Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has proposals to deal with the spread of litter here which in many areas is a blot on the landscape. [14004/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Under the Litter Acts, the primary management and enforcement response to littering is a matter for local authorities. The role of my Department is to provide the legislative framework to combat litter pollution, and to motivate and energise anti-litter responses as necessary. It is the responsibility of each local authority to undertake the most appropriate enforcement and clean-up actions in relation to litter, taking account of local circumstances and priorities. My Department oversees the National Litter Pollution Monitoring System (NLPMS), which measures the extent, composition and causes of litter pollution at the local and national level. The most recent results published in July 2007 show that cigarette, chewing gum and packaging related litter were among the main components of litter in Ireland in 2006. It also shows that, while litter is still a serious problem here, the situation is improving gradually each year.

I am convinced that tackling the problem of litter requires a multi-faceted approach incorporating enforcement, public awareness and education. To that end, my Department is involved in several anti-litter initiatives including:

National Spring Clean

Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) Litter League

Green Schools Programme

Tidy Towns

Protecting Uplands and Rural Environments (PURE)

Local Authority Anti-Litter Awareness Grants

Negotiated Agreements with the Chewing Gum and Banking industries.

In addition, I increased the on-the-spot litter fine from €125 to €150 on 30 September 2007 to send out a clear message that litter pollution will not be tolerated. The behaviour of the few who do not dispose of their litter in a responsible way needs to be changed and I hope that the increase in the litter fine will have the appropriate impact in that regard.