Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 October 2019
178. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the position regarding the urgent need for the provision of a support grant for families that face increased refuse charges due to the fact a family member uses incontinence pads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43797/19]
View answerSince mid-2017, a range of charging options have operated, which encourage householders to reduce and separate their waste. This provides flexibility to waste collectors to develop various service-price offerings that suit different household circumstances. Mandatory per kilogramme 'pay by weight' charging was not introduced. A Price Monitoring Group (PMG) was established in mid-2017 to monitor the on-going cost of residential waste collection to homeowners across Ireland as the ‘flat-rate structure’ was being phased out. While fluctuations in prices and service offerings have been observed, the overall trend has been relative price stability. My Department has engaged with relevant stakeholders, including representative organisations and the HSE, in an effort to see how best to provide a financial support to persons with long-term incontinence with respect to the disposal of medical incontinence wear.
My Department has been examining this issue in detail, however, there are complex issues at play in this area, which are understandable given the sensitive nature of the medical data in question.
