Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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363. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amount spent on bottled water and disposable coffee cups by his Department to date in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48193/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department has spent €413 (excluding VAT) on bottled water to date in 2019.

My Department has not spent anything on disposable coffee cups to date in 2019. Staff were provided with reusable coffee cups this year and and an annual drop in demand of over 12,000 disposable cups is now anticipated at the Custom House alone.  

My Department operates an Environmental Management System accredited to ISO 14001/2014 in the Custom House and, in support of this, in 2018, my Department ceased the purchase of single-use plastic beverage cups, cutlery and drinking straws in advance of the 2019 Government decision on this issue. Following the success of our proactive cups initiative we have also ceased the use of the expanded polystyrene food containers in the Custom House canteen.