Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 539: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures his Department is taking to tackle increased illegal dumping; the additional funding that has been allocated to South Tipperary County Council to clean up illegal dumping; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31488/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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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.

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 which continue to be funded by my Department, and the stepped up enforcement activity generally being led by the OEE and the local authorities. South Tipperary County Council is paid an annual grant of €58,000 to support the employment of additional enforcement officers.

The 2005 OEE Report 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 hot spots. The implementation of these actions is coordinated on an ongoing basis by the OEE through its National Enforcement Network.

Ministerial policy directions under section 60 of the Waste Management Act 1996 were issued in 2005 and 2008 to the waste enforcement authorities to encourage an intensification of action against illegal waste activity and to ensure the effective use of sanctions in this area.

In 2008, 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.