JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT debate -
Tuesday, 4 Nov 2008

Business of Joint Committee.

Chairman

We have received apologies from Deputies James Bannon, Phil Hogan and Christy O'Sullivan and Senator Ciaran Cannon. I remind members to ensure that all mobile telephones are turned off. The minutes of the meeting of 21 October 2008 have been circulated to members. Are the minutes agreed? Agreed. There is nothing arising from the minutes.

The next item on the agenda is correspondence. There is a list of correspondence received since the last meeting. The first is correspondence item No. 2008/255. It is document entitled Traveller Focus Week from Pavee Point Travellers Centre. Is it agreed that we note it? Agreed. The next item is No. 2008/256, European water newsletter. Is it agreed to note the newsletter? Agreed. The next item is No. 2008/257, a newsletter on environmental issues from GLOBE Europe. Is it agreed to note the newsletter? Agreed. The next item is the autumn newsletter on homelessness. Is it agreed to note the newsletter? Agreed. The next item is a letter from Deputy Phil Hogan regarding a request by the Irish Waste Management Association to make a presentation to the committee. Deputy Hogan is not present but at our last meeting he requested that we invite the Environmental Protection Agency to appear before the committee again, probably with this issue in mind. The Irish Waste Management Association has made a request to make a presentation to the committee. Do any of Deputy Hogan's party colleagues wish to comment on the correspondence or will we postpone this business until he is here in person?

Deputy Pádraic McCormack

We should invite them in. Otherwise we will delay matters for another week or more.

Chairman

Deputy Hogan's letter states that there are several problems emerging in relation to waste collection. He goes on to say that there does not appear to be a level playing pitch between public and private sector rules relating to the service. There is also a great deal of bureaucracy and unnecessary regulation. I ask that representatives of the Irish Waste Management Association be allowed to address the committee. Let us agree to invite them in and set a date for such a meeting.

Senator Paudie Coffey

I second that because we need to discuss that issue and another which has arisen in the past week. There is now serious concern regarding the viability of waste services in the country. It would be most appropriate to invite the association and hear its views.

Chairman

We will do that. We will also invite the Environmental Protection Agency again, given that it licenses all of the waste management facilities. We will set a date for that in due course.

The next item is a circular that has been copied to the committee regarding an awareness campaign for the register of electors. I suggest we note that item. A draft report has been circulated on the recent visit by a delegation of the joint committee to Maastricht to attend a European Institute of Public Administration seminar on the making of environmental policy in Brussels. I thank Deputy Bannon for representing the committee at that seminar. Is it agreed to approve the draft report and lay it before the House? Agreed.

There is one other item of correspondence from a company called bioCycle which I propose to deal with at our next meeting, given that members have only just received the letter in question. I have not had time to read it and we must consider our response to it.

The main item on the agenda today is a discussion on the Mayo county development plan. Members will recall a request from two Mayo councillors to meet the committee to discuss their concerns about the ministerial directive that issued after the adoption of the county development plan earlier this year. A delegation from the council is here today to make a presentation. However, having agreed at our last meeting to brief ourselves fully on the circumstances which gave rise to the directive, we will take a briefing from Department officials to inform our deliberations.