James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 26:

In page 73, between lines 30 and 31, to insert the following:“(3) To facilitate the rehabilitation of mine sites, the Minister shall mandate the Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with local authorities, to identify historic mining sites and associated waste sites that were closed before 1977.”.

I will outline the rationale behind this amendment. There are a number of legacy sites around the country from before the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and the introduction of the 1964 planning permission system. I have come across this in my capacity both as a Member of the Oireachtas and previously as a local authority member. These historic sites tend to cause difficulties for environmental protection primarily, for waste management, for roads planning and for proper planning and sustainable development of local authority areas throughout the country. There is always the environmental risk and hazard of having a site lying unidentified, whether near to a road, area of natural beauty or anywhere else in proximity to major residential areas. The intention behind this amendment is to produce a register. I am aware the EPA has a register of 1977 to 1997 sites, and I welcome the Minister of State's opinion on it. I believe there may already be a similar register in existence. The intention behind it is to compile such a register in order that these may be identified and work may begin on a remediation process at a later stage. The first step is to identify what sites exist and begin that register. That is the idea behind the amendment. I welcome any comments on it before we proceed.