Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 911: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures taken nationally to counter the problem of fly-tipping; the amount fly-tipping costs the State to deal with each year; and if a litter watch system to combat fly-tipping has been set up. [27199/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Actions against illegal waste activity are a matter for the local authorities and the Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE). I am satisfied that appropriate powers are available to these enforcement authorities.

The 2005 report of the OEE, The Nature and Extent of Unauthorised Waste Activity in Ireland, identifies the unauthorised collection and fly-tipping of waste as one of the problem areas in regard to waste management which need to be further tackled. The report draws attention to the measures already being taken, including the appointment of some one hundred and twenty additional enforcement officers across local authorities, funded by my Department, and the stepped up enforcement activity generally being led by the Office and the local authorities. The report also identifies additional actions which would further support the effort to stamp out this socially and environmentally unacceptable practice. The implementation of these actions is being coordinated by the OEE through its National Enforcement Network. My Department does not collate statistics on the cost of dealing with fly-tipping.

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 is 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 will be fully reviewed at the end of its three-year funding period and the results of this review will assist in assessing future policy options.