Minister Kelly meets the Irish Tyre Industry Association (ITIA)

Alan Kelly, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government met with the President, Kevin Farrell and a delegation from the Irish Tyre Industry Association on Thursday.

Minister Kelly said: "I had a very open dialogue today with the ITIA and I want to acknowledge the constructive way that they have supported the progress being made towards the new arrangements for managing waste tyres which is being discussed by the Tyres Working Group."

"It is very important that all sectors of the industry come together to support the development of a Producer Responsibility Initiative (PRI) for Tyres and Waste Tyres. I am aware that similar PRI initiatives for tyres in other Member States have been very successful."

"I was pleased to reassure the ITIA that there will be a high level of enforcement of the new Tyre Regulations especially in the context of the development of the new lead enforcement authority structure and the introduction of fixed penalty notices."

On the issue of costs, Minister Kelly stated: "I am very aware of the concerns of the ITIA regarding the potential cost implications of the new arrangements. The new arrangements must strike the correct balance between keeping costs to a minimum, both in terms of direct costs but also the administrative burden placed on business, especially small businesses, and the very urgent need to make environmental gains in this waste stream and rectify those issues identified in the PRI Review report on Tyres and Waste Tyres."