Filthy skips

Will the minister concerned please make it known to the public whether skips placed in public areas for residents' convenience should be cleaned at regular times?

Are cleaning operations at specific times included in the contracts entered into by local councils and contractors?

Better still are contractors bound to change dirty and smelly skips with clean ones? Why are skips allowed to be so full as to overflow on to the area around them?

If such conditions exist, can the residents be informed by their local councils as to the dates on which cleaning or changing is to take place? The residents would then serve as watchdogs to see that contractors' obligations are met.

If it is left to the contractors to decide that skips are filthy and smelly enough to do something about it then no wonder public skips are mostly in a disgraceful state.

Why are these contractors not answerable for their shortcomings? Doesn't anybody care?

A categorical answer from the minister concerned is expected.