Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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214. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the special weight allowance for waste collection services will be put in place for those households that have a person with incontinence. [44041/19]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Since mid-2017, a range of charging options have operated, which encourage householders to reduce and separate their waste. This provides flexibility to waste collectors to develop various service-price offerings that suit different household circumstances. Mandatory per kilogramme 'pay by weight' charging was not introduced. ​A Price Monitoring Group (PMG) was established in mid-2017 to monitor the on-going cost of residential waste collection to homeowners across Ireland as the ‘flat-rate structure’ was being phased out. While fluctuations in prices and service offerings have been observed, the overall trend has been relative price stability.

My Department has been examining this issue in detail and has engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representative organisations and the HSE, in an effort to see how best to provide a financial support to persons with long-term incontinence with respect to the disposal of medical incontinence wear. However, there are complex issues at play in this area, which are understandable given the sensitive nature of the medical data in question.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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215. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated full-year cost of monitoring the prices of residential waste collection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44044/19]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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A Price Monitoring Group (PMG) has met on a monthly basis since September 2017 to monitor the on-going cost of residential waste collection to homeowners across Ireland. The group monitors 26 service offerings across the State (comprising 19 individual companies with several of those being monitored in more than one area). To date the PMG has cost €47,810. Further information on the PMG is available at www.dccae.gov.ie.