Government fail to address higher waste charges for those who are medically incontinent – Curran

Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Mid-West John Curran has said it is very disappointing that the Government has not yet addressed the issue of higher waste charges for those who are medically incontinent. This simple payment of €75 per annum for those who are medically incontinent was announced by the Government two years ago but has yet to be delivered.

Deputy Curran was commenting after receiving an updated reply to a Parliamentary Question from Minister Richard Bruton on the issue and said “The excuses are running out for the Minister and his Department when it comes to their incompetence to implement a very simple initiative to assist those with lifelong or long-term incontinence dispose of their waste.

“The Minister continues to hide behind the introduction of GDPR policy as an excuse for the two year delay in addressing this issue.

“This support is to help some of the most vulnerable and older people in our communities to meet the average annual cost of the disposal of incontinence products and while the payment is not substantial it could go a long way to alleviate pressure on many householders waste charges. This is a long wait for people struggling to make ends meet.

“The Minister is putting no urgency or priority on this issue. His predecessor, Denis Naughten announced his commitment to this simple payment two years ago and now I have learned that it could take even longer before implementation.

“This is unfair to those who are lifelong/long-term medically incontinent and therefore have significantly higher waste charges to pay.

“I am calling on the Minister to engage with this issue, to prioritise it and have it introduced sooner than the end of the year,” concluded Deputy Curran.