Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 614: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the Programme for Government to establish community-based litterwatch systems. [17961/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The commitment in the Programme for Government to establish community-based "litter watch" systems was given in the context of protecting Ireland's scenic amenities and combating fly-tipping.

The Protecting Uplands and Rural Environments (PURE) Project was a pilot project launched on 1 September 2006 to combat the escalating problem of fly-tipping and small scale illegal dumping in the scenic area encompassed by the Wicklow and Dublin Uplands. This project is a regional environmental partnership initiative that unites all relevant statutory and non-statutory interests in the Wicklow and Dublin Uplands, including the relevant local authorities, Coillte, my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service, ESB and a number of non-statutory organisations represented by the Wicklow Uplands Council.

My Department agreed to provide funding of €350,000 over the three-year lifespan of the project. It is a condition of this funding that the lead public body — Wicklow County Council — will conduct a full review of the operation and effectiveness of the project at the end of the three-year funding period. The results of this review will assist in assessing how best to meet the commitment referred to in the Question.