Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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363. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to permit an extension for a waste collection provider where the collection vehicles fail to comply with the new measures required under the pay-by-weight system to be introduced on 1 July 2016 due to financial difficulty, unavoidable delays resulting in difficult time constraints, equipment malfunction, repair or otherwise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12682/16]

Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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364. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the fines, licence reviews, penalisation and statutory or other disciplinary actions waste collection providers will be subject to on failing to comply with the pay-by-weight regulations due to come into effect on 1 July 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12683/16]

Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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365. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to implement a 90-day grace period from 1 July 2016 during which all waste collection providers will be immune from fines, licence reviews, penalisation and any other statuary or other disciplinary actions and afford ample time for them to address unforeseen issues with upgrades to infrastructure, equipment, vehicles and associated machinery or otherwise. [12684/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 363 to 365, inclusive, together.

Under the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations 2007, as amended, there has been a requirement since 1 July 2015 for collectors to weigh household waste collected at kerbside, using approved weighing instruments and to make this information available to the householder. From 1 July 2016 , there will be a requirement to charge on a pay by weight per kilogramme basis for collecting household waste.

In circumstances where an operator does not comply with the legislation, the operator is liable to having their waste collection permit reviewed by the National Waste Collection Permit Office (NWCPO), a process whereby an apparent breach of a waste collection permit condition is investigated. The review process allows the NWCPO to amend the permit, including removing the authorisation for non-compliant vehicles to collect household waste; to direct measures to be taken within a specified timeframe to ensure compliance with the legislation or to ultimately revoke the permit.

A person guilty of an offence under the Act for non-compliance with the requirements concerning the application of pay by weight charging shall be liable on summary conviction to a Class A fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to both such fine and such imprisonment, or on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding €15,000,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

It is not proposed to move the 1 July 2016 deadline with regard to the application of pay by weight, especially in light of the 12-month lead- in period referred to above.