I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 155 together.
Information in relation to unauthorised waste activity is received in my Department from a number of sources, including complaints from members of the public, representations by public representatives and media reports. The scale of the waste activities in question would encompass, for instance, littering, very small scale dumping of bags of household waste, fly-tipping of lorry loads of waste and dumping of burnt out vehicles and end of life vehicles, as well as cases of large scale and organised dumping activities, such as those discovered last year.
Under section 59 of the Waste Management Act, 1996, each local authority is responsible for supervision and enforcement of the relevant provisions of the Act in relation to the holding, recovery and disposal of waste within its functional area. Neither functions of this kind, nor the investigation of unauthorised waste activities, have been conferred on the Minister for the Environment and Local Government. Accordingly, allegations in relation to unauthorised waste activity are not catalogued in detail by my Department. However, any apparently substantive complaint or notification regarding alleged illegal waste activity would normally be referred to the relevant local authority for attention and appropriate action. It may also be considered appropriate to refer matters to the EPA in certain circumstances.
When the recent and very serious cases of unauthorised waste dumping in Wicklow were brought to my attention, I requested the Garda Commissioner to consider the possible involvement of An Garda Síochána in investigating such activity. I welcome the subsequent decision of the Garda Commissioner to assign a substantial team of officers from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation to conduct a full-time investigation, in conjunction with relevant local authorities and other appropriate public bodies, of current allegations of criminality or suspected criminality in connection with illegal dumping.