asked the Minister for the Environment the number of prosecutions which were successfully brought against people for throwing litter on the streets in each of the last three years; and in which counties and cities these prosecutions were brought.
Written Answers. - Litter Prosecutions.
894.
The information requested is not available in my Department. However, by way of example, the following information has been obtained from Dublin and Cork Corporations:—
|
Dublin Corporation |
Cork Corporation |
|||||
|
1979 |
1980 |
1981 |
1979 |
1980 |
1981 |
|
|
(a) Number of Convictions |
26 |
10 |
5 |
22 |
24 |
8 |
|
(b) Amount of Fines Imposed |
£137 |
£62 |
£41 |
£102 |
£140 |
£52 |
Normally litter offences are prosecuted under section 52 of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963, but these provisions have proved deficient. The Litter Bill, which I have re-introduced in the Dáil, provides substantially strengthened powers for local authorities to deal with littering, including an increase in the penalty from £10 to a maximum of £500 and provision for a fine-on-the-spot system to be operated by local authorities. Under the provisions of the Bill there will also be a duty on local authorities to take positive measures for the prevention of the creation of litter.