Vol. 522 No. 4
192 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he has satisfied himself with the current provisions in legislation in respect of eliminating the practice of abandoning of vehicles in public areas; the plans, if any, he has to amend this legislation to curb this practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19087/00]
The legal position with regard to the abandonment of vehicles is clear, and I have no proposals to amend the relevant legislation.
Section 32 (1) of the Waste Management Act, 1996, provides that a person shall not hold, transport, recover or dispose of waste in a manner that causes or is likely to cause environmental pollution. This general duty of care applies, inter alia, to the owner of an end-of-life vehicle.
Section 71 of the 1996 Act specifically prohibits the abandonment of vehicles on any land, and empowers local authorities to deal appropriately with such vehicles.
The enforcement of this legislation is a matter for individual local authorities.
