The opening paragraph of document No. 521 states that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has today, 1 July, launched a new policy for e-planning. We will ask the Department to forward a copy of the policy. We have just received the press release but not the details of the policy. All we have seen is a one-page press release. The Deputy is correct. We all know the situation and how large an EIS can be. Most consultants bring the EIS in on CD to the local authority but the local authority cannot download it because it is not allowed do so under e-planning rules and has to print off the copy. If somebody needs a copy, he or she has to take a photocopy of the hard copy, notwithstanding the fact that the electronic disc is sitting in the local authority and cannot be accessed. We will ask for a copy of the policy document issued by the Minister and referred to in his press release because we have not seen any details. We will take the issue from there.
Item No. 522 is a European water newsletter and we note it. Item No. 523 is a list of proposals for EU legislation and decisions taken at the Joint Committee on EU Scrutiny and we note it. Item No. 524 is the Irish Human Rights Commission bulletin and we note it. Item No. 525 is the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the local government fund accounts 2007. One copy is supplied and is available to the clerk. We will put it on our work schedule for future consideration. A short annual report is produced on the local government fund, the main item of which is the motor tax income from local authorities and the Exchequer funding to local authorities. We will put that matter on our work programme for future consideration.
Item No. 526 is an EPA report entitled Strive: Innovation for a Green Economy — Environment and Technology and we note it. I think all Deputies have seen that document. Item No. 527 is the Combat Poverty Agency annual report 2008 and we note it. Item No. 528 is a letter from the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers commenting on the presentation last Friday by the Irish Property Owners' Association. Item No. 529 is from Threshold on the same topic. We have agreed to invite them to our meeting on 28 July, so we have dealt with both those items.
Item No. 530 is a press release on the future management of the former Irish Steel site at Haulbowline — Cork Deputies please note — and we note it. Item No. 531 is a ministerial press release on a consultation document on proposed amendments to Part M of the building regulations which deals with access for people with disabilities, and a technical guidance document for a final round of publication consultation and we note it.
Item No. 532 is data on a county by county basis, as requested by this committee, at our meeting on waste management on 27 January in regard to businesses registered with local authorities and self-compliers under the packaging legislation. That is very interesting. I will refresh members' memories on this issue without looking at the documentation. Members will recall that all businesses have a legal obligation to deal with packaging material, for example, boxes, cartons and so on. Most businesses register with Repak and that fulfils their obligation and Repak enter into a financial arrangement with the company. However, there is a second option, that is that a company can register with the local authority and make its own commercial arrangements in regard to packaging material without dealing with Repak.
Some months ago we asked for a list of all those companies that have registered with the respective local authorities. Members got an e-mail about this last week. We are concerned that companies are not registering with local authorities or Repak. This is the first report that has been produced at our insistence. Every time we asked, information was not available we now have a report. The most common name in all local authorities is Supermacs. It is the only one registered in Laois and several other counties. Some of the larger counties have several businesses but obviously Supermacs nationwide has decided to register separately with the local authorities. It pays €500 to deal with registration and then it is obliged to submit the tonnages of repackaging materials it disposes of and then it makes its own separate commercial arrangement but with whom I do not. I suggest we forward the list to Repak because Repak will now know who is registered with the local authorities. I am informed that the Department made 2,000 waste packaging visits last year to different businesses throughout the country and it is currently conducting a pilot study in seven local authorities to check compliance with the packing regulation for businesses.
We have also received some circulars: F33 2009, Submission of Statements and Declarations under the Local Elections (Disclosure of Donations and Expenditure) Act 1999, relates to candidates for the local elections; L5/09, Water Services Investment Programme; and LG(P) 11/2009 — Peace 111 and INTERREG sanction of posts.
Members will recall at our meeting with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland in February that we considered the possibility of a statutory role for local authorities in monitoring radon and devising a radon protection strategy for their constituent areas. Have members considered the replies? The document has been submitted. Members have probably looked at the report in respect of their own local authority. Have members a view on this issue?
