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16622/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) incorporates measures aimed at

∙meeting new recovery and recycling targets for ELVs;

∙ensuring that all end-of-life vehicles are deposited, dismantled, treated and recovered by industry at no cost to the final holder / owner of that vehicle and in a manner that does not cause environmental pollution;

∙producers meeting the costs of free take-back of end-of-life vehicles with no market value;

∙introducing systems whereby certificates of destruction are notified to the vehicle registration authorities on the deposit of end-of-life vehicles by their registered owners at authorised treatment facilities (ATFs) for appropriate treatment and recovery; and

∙minimising the use of specified hazardous substances in vehicles.

Enabling legislative provisions were included in the Protection of the Environment Act 2003 — which inserts a new part in the Waste Management Act 1996 — to facilitate the development of regulations concerning implementation of the Directive. I recently published draft Waste Management (End-of-Life) Vehicle Regulations 2006 which will fully transpose and provide the framework for the implementation of the ELV Directive. The Regulations were published in draft form to allow for a period of public consultation which concluded on 24 March. The Regulations will be finalised shortly.

Under the draft Regulations, responsibility for putting in place a national network of authorised treatment facilities providing take-back of end-of-life vehicles of any particular brand will rest with the producer of that brand. As is the case in a number of European Union Member States, issues in relation to cost of take-back of end-of-life vehicles will be the subject of contractual arrangements between each producer and the ATFs that form part of that producer's national network. There is evidence in other Member States that the cost to industry of meeting its obligations in respect of ELVs has been low in proportion to industry turnover. Ultimately, market forces determine whether increases in any input costs to industry, whether they are ELV-related costs or costs of raw materials, transport etc., are absorbed or passed on.