Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 12 Nov 1996

Vol. 471 No. 4

Written Answers - Litter Wardens.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

140 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment the number of litter wardens who are employed in Dublin City; the terms of their employment with regard to working hours per week; his views on whether the powers they have are being properly and adequately used; and if he has satisfied himself with the response to date from the public to his Department's educational campaign on litter. [21099/96]

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Howlin)

Eight litter wardens are employed by the four major local authorities in Dublin. The terms of their working arrangements are a matter for the local authority concerned.

I have already indicated that I intend to introduce new legislation to replace the Litter Act, 1982 which will strengthen the powers of local authorities and litter wardens in relation to the prevention and control of litter, as well as providing for stronger enforcement powers against offenders. Drafting of the new Bill is being finalised with a view to early publication.

I am satisified that the public awareness campaign promoted by my Department is well targeted and that it has served to raise anti-litter awareness with the general public. This campaign will be sustained into the future and, with further implementation of other measures contained in the Action Against Litter strategy, the incidence of public littering is expected to be reduced.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

141 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment the number of drinking water samples taken in 1994 and 1995 which contained pesticide residues at concentrations above the legally acceptable limit. [21100/96]

Trevor Sargent

Question:

142 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment the amount of money spent in 1994 and 1995 by local authorities on the removal of pesticides from drinking water. [21101/96]

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Howlin)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 142 together.

In accordance with their statutory responsibilities for the monitoring of drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency has surveyed and reported on pesticide levels countrywide. The agency's report, entitled Pesticides in Drinking Waters (1996), is available in the Oireachtas Library.

The Environmental Protection Agency survey checked for the presence of 34 pesticide compounds, selected on the basis of their use in Ireland, in a total of 251 samples of drinking water and entailing over 3,300 individual analyses. No evidence of persistent background contamination by any of the target pesticide compounds was found. In three samples, pesticides residues in excess of the 0.1 ug/1 limit specified in the European Communities (Quality of Water Intended for Human Consumption) Regulations, 1988 were detected. In these cases, the supplies were resampled and found to be clear of residues.

The results of the Environmental Protection Agency survey do not establish a need for the provision of specific treatment facilities for the removal of pesticides from drinking water in view of the satisfactory position in relation to the quality of supplies and the survey's conclusion that raw water sources for these supplies were also free from pollution by the target pesticide compounds.