Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 200: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures he has taken regarding the increased incidence of fly-tipping across the country; if additional staff or funding has been allocated to tackle this issue; the number of prosecutions that have taken place in relation to illegal fly-tipping; and if his attention has been drawn to problems of this nature in South Tipperary. [26029/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Enforcement 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 and resources are available to these enforcement authorities. I have no specific information on illegal dumping problems in South Tipperary.

The 2005 report of the OEE, The Nature and Extent of Unauthorised Waste Activity in Ireland, identified the unauthorised collection and fly-tipping of waste as a problem area which needed to be further tackled. The extent of fly-tipping is not, however, quantified in the report. The report drew attention to the measures already being taken, including the appointment of some one hundred and twenty additional enforcement officers across the local authorities who continue to be funded by my Department, and the stepped up enforcement activity generally being led by the OEE and the local authorities. It also identified additional actions which would further support the effort to stamp out this socially and environmentally unacceptable practice, such as a "man in the van" advertisement campaign and use of covert cameras. Non-routine actions are now commonplace, and include vehicle checkpoints and use of CCTV cameras for identification of offenders at fly-tipping hotspots. The implementation of these actions is coordinated on an ongoing basis by the OEE through its National Enforcement Network.

In addition, in April 2010, my Department informed local authorities that additional funding will be provided towards the costs associated with staff deployment for enforcement related activities. This will further underpin enforcement efforts in 2010.

In terms of enforcement activity, the data for 2008 indicate there were 19,269 routine litter patrol investigations, 27,825 on the spot fines issued and 608 litter prosecutions. In addition, 12,000 non-litter waste complaints inspections and a further 2,434 other inspections for fly-tipping waste, burning or other surveillance purposes were undertaken by the local authorities. There were 8,151 waste enforcement notices issued and 695 prosecutions initiated but a breakdown as to how many of these related to fly-tipping is not available. Overall, this represents a very significant quantum of enforcement, consistent with the findings of the OEE's Focus on Environmental Enforcement in Ireland, covering the period 2006 to 2008, which indicates that the handling of waste-related complaints has significantly improved.

I have recently introduced new measures designed to underpin further the effort to combat litter. I have allocated €1.5 million over three years in support of a new initiative, the Tourist Season Anti Litter Grant Scheme, to assist local authorities in their efforts to tackle litter pollution at key tourist destinations and on key access routes during the peak summer period. It is the responsibility of the local authorities to decide and prioritise where these resources are utilised.

I have also recently announced the establishment of an Action Group to tackle the problem of rural and roadside litter. The Group will comprise representatives from my Department, the Department of Transport, the National Roads Authority, local authorities, Fáilte Ireland and the Office of Environmental Enforcement, and is being tasked with reporting back with specific recommendations to underpin further progress in this area.