Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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81. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider establishing a dumping taskforce in Cork city. [27601/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Under the Waste Management Act, the primary responsibility for management and enforcement responses to illegal dumping lies with the local authorities. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the most appropriate awareness, enforcement and clean-up actions in relation to illegal dumping taking account of local circumstances. It is a matter for Cork City Council to decide on whether or not they wish to establish a taskforce to deal with illegal dumping issues.

My Department provides significant support to the local authority sector in their efforts to tackle illegal dumping. Almost €18m has been provided to the sector under the Anti-Dumping Initiative (ADI) since it was first introduced in 2017 to encourage a collaborative approach between local authorities, community groups and other State Agencies. €2.84mn was provided in support of the ADI in 2023, while a further €3mn has been allocated in support of the Initiative in 2024.

A project such as that suggested by the Deputy may be eligible for support under the ADI, but an application for such funding would have to be prepared by Cork City Council and directed to the appropriate Waste Enforcement Regional Lead Authority (WERLA) who administer the scheme on behalf of the Department. Cork City Council received €99,807 under the 2023 ADI which supported the delivery of 11 projects across the city.

My Department also continues to invest heavily in the local authority waste enforcement network through the Waste Enforcement Measures Grant Scheme, with the intention of maintaining a visible presence of waste enforcement personnel on the ground across the State. €7.7m was provided to local authorities under the scheme in 2023 with a similar amount allocated for 2024. €275,000 was provided to Cork City Council under the scheme in 2023.