Last week, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, announced a new charging regime for the collection of household waste that is grossly unfair. It fails to recognise that many people will not be able to afford increased charges. The Taoiseach's Government failed to include any meaningful alleviation measures for those on low incomes. Citizens and families across the land have been left to the mercy of private operators, especially those who produce higher than average waste because of their age, disability, ill-health or family size.

Incredibly, the Taoiseach seems confident that a measly annual grant of €75, less than €1.50 per week, will make a difference. It would make Ebenezer Scrooge blush. It is in keeping with a nasty, mean-spirited Government that is implementing its nasty policies and mean-spirited choices with no regard for how ordinary people live.

The Taoiseach's lack of empathy on the issue is shameful. His indifference towards the people in question is predictable and it seems that his Government has learned nothing from the water charges debacle. He seems to think people across the State will simply take it lying down. The Government got it wrong on water charges and it is getting it wrong again on this issue. It fails to understand the anger its unjust charging scheme has provoked in communities. It seems that it just does not get it, but the nodders and winkers in Fianna Fáil will save the Government's bacon. Fianna Fáil's spoiler motion is aimed at blocking any real opposition to the imposition of the charging regime proposed.

It has been designed to get the Taoiseach's detached Government off the hook, but it will not prevent further hardship or protect the most vulnerable. Ordinary people are getting another sharp reminder that they just cannot trust Fianna Fáil to do what is fair. The Government and its partners in Fianna Fáil collaborate to ensure punitive charges will be imposed on those who simply cannot pay. The Government is creating a free-for-all designed to serve the profit-chasing instincts of commercial operators. Many are frightened that an increase in waste collection charges will make them the bill that will make it impossible to make ends meet. They are not interested in the Taoiseach's choice of socks, rather they are interested in what he is going to do to ensure they will not be exposed to an increase in their waste collection charges. As of today, his answers to questions indicate that he will do absolutely nothing to help. It seems that he is happy that a free-for-all will ensue. Will he try to break through his fog of indifference and lack of empathy? Is he happy that those on low incomes, the sick, those living with disabilities and large families will suffer directly as a result of his decisions? Will he immediately withdraw this unfair charging system and put in place a waiver scheme for vulnerable citizens?

The Taoiseach may have changed, but the scripted outrage of Sinn Féin has not. It is almost a cut and paste of a speech on a question on a similar issue not that long ago. Fundamentally, it is about the environment. Landfills in Ireland are filling up. We do not want any new dump. I do not know of a single Deputy in this House who would like to have a dump in his or her constituency or town. I do not know of a single person in the country who would like to have to live beside a new dump or landfill site. Therefore, we need to reduce the volume of waste and recycle, re-use and compost more. Charging for bin collection is not new. It has been the norm for householders for 15 years and there are no new charges proposed. There will be a new system of charges, but 50% of households already pay under it. They are the people who pay by lift and by weight and with or without a standing charge. Therefore, 50% of households have been paying under this system for quite some time and are well used to it.

The system will change for the 50% of households which are not paying under the new system, who pay a flat charge once a year, regardless of how much they throw away, but it will not change overnight. Contracts stand and remain. The new system will be phased in in the next 15 months. The Government does acknowledge that there is a concern about a sudden or massive hike in charges under the guise of a new system. We understand there is this concern and it is a legitimate fear people may have. We have, therefore, agreed to put in place a watchdog that will monitor prices. We reserve the right as a Government to bring forward price regulation if the industry hikes prices or uses the change as a cover to dramatically hike prices.

I should point out that it is not an unregulated industry. This is not a free-for-all. A licensing system is in place. Someone cannot just collect bins. He or she needs a licence in order to do so.

What we do not have is price regulation. Bear in mind that price regulation does not necessarily mean that prices will not go up. We have price regulation in many areas, such as for taxis, energy, aviation and just because there is price regulation does not necessarily mean that prices do not go up. The best way to ensure quality and standards is through licensing, which we have - one needs a licence from a local authority, the regulator, to collect bins - and also through competition. There is much competition. What will happen now is that the 50% of households that are not already on the new system will, over the course of the next 15 months, as their annual contracts expire, have bin companies come to them to offer options, possibly to pay by lift, to pay by weight, or to continue to pay an annual standing charge and then pay by lift or by weight. As I said already, half the country is already on the system.

I note that despite the fact that the Taoiseach may have changed, the same robotic, out of touch, insensitive politics still remain in place under the new regime. The Taoiseach seems to have great faith in the bin companies and the waste operators. He tells us that he is establishing a watchdog. He accepts that there is no price regulation. Good for him. He needs to remedy that and he needs to go much further. He needs to step outside of his robotic zone and connect himself with the real world, the world in which people now worry that they cannot afford this bill. That might sound like scripted outrage to the Taoiseach's delicate ears, but sadly, it is the reality that people have now experienced for many years under the watch of Fine Gael. It is important that those of us elected here come in and reflect that reality to people like the Taoiseach, who are clearly at some distance from it. What will the Taoiseach do for people in ill health, for people with disabilities, for our older citizens, and for large families that cannot make this bill? What alleviation measures will he introduce and when will we see the detail of them?

I assure the Deputy that I wish we could have a Parliament where we actually have a proper questions and answers session and serious debate rather than this level of-----

Answers.

We could do that next week.

Do we not have that already?

The Taoiseach should be careful what he wishes for.

The clock is ticking.

If I may answer that-----

Deputy Mattie McGrath may get in later, so he should be good.

Where he gets in is the problem.

I do not think a single person in this House does not understand bins. We all have bins and we all put them out. There are plenty of people in this House who have been putting a tag on their bin for as long as they can remember. That is the kind of system that the country is going to move to, either payment by lift or payment by weight. Half the country has such a system already. It will be phased in for the other half over the next 15 months-----

It is a hardship.

Charging people by lift or by weight incentivises people to throw less away. That makes sense for all sorts of reasons-----

That is what education is for.

On the alleviation measure, Deputies will already be aware that the €75 grant will be brought in for people who have long-term illness and use incontinence pads. That will apply to half the country which already has the system and has not been receiving that grant. We have already announced that areas with a population of more than 500 will have to have brown bins. That gives people more of an opportunity to compost. In addition, €1.3 million has been provided for anti-dumping initiatives. There are 85 projects around the country to target areas where there is dumping. Another €9 million is being provided for enforcement by authorities. The EPA will continue to run its "stop food waste" campaign. The Repak programme-----

I am sure every pensioner in the land is dancing.