One of the other issues that affects the price of plastic is the EU rules and the minimum amount of recycled plastic that has to be used. For example, if a company is making plastic bottles, it has to use a certain minimum percentage, and those percentages are going up. What that is doing is forcing up the price of recycled plastic to the point where recycled plastic, for example, the plastic that the Deputy puts in his green bin in his kitchen, is now more valuable per tonne than virgin plastic that is produced. T…

These amendments are all related and, in many cases, address technical drafting issues. They have the cumulative effect of providing the Minister with the power to impose a levy not just on single-use disposable cups, but also on certain reusable alternatives to those cups that are supplied to the consumer below a certain price point, which will be set out by the Minister in secondary legislation. The issue the amendments seek to address arose both on Committee Stage in the House and Committee Stage in the Seanad, …

This is a minor drafting amendment relating to the drafting of a poverty impact assessment under section 7. The amendment ensures that the Minister can procure the services of an expert group or body to carry out the assessment if that is required, and it does not have to be carried out by the Minister’s Department.

I am happy to speak about my view and the Department's view on what we need to do to progress the Bill. I would like to speak about it even though we do not have Government amendments. I would be happy to respond to any comments or questions from Senators.

I can answer questions Senators have during the session.

I thank Senators Ward, Currie and Carrigy in particular for affording me the opportunity to again consider the national lottery, its contribution to good causes and how it might evolve and develop in the future. Since its inception in 1987, though good times and bad, the national lottery has continually provided a steady stream of funding for good causes in the areas of the arts and culture, sport and recreation and various voluntary, community and local activities. I will not go through all the detail that was men…

Senator Carrigy referred to the loss of money by agents. It is a notional loss of income because people are gambling-----

It is loss of income the Senator expects would return to the lottery, were the bookies banned from taking bets on that. I accept that is the problem the legislation is trying to solve. Senator Boyhan mentioned that a lot of work has been done and there is a lot more work to do. Much work has been done, not just by the Senators but also within my Department. Commissioning that independent and external report is a good thing to do. Considering that report is good. Getting clear legal advice about whether this law wou…

Amendments Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, all relate to the treatment of interpersonal grievances under the legislation. I accept they were made in a constructive spirit and in an attempt to improve the legislation, and I accept the Senators' good intentions. As was discussed previously, the purpose of both the Protected Disclosures Act and the whistleblowing directive is to protect people who report wrongdoing in the public interest. Matters of private interest, such as personal grievances between a worker and his or her…

The 2014 Act is silent on anonymous reporting. Accordingly, it allows recipients to exercise sound judgment in deciding how or whether to respond. The whistleblowing directive sets out the position as regards anonymous reporting more explicitly. Article 6(3) provides that persons who report anonymously are entitled to the same protections that apply to reporting persons who do identify themselves. This is provided for in section 7 of the Bill. Article 6(4) provides that it is up to member states to decide if recipi…

I thank the Senator. Amendment No. 7 removes the 50-employee threshold for employers performing a public contract with a value of more than €3 million. This would mean any employers in this category would be obliged to establish formal internal reporting channels and procedures. I am not accepting this amendment. As discussed on Committee Stage, the impact of such an amendment needs careful consideration and evaluation to ensure we are not distorting the market for the provision of public services and putting some …

I thank the Senators. I will start with amendments Nos. 9 to 12, inclusive. Each of these amendments widens the qualifiers for ministerial disclosure to such an extent as to significantly dilute the requirement to report in the first instance to either the employer or the prescribed person before reporting to the Minister. This is not in line with the policy intent. The operation of the ministerial channel has been one of the most challenging areas in the implementation of the Act so far. The intent behind the prov…

I am not accepting this amendment because I do not see the necessity for it. There is already a provision in section 10C(7)(d) for a reporting person to request and obtain further feedback on the actions taken or envisaged to be taken in response to his or her report. It is inevitable that if a report involves a matter of such complexity that follow-up is protracted, the feedback would include an explanation as to why the process is taking so long. There are similar provisions for further feedback in four other sec…

Section 6A(1)(c), as inserted by section 9 of the Bill, provides that persons designated to receive and follow up shall be impartial. The statutory guidance we will issue in the wake of the Bill’s enactment can and will provide further elaboration on what constitutes impartiality in this context. I do not see the need for this additional provision and it could be unworkable in very small organisations with a handful of employees. The only way such an organisation could meet this requirement would be to procure an e…

I agree that an information campaign is crucial. The joint committee's pre-legislative scrutiny report recommended this and it was discussed on Committee Stage. We fully agree that it is very important that people understand their new rights, that we must effect a cultural shift in the treatment of people who are whistleblowers and that they are not denigrated as informers. My officials are exploring the most effective way to raise awareness of the new legislation and how an information campaign should be targeted.…

These amendments are all related, and in many cases address technical drafting issues. They have the cumulative effect of providing the Minister with the power to impose a levy not only on single-use disposable cups but also on certain re-usable alternatives to those cups that are supplied to the consumer below a certain price point, which will be set by the Minister in secondary legislation. The amendments have the same policy objective as the amendment proposed by Senator Pauline O'Reilly on Committee Stage, name…

It is.

It is on my list.

Senator Higgins spoke to amendment No. 43. I recognise and agree with this amendment but will not be accepting it as the power to provide exemptions in regulations is already provided in the Bill, and I consider those regulations to be the appropriate vehicle to consider and address all the detailed impact of any levy. In that regard, as I previously indicated, the draft regulations to implement the levy on disposable hot drink cups will be put to public consultation after enactment of the Bill. I will be requestin…

I thank the Senator. Amendments Nos. 21 to 26, inclusive, provide for additional, more specific purposes for which the circular economy fund may be used. I do not think these amendments are necessary and I believe the section as drafted is appropriate for the purposes for which it is intended. I believe that all the items specified in the amendments are addressed in the legislation. I value the thought and time that has gone into considering them and they will all be open for discussion when the circular economy fu…