Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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47. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will address the fact that the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has refused to play a role in the Government's monitoring of waste collection charges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49108/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Government gave a commitment to consumers to carefully monitor the transition in the sector when introducing the measure to phase out flat fees for household waste collection. Accordingly, I established a Household Waste Collection Price Monitoring Group. Its role is to track the rates charged by waste collectors across the country as flat rate fees are being phased out.

The Price Monitoring Group is chaired by Mr Frank Conway, an independent consumer finances expert, and comprises representatives from the Waste Policy and Resource Efficiency Division and an economist from my Department, a statistician from the Central Statistics Office, and a market research company with expertise in price monitoring.  The company has now completed two data sweeps of the market and has reported the data to the Group.  The Price Monitoring Group will continue its monthly market surveillance during the flat-fee phase out.  

In addition, the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation has asked the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to conduct a study on the operation of the household waste collection market. The CCPC has commenced work in this regard and it hopes to finalise the study in early 2018.  

The CCPC has also outlined its role vis-à-vis the Household Waste Collection Price Monitoring Group. It indicated that it would not be appropriate for it to take part on the Price Monitoring Group as any commentary by that Group could prove problematic in the context of the independent Commission's review of the market. Furthermore, it clarified that its involvement in the Price Monitoring Group could potentially prejudice any future enforcement action that the Commission might deem necessary in the sector.

Notwithstanding the above, the results from the Household Waste Collection Price Monitoring Group will be monitored and analysed. Its surveillance, in conjunction with the study being undertaken by the CCPC, will provide an evidence base regarding future monitoring or the potential need for additional regulation of the waste market.