Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 8 Mar 2000

Vol. 516 No. 1

Written Answers. - Motor Vehicle Disposal.

Pat Rabbitte

Ceist:

93 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the growing number of abandoned old cars, probably deriving from the introduction of the national car test; the additional moneys, if any, he will make available to local authorities to employ clean-up teams; the steps, if any, he will take to require the motor industry to make an appropriate contribution to the costs involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7198/00]

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government (Mr. D. Wallace):

Statistics available to my Department indicate that greater numbers of old vehicles are being decommissioned than heretofore. Section 32(1) of the Waste Management Act, 1996, prohibits the holding, transport, recovery or disposal of waste in a manner that causes or is likely to cause environmental pollution. This general duty of care applies, inter alia, to the owner of an end-of-life vehicle – ELV. ELVs may be transferred to one of a number of facilities that have been permitted under the Waste Management (Permit) Regulations, 1998, to undertake the dismantling and recovery of such vehicles.

Section 71 of the 1996 Act specifically prohibits the abandonment of vehicles on any land and empowers local authorities to deal appropriately with abandoned cars. It is entirely a matter for individual local authorities to take the appropriate necessary steps in this regard and to determine their own expenditure requirements in the context of their annual estimates. There are no additional moneys available from my Department to assist local authorities in this regard.

In 1998, my Department initiated discussions with the Society of the Irish Motor Industry – SIMI – towards a producer responsibility initiative in relation to ELVs. Initial proposals for an ELV management system for Ireland were submitted by SIMI in December 1999. These proposals are currently being examined and it is my objective to secure agreement on an acceptable vehicle recovery scheme not later than autumn of this year.