Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 9 Oct 1996

Vol. 469 No. 6

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Litter Pollution.

Máirín Quill

Ceist:

33 Miss Quill asked the Minister for the Environment if he has studied the findings of the most recent survey on litter carried out by Irish Business Against Litter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17934/96]

Desmond J. O'Malley

Ceist:

50 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for the Environment the cost of the current anti-litter television campaign; and his views on whether this campaign represents good value for money. [17933/96]

Máirín Quill

Ceist:

60 Miss Quill asked the Minister for the Environment the number of litter fines imposed in each local authority area in each of the years from 1992 to 1995. [17927/96]

Seán Power

Ceist:

71 Mr. Power asked the Minister for the Environment the number of on-the-spot fines issued under the litter laws to date in 1996; and the total number of such fines issued in 1995. [17857/96]

Helen Keogh

Ceist:

79 Ms. Keogh asked the Minister for the Environment the number of litter fines imposed in each local authority area in each of the years from 1992 to 1995. [17926/96]

Mr. Howlin

I propose to take Questions Nos. 33, 50, 60, 71 and 79 together.

I welcome the initiative by the Irish Business Against Litter Group, IBAL, in commissioning a further attitude survey on litter. This complements both an earlier IBAL attitude survey and a detailed assessment published by my Department on the composition and incidence of litter.

We now possess detailed information on the nature and extent of litter pollution and of its negative effects on Ireland's outdoor environment. This clearer evidence reinforces my determination to maintain and build on the Action Against Litter initiative which I launched earlier this year.

A provision of £400,000 has been made in my Department's Vote for this initiative in 1996. Of this, an estimated £325,000 is being expended to promote a multi-media campaign directed at increasing public awareness of the harmful and polluting effects of litter. I am fully satisfied that the public awareness campaign is justified and well targeted and that it represents good value for money relative to the major costs being home borne by local authorities to remedy the effects of litter.

Information on the numbers of on-the-spot fines issued by local authorities in the period from 1992 to 1995 is set out in a table which I propose to circulate in the Official Report. Information in respect of 1996 will be compiled early next year.

Authority	On-the-Spot Fines Issued
1995	1994	1993	1992
County Councils
Carlow	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Cavan	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Clare	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Cork	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Donegal	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Dublin	N/A	N/A	N/A	123
Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown	38	29	26	N/A
Fingal	33	54	68	N/A
Galway	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Kerry	Nil	2	Nil	Nil
Kildare	Nil	Nil	7	15
Kilkenny	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Laois	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Leitrim	10	Nil	Nil	5
Limerick	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Longford	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Louth	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Mayo	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Meath	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Monaghan	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Offaly	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Roscommon	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Sligo	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Sth. Dublin	331	191	128	N/A
Tipperary NR	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Tipperary SR	Nil	1	9	Nil
Waterford	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Westmeath	Nil	3	5	2
Wexford	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Wicklow	11	4	9	8
County Boroughs
Cork	Nil	Nil	44	1
Dublin	80	100	38	44
Galway	45	68	70	6
Limerick	13	Nil	Nil	Nil
Waterford	14	8	46	43
Borough Corporations
Clonmel	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Drogheda	7	8	5	7
Sligo	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Wexford	8	2	Nil	Nil
Kilkenny	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Urban District Councils
Arklow	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Athlone	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Athy	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Ballina	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Ballinasloe	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Birr	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Bray	22	3	6	Nil
Buncrana	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Bundoran	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Carlow	2	3	Nil	9
Carrickmacross	1	Nil	Nil	Nil
Carrick-on-Suir	Nil	3	Nil	3
Cashel	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Castlebar	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Castleblayney	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Cavan	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Ceanannus Mor (Kells)	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Clonakilty	Nil	Nil	Nil	1
Clones	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Cobh	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Dundalk	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Dungarvan	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Ennis	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Enniscorthy	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Fermoy	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Killarney	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Kilrush	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Kinsale	Nil	Nil	Nil	1
Letterkenny	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Listowel	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Longford	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Macroom	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Mallow	5	2	5	Nil
Midleton	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Monaghan	3	2	Nil	2
Naas	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Navan	20	26	24	42
Nenagh	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
New Ross	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Skibbereen	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Templemore	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Thurles	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Tipperary	Nil	1	Nil	Nil
Tralee	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Trim	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Tullamore	3	2	Nil	Nil
Westport	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Wicklow	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Youghal	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil

Miss Quill

The Minister embarked on an anti-litter TV campaign some months ago at a cost of approximately £400,000.

Mr. Howlin

That was for the full multimedia campaign.

Miss Quill

That is the amount expended on the campaign to date. Will the Minister accept that the findings of the survey carried out by the group, Irish Business Against Litter, confirm that the campaign has been a total failure, that there has not been any improvement in the litter problem since it was embarked upon and that 77 per cent of the people surveyed stated that what was needed to address the problem was stronger legislation that would be fully enforced? Will the Minister further accept, even at this late stage, that a carrot and stick approach is needed involving a publicity campaign running simultaneously with newly enacted and properly enforced legislation?

Mr. Howlin

The Deputy is paraphrasing the replies I gave to questions on litter during my previous Question Time. Deputy Quill knows I am fully committed to two approaches. I would be here listening to the Deputy's criticism of being lax and not having an education campaign if I had not embarked on it. We have adopted various approaches in relation to litter. We launched the first major anti-litter campaign, mobilised business with the excellent co-operation of IBEC and the establishment of IBAL. There has been direct contact with local authorities which are now drawing up their own local litter abatement strategy — 30 local authorities have already put that in place. The promised Litter (Amendment) Bill will be introduced in this session and I have already listed its beneficial effects. We have distributed to every primary and secondary school an anti-litter kit. This amounts to a multifaceted campaign. I do not expect that a few advertisements on television, posters or education initiatives will solve this problem in a month or a week. When I launched the campaign I said we have to fundamentally change the attitude of a minority of people and that will require an ongoing, consistent and persistent campaign. Ultimately, however, we need a carrot and stick approach, exhortation and education——

Miss Quill

Laws.

Mr. Howlin

We have strong laws but, unfortunately, they are not well enforced. I am not happy with that.

Mr. E. Ryan

They are not enforceable.

Mr. Howlin

That is a matter for local authorities to prioritise. Everybody can offload this problem onto somebody else——

Mr. E. Ryan

It is the Minister's project.

Mr. Howlin

——but all sectors in the community are now coming together to solve this horrendous environmental problem.

Miss Quill

The Minister said the campaign was well targeted but on two occasions in the past two weeks, following "Questions and Answers" at 11.30 p.m., the anti-litter advertisement was broadcast. Is it the Minister's information that those of us who watch "Questions and Answers" are the citizens who throw litter on the streets, put refuse in unauthorised places and who generally despoil our country? Is that what the Minister calls a well targeted campaign or is that his information?

Mr. Howlin

I have not expended money on individual research of the psychological profile of litterers but it is something I may consider. I do not think there is such a thing as a "character". Should the advertisement be broadcast following some other programme? The reality is that it is broadcast following a variety of programmes. People who watch "Questions and Answers" might drop litter.

Mr. N. Ahern

And so may those who appear on it.

Mr. Howlin

I was travelling in a car with a person who wanted to show me a tourist promotion and during the course of that journey that person casually rolled down the window and threw his cigarette package out the window.

Mr. E. Ryan

Did the Minister arrest him?

Mr. Howlin

Naturally, I berated him but the reality is that that person, who is socially focused and active in community development, did not see that that was a totally unacceptable act. No section of our community is perfect in this regard or immune to advertising and education.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Noting that the reply to Question No. 34, in the name of Deputy Dempsey, is brief, perhaps we can deal with it.