Legislature Debates Bidet Toilet Seats 各地公廁設免治馬桶? 環保署直言沒錢

During a legislative meeting, Environmental Protection Minister Chang Tzi-chin was asked about his opinion on installing bidet toilet seats in public restrooms. Chang admitted there is simply not enough money to support this.

DPP Taipei City mayoral candidate Chen Shih-chung previously proposed installing bidet toilet seats at all public restrooms in Taipei because he cares about the happiness of residents. During an interpellation on Oct. 5, a legislator asked Environmental Protection Minister Chang Tzi-chin if the EPA will subsidize local governments that replace traditional toilet seats with bidet toilet seats. Chang said he supports the shift, but the EPA doesn't have enough money to offer subsidies.

Chang Tzi-chin, EPA Minister: “If local governments have the money and are willing to do this, then we will support them. However, we can't require this. ”
Lai Hui-yuan, Legislator (DPP): “So you're saying this is a good policy? ”

Chang Tzi-chin, EPA Minister: “We don't have enough money to support it.”

The EPA lacks money to support bidet toilet seats, and personnel to handle the work that will result once a climate change response act is passed. The act is still being discussed in the legislature. Once it's passed, the EPA's workload will increase greatly and its current personnel budget may be insufficient. Chang said the EPA is severely understaffed.


Chang Tzi-chin, EPA Minister: “We tried shifting our existing personnel to the greatest extent possible in the previous stage so that there would be some colleagues to do this. ”
Su Chiao-hui, Legislator (DPP): “Right now, it's still insufficient? ”

Chang Tzi-chin, EPA Minister: “It's far from enough. ”

Su Chiao-hui, Legislator (DPP): “There aren't enough personnel. Actually, the top priority of the EPA is the upgrade to a ministry.”

Several DPP legislators said they will support the review of an organizational act to upgrade the EPA into a ministry to ensure that it has sufficient resources.
 

強調在乎市民的舒暢，台北市長參選人陳時中9月初提出在公廁廣設免治馬桶的政見，說這是幸福政策之一，上午立委賴惠員在立院衛環委員會質詢環保署長張子敬，是否可以補助地方將公廁汰換成免治馬桶？張署長表示支持地方升級，但坦言環保署沒錢補助。

張子敬表示：「地方它如果它有預算願意去做，我們還是會支持的，但是我們不敢說我們全面這樣要求，（民進黨立委賴惠員問：「所以這是一個好的政策?」）因為我們沒有這麼多的預算可以去支持。」

環保署沒錢也坦言沒人，民進黨立委蘇巧慧指出，攸關國內推動減碳工作的氣候變遷因應法草案等待朝野協商，等修法過關之後，環保署業務量將大增，現有的人力預算恐怕不足，環保署表示是遠遠不足。

張子敬指出：「前一段我們已經就既有的人力盡量去挪，挪出一部分同仁來做，（民進黨立委蘇巧慧說：「但是顯然現在的是還不行嘛。」）遠遠不足。」

民進黨立委蘇巧慧說道：「其實組織法一直到組織法的推動，才是我們整個環保署業務的重中之重。」

沒錢又沒人，不少執政黨立委都表態會支持法案排審以組織法先行，得讓環保署順利先升格成環境部，否則資源不足的問題難以解決。