Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 291: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if further measures will be taken to clear chewing gum deposits from pavements and unsightly spray paint on property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47373/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Under the Litter Acts, the primary management and enforcement response to littering, including the removal of chewing gum and graffiti, must come from 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 a matter for each local authority to take the most appropriate enforcement and clean-up actions in relation to litter, taking account of local circumstances and priorities.

In relation to graffiti, I am fully aware of the blight on communities which graffiti causes. To this end, following the evaluation of a pilot anti-graffiti programme carried out by my Department, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, a new programme, The National Community Graffiti Reduction Programme, was launched on the 9 April 2008, administered by Pobal on behalf of the Departments involved. Under this programme up to €4 million was made available in 2008 to enable communities to develop coherent long term strategies to tackle the graffiti problem.