Written Answers. - Parliamentary Debates - Houses of the Oireachtas

Questions— 14 February 2012. Written Answers
Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
(Deputy Jan O’Sullivan): I have no function in relation to the matter raised. Under section 30
of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2010, I am specifically precluded from exercising
any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or An
Bord Pleanála is or may be concerned.
Waste Management
442. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local
Government the regulations under which the Greyhound waste group operates its services in
the Dublin region; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7981/12]
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Phil Hogan):
Waste collection in Ireland is subject to compliance with applicable environmental and other
relevant legislation, primarily the Waste Management Act 1996, as amended, and conditions
attached to each waste collector’s collection permit issued by the relevant local authority under
the Waste Management (Collection Permit) Regulations 2007, as amended. Waste collection
in individual local authority areas may also be subject to local bye-laws. These requirements
apply regardless of the location of a waste collector’s corporate headquarters.
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce competitive tendering
for household waste collection, under which service providers would bid to provide waste collection
services in a given area, for a given period of time and to a guaranteed level of service.
A public consultation designed to inform the policy development process concluded in
September 2011. A large number of responses were received from a broad spectrum of
interests. As one might expect, a consensus is not apparent and, on almost all of the relevant
issues, a considerable breadth of opinion was expressed. All of the responses received, in
addition to a summary document, are available on my Department’s website, www.environ.ie.
My Department is currently undertaking a regulatory impact analysis to examine the costs,
benefits and other impacts of options for change, and to inform how best to regulate the
household waste collection market. My overall policy objective is to improve the functioning
of waste management in this country. I expect to be in a position to submit final proposals in
relation to household waste collection to Government by Easter this year.
Planning Issues
443. Deputy Patrick O’Donovan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and
Local Government the action a community association must take in order to request that its
estate be taken in charge by a local authority, either through a plebiscite or other means.
[8043/12]
Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
(Deputy Jan O’Sullivan): Section 180 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 applies to
estates which have been granted planning permission and include the construction of two or
more houses (which as defined in the Act includes apartments) and the provision of new roads,
open spaces, car parks, sewers, watermains or drains. In relation to estates which have been
completed to the satisfaction of the planning authority in accordance with the permission,
section 180 provides that the planning authority must if requested to do so by the developer
or by the majority of the qualified electors who are owners of the houses involved, initiate the
procedures in section 11 of the Roads Act 1993 for declaring the road(s) to be public roads,
for whose maintenance the local authority will then be responsible.
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