This morning at the Dáil reform committee, I raised a question on the status of motions passed in this House. This time last year a motion on bin charges tabled by the Government and supported by Fianna Fáil was passed. At least five measures in that motion have not been implemented. However, today privatised waste collection companies, practically all of which are registered offshore so we have no idea what profits they make, are being given carte blanche to raise waste collection charges while none of the measures the Government proposed have been implemented. They include an intensive awareness campaign to promote pay by weight, to support users in order that they can identify the best charges and to publish due lists. None of that has happened and yet the Government is giving carte blanche to these companies.

This morning the Minister, Deputy Naughten, said that we had no control over them, by which he meant the bin cartel of waste management companies which consistently lobby the Government to leave them alone and let them do what they like. The people who will pay the most are the poorest and the most vulnerable.

I thank the Deputy.

Will the Government ensure that a Government motion passed with the support of Fianna Fáil is actually implemented or does this House mean what it says?

We raised this issue yesterday during questions to the Minister. The problem is that the Government has now distanced itself by stating that the industry will charge as it sees fit and that the Government is not playing an active part in that. That is a significant change on what has gone on over the previous 12 months when it entered an agreement. It was based on the actions of the previous Minister, which proposed a minimum charge per kilogram of waste. The industry was going to put up prices significantly and an agreement was put in place for a temporary price freeze. That is now gone and people have every right to be concerned about what is going to happen because it was visited on them this time last year. It is not sufficient to walk away and say that we are not in a position to interfere. The Government must take an active role to ensure any future price increases are manageable and modest and not the prices that were presented to us this time last year.

Motions are the opinions and views of the House, as voted by the House, but, obviously, are not legislation. There are 67 firms operating in this market, which is very competitive. The Deputies will be aware that some people in some parts of the country are having their bins collected at very low prices, paying an annual charge which may be below cost, which is not sustainable.

In the past many local authorities provided the services themselves. However, as a result of campaigns encouraging people not to pay waste collection charges, local authorities -----

Not true.

---- exited that market.

The Government has always wanted to privatise it and opened the incinerator.

Please, Deputy, let the Taoiseach respond.

Deputy Bríd Smith and her colleagues drove local authorities out of bin collection.

In response to Deputy Curran, the Government is taking a number of measures, as I mentioned earlier. One of the mitigation measures being put in place is a €75 grant to people who have a long-term illness that necessitates them producing additional waste, particularly incontinence pads etc. There will be a public information campaign in place. Officers have already been appointed who will provide information on how people can reduce the amount of waste they produce by recycling, reusing and composting. All those things will help people to reduce their waste collection charges.

In addition all waste collectors will be required to phase in the brown bin in all communities with a population of more than 500 people. That will assist people enormously to reduce the amount of waste they produce and therefore reduce the cost.