Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 March 2017
255. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of fines issued for each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017 for breach of dog fouling legislation by local authority in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14352/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009 provide the statutory framework to combat littering and include provisions relating to dog fouling. Under the Acts, the primary management and enforcement response to littering (including dog fouling) is a matter for local authorities, taking account of its own local circumstances and priorities. My Department collates a wide range of data annually on litter statistics, including local authority expenditure on clean-up activity and litter wardens, and the total amount of fines received by local authorities. However, it does not collate the specific data sought by the Deputy. Data is available under the local authority service indicators report on the number of fines issued generally, along with the number of prosecutions and convictions, under the Litter Pollution Acts. The 2013 local authority service indicators report, together with previous years’ reports, is available at: www.lgma.ie/en/serviceindicators/2004to2013
Responsibility for this reporting transferred the National Oversight and Audit Committee (NOAC) in 2014, and the most recent report can be found at
http://noac.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/NOAC-Performance-Indicators-Report-2014.pdf
In addition, my Department funds the production of the National Litter Pollution Monitoring Survey Report, which provides data on the level of litter pollution nationally, principal constituents of the litter, and causes of litter pollution. The reports are published on
http://litter.ie
Raising awareness of the litter problem, and educating our young people, are key to effecting a long-term change in society’s attitudes towards litter disposal but, ultimately, it is the responsibility of each individual to ensure that they play their part in preserving the environment for others through the responsible disposal of their litter, including that arising from dog fouling.
