Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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253. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the contingency plans in place in the event of a company (details supplied) being found to be in breach of health and safety legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36159/14]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Section 60(3) of the Waste Management Act 1996 precludes me from the exercise of any power or control in relation to the performance by a local authority, in particular circumstances, of a statutory function vested in under the Act.  Waste collection is the statutory responsibility of local authorities, in this case, Dublin City Council. Under section 33 of the Waste Management Act 1996 (as amended) there is a general duty on a local authority to either itself collect the household waste in its functional area or alternatively to arrange for its collection by third parties.

Given the strategic importance of waste management to the welfare of the environment and society in general, my Department wrote earlier this month to Dublin City Council requesting a written report on the contingency/scenario planning that has been undertaken by the City Council to provide/arrange for the provision of an alternative household waste collection service in the event of an inability of the particular company in question to maintain collection services to their customers in the City Council area. The City Council confirmed that it was satisfied that there are a sufficient number of other permitted operators in a position to provide a household waste collection service to households in the City Council area at a competitive price.

I understand that the industrial relations dispute referred to has now been resolved and that normal collections have been restored.