This is my first time speaking during Leaders' Questions, so I will probably go easy on the Taoiseach. Many people in this House have received correspondence and e-mails in regard to bin charges and that whole debacle. I just want to read out one e-mail I got from a chap in the area I live in. I cut it down a little bit. It encapsulates everything that is wrong with these charges:

I want to raise this issue of the new pay-by-weight bin charges announced by Greyhound and other bin companies. I am a full-time carer for my sister, who has Downs syndrome and who suffers from adult urinary incontinence. I need to use my bin daily to dispose of adult nappies and pads. As a result of the new charges, my bin charges will increase from Euro 204 to Euro 304.60. This is a price increase of 50% and in my opinion it is outrageous that this is allowed to happen.

[...]

The Dept of Environment stated that 87% of clients would see their bin charges fall. This is clearly erroneous and misleading information.

I am a life-long environmentalist and I have a compost heap for my green waste. I use my green bin to dispose of all plastics and paper. There is very little else I can do to reduce my own personal liability.

I hope you can now influence this Government to step in before July 1st and prevent this profiteering by these bin companies.

I never thought I would end up in the Dáil.

But I am very proud to represent working people and one poster has stuck in my head for a very long time. It read, "We deserve to live, not just to exist", and that is what is happening to working people in this country at the moment. We talk about a dispensation in this House but there is a dispensation in society whereby working people will not take any more stealth taxes or fiascos such as Irish Water. What is the Taoiseach going to do about this debacle? Will he bring forward legislation to ensure it does not happen again?

Deputy Gino Kenny is welcome and he is as entitled to ask questions as anybody else. He is doing fine. I share the view of the person who sent the e-mail to which the Deputy referred, and who supports environmental efficiency and the proper disposal of waste. I am glad the person points out the issues relating to the disposal of plastic, paper and cardboard in green bins and so on.

The Deputy also spoke about working families and the Government is really interested in giving working families a break. The former Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, introduced a statutory instrument for that purpose so that people would consider very carefully how to dispose of the waste produced by each household. By a better use of the brown and green bins, we can reduce what went into the black bins and, by reducing the weight of what was being disposed of in this way, we can reduce the overall charge. That was not going to happen under the current regime so the Minister met all the waste management companies and put in place a price freeze, agreed with them, which recognises the particular health difficulties experienced by the person who sent the e-mail to the Deputy. Some 60,000 HSE patients around the country have adult incontinence nappies and there is a substantial charge for sending them to landfill but the Government gives 100% to waste companies and 50% to the waste industry from the landfill levy. This measure is a recognition of that person's willingness to comply with good environmental practices and takes into account such people's particular challenges. From 1 January 2017, the person in question will get a dual bill setting out what he will continue to pay under the current regime and what he could save by better management of what is put into the black bin. That is in keeping with the principle expressed by the writer of the e-mail.

I do not think people are looking for a gentleman's agreement. This gentleman is with Greyhound but that company is exempt from the new charges and is not a part of the Irish Waste Management Association. This man has to stay with his provider so he cannot be exempt from any new charges.

I remember when the service was in public control, maybe ten or 12 years ago, but I do not remember any fly tipping, or at any rate it was very rare. Now it is almost contagious across the country and there is a correlation between that and the privatisation of the public refuse service. It will cost local authorities around the country millions and millions to clean it up. This service should not be privatised - it should be in public hands.

For many years waste collection was operated by local authorities but that has now changed and competition now applies. Deputy Martin raised a valid point when he spoke of the need to look at the entire structure of the management of waste disposal. This could be looked at as different systems are in operation in different parts of the country. In many places there may be only one or two suppliers, while in others there may be three or four waste company lorries providing a service on any one road. Deputy Adams said his party supported making this part of general Exchequer taxation but this would involve an increase in taxes and would put more pressure on working families. It would also do away with all the incentives referred to by the writer of the e-mail to Deputy Gino Kenny such as the proper use of the green, brown and black bins.

We are very compliant and have moved up the table in so far as the disposal of recyclable material is concerned from a European point of view and the spirit of what was introduced by the former Minister, Deputy Kelly, was to improve that further.

Do not avoid the Greyhound question.

The Minister, Deputy Coveney, has taken action on this now. He has met with representatives of the companies. There is a freeze across the board for the next 12 months.

What about Greyhound?

Can you address the issue of Greyhound? Greyhound is exempt-----

Greyhound is accepting this as well. Obviously, there is a special recognition of the challenges faced by the 60,000 people in the HSE patient category who have to use incontinence pads too.

Revoke their licences.