Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if there is provision in legislation for exemptions to the plastic bag levy for those customers who buy alcohol [50697/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The legislation which provides for the environmental levy is the Waste Management (Environmental Levy) (Plastic Bag) Regulations 2001. There is no specific provision in the legislation for exemptions to the environmental levy on plastic bags for customers buying alcohol.

Regulation 5 outlines the situations where plastic bags are exempted from the 22 cent environmental levy, including as follows –

(i) Plastic bags solely used to contain fresh fish, meat and poultry, provided that the bags are not greater in dimension than 225 mm in width (exclusive of any gussets), by 345 mm in depth (inclusive of any gussets), and by 450 mm in length (inclusive of any handles),

(ii) Plastic bags solely used to contain packaged (including in another plastic bag) fresh uncooked fish, meat or poultry products, provided that the bags do not exceed the dimensions indicated at (i) above,

(iii) Plastic bags solely used to contain non-packaged (loose) fruit, nuts or vegetables, confectionery (including unwrapped bread), dairy products, cooked food (whether cold or hot) and ice, provided that the bags do not exceed the dimensions indicated at (i) above.

Plastic bags are exempt from the levy when used to contain only the aforementioned foodstuffs. If items other than those specified above are placed in the same bag then the levy is applicable.

The Regulations further provide that plastic bags designed for reuse, and which are sold to customers for a sum of not less than 70 cent each, are also exempted from the levy.