Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 May 2023
21. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the staffing levels at the price-monitoring group; the estimated cost per year to fill each position, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26465/23]
View answerA Price Monitoring Group (PMG) was established in mid-2017 to monitor the cost of residential waste collection to households in Ireland and to report on pricing trends. The Group operated from September 2017 to December 2020. The Group was chaired by Frank Conway, an independent consumer expert. It included representatives from:
• Officials from the Waste Policy & Resource Efficiency Division and an economist from my Department;
• A statistician from the Central Statistics Office;
• Shelfwatch- an independent price monitoring company.
The costs for the group were:
|
Company |
Cost |
|
Communimax (Frank Conway) |
€69,808.50 |
|
Shelfwatch |
€14,379.02 |
Given the the significant market reforms due to be delivered this year, including introduction of incentivised waste collection charging in the commercial sector, the introduction of a "recovery levy" and the nationwide expansion of kerbside bio-waste collections, I have instructed my officials to reinstitute the Price Monitoring Group to monitor whether fair and transparent pricing is consistent in the market, in line with commitments given in the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy (WAPCE).
My Department will shortly issue requests for tenders for the role of Chair and for a market monitoring company to gather data on the market.
