Dublin: The government plans to ban two-for-one offers in Irish shops and supermarkets. The ban is aimed at reducing consumption and waste.
The ban was submitted to the government by the Green Party as part of its waste disposal drive.
Major opposition parties, including Sinn Féin, have criticised the ban. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and others are of the opinion that there should be no ban that could adversely affect people’s lives.
The waste action plan was approved by the cabinet on July 27. A government spokesman said the plan included a number of proposals to be taken forward in the coming years.
Prior to the enactment of this Act, specific provisions for the management of food waste should be included. A government spokesman said such measures would ensure that low-income families are not affected.
Mary Lou MacDonald said the new rules were fully understood to affect the everyday life of ordinary families and therefore could not be complied with.
People are facing the impact of the Covid crisis. In the meantime, there is a struggle to get the children back to school. Christmas is coming too. In the meantime, they demanded that the government make sure that the law does not make people’s lives in trouble again.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett also criticized the government. He said the new rules should also take into account those who are part of the community, including taxi drivers.
Their whole life has been out of tune because of the lockdown. Despite announcing exemptions, they have not changed much. TD also said that the approach of trampling them down is not right.
But Taoiseach Micheál Martin explained that neither the government nor the environment minister was strict in this matter.
The Taoiseach said that Minister Eamon Ryan is always ready for discussions and consultations.