Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 186: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will introduce legislation governing the use of metal and bag skips which are proliferating in residential areas and which are causing a public nuisance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45481/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Section 72 of the Roads Act 1993 confers powers on local authorities to make by-laws governing the use of skips on public roads including the requirement to obtain a permit from the local authority when siting a skip on a public road. The local authority may attach various conditions to the permit including conditions relating to the siting and removal of skips, the dimensions and other characteristics of skips, the lighting and marking of skips for the purpose of making them readily visible to road users, the care and disposal of the contents of skips, the earliest practicable removal of skips once full and the clear and indelible marking of skips with the name, address and telephone number of the owner or provider.

Enforcement of these conditions is a matter for the relevant local authority. Skip bags have become increasingly popular with the public as an alternative to the more traditional skip and particularly in circumstances where there is not enough waste to justify hiring a full-sized skip but too much for the regular household collection. Skip bags are distributed through a network of retailers and are collected by a permitted waste collection company.