Joan Collins
Question:13. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide an update on the investigation into the waste management industry. [5837/15]
View answerThursday, 12 February 2015
Questions (13)
Written answers
I understand that there are approximately 100 registered domestic waste collection companies operating in Ireland and they employ 8,000 workers directly. The indirect labour figure (agency/contract) is less clear. Given the number of companies competing for business, the cost of service delivery is a deciding factor in winning customers and forms part of the differentiation in terms of competing on cost to the customer.
As in the case of many other service provision sectors characterised by internal competition, wage costs are an important component of overall costs. Consequently service providers who can reduce their wage costs obtain an initial competitive advantage over others.
It appears that, for the majority of operators in the waste collection sector, many pay rates at or slightly above the national minimum wage.
Mindful that the need for proper compliance with legislation is in the workers and the wider public interest, I sought and received reports from the relevant Agencies under the aegis of my Department on the operation of the wider waste collection sector. These reports have been furnished. These Agencies included the National Employment Rights Authority, the Health and Safety Authority, the Labour Relations Commission and the then National Consumer Agency and Competition Authority.
These reports reflect significant engagement across health and safety, employment rights protection and input on customer service charters to the benefit of consumers. The Competition Authority, as part of the Action Plan for Jobs, has worked with the Department of Environment Community and Local Government and other relevant agencies to determine full set of data required to facilitate comprehensive analysis of waste collection markets. Following completion of an assessment of data currently available in relation to waste collection, the merged Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has been engaging with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG) and has set out the data considered necessary to undertake a meaningful study/analysis of competition in the household waste collection sector.