Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 September 2004
27 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the preliminary ruling of the European Court of Justice in the case taken by the Commission against Ireland regarding the failure to comply with EU directives on waste disposal, including illegal dumping; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22576/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt would be premature to comment in detail on the relevant opinion of the Advocate General, given the further considerations which must be given to this matter by the European Court. However, I intend that the opinion will be carefully assessed and where gaps have been identified in our current control regime these will be urgently rectified. Nevertheless, it must be stressed that this case relates to past activities and, in the interim, substantial advances have been made in the statutory provisions governing waste management in Ireland, and their enforcement. These include the following: the Waste Management Act 1996, as amended by the Waste Management (Amendment) Act 2001, and the Protection of the Environment Act 2003, along with a range of supporting regulations, have brought the law in relation to waste into line with best European practice; the licensing regime operated by the EPA has also significantly evolved and over 160 waste licences have been issued by the agency to date; the provision of modernised waste infrastructure and services, all fully licensed, is continuing at an accelerated pace; for all existing municipal waste disposal sites operate under EPA waste licences; and the significant national overview of waste management, Taking Stock and Moving Forward — April 2004 — demonstrated considerable advances in the provision of waste services between 2001 and 2003: the number of bring banks increased from 1,400 to 1,700, civic amenity sites increased from 46 to 61 and the position regarding licensed landfill capacity also showed improvement.
I regard enforcement as a key element in making further progress. This objective is being advanced in a number of ways. There has been considerable strengthening of enforcement powers and penalties under the Protection of the Environment Act 2003. I have allocated €7 million for the first year of a major five-year campaign of waste enforcement activity with the objective of supporting and enhancing local authority enforcement activity. The Office of Environmental Enforcement, OEE, has been established and has in turn established a national enforcement network to ensure a consistent standard of enforcement quality and evenness of activity across local authorities. The OEE has recently engaged consultants to conduct a study of unauthorised waste activities, which will include establishing the extent of unauthorised activities, a review of current procedures and the development of guidance on investigation of unauthorised activity.
I intend to continue to place major emphasis on ensuring further progress, including any further measures which may prove necessary in response to the prospective judgment of the European Court.
