Vol. 533 No. 6
300 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the provisions he is putting in place to ensure that old age pensioners and similar recipients of social welfare payments can pay for their refuse collections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9463/01]
Local authorities are empowered by the Local Government (Financial Provisions) (No. 2) Act, 1983, as amended, to charge for the services that they provide.
A local authority may, on the grounds of personal hardship, waive all or a portion of a charge made by it for the collection of domestic refuse or, where the waste collection services are provided by commercial concerns, subsidise the fees payable.
The question of waivers is entirely a matter for local authorities and one in which I have no function.
