Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. In 2006, following incidents at active mine sites in Spain and Romania, the European Union introduced Directive 2006/21/EC on the management of waste from extractive industries. Article 20 of the directive requires member states to produce an inventory of closed mine waste facilities. The directive was transposed into Irish law by SI 566 of 2009, also known as the Waste Management (Management of Waste From the Extractive Industries) Regulations 2009. Section 20 of the 2009 regulations provides that the EPA “shall ensure that an inventory of closed waste facilities, including abandoned waste facilities, which cause serious negative environmental impacts or have the potential of becoming in the medium or short term a serious threat to human health or the environment is drawn up and periodically updated. Such an inventory, to be made available to the public, shall be carried out by 1 May 2012”.

In response to this requirement, a comprehensive historic mine site inventory was undertaken by the EPA, the Geological Survey of Ireland, GSI, and the exploration and mining division of my Department, which carried out surveys and analyses of mine sites. The work completed was published and includes drawings, maps and diagrams of each of the closed mine sites. The report of the study, entitled Historic Mine Sites - Inventory and Risk Classification, was produced in 2009 and has resulted in the most comprehensive inventory of closed mine sites in Ireland. Geochemical site investigations were carried out at each mine site, consisting of analyses of solid waste, surface water, groundwater, stream sediments and soil. There is a detailed review of the geochemistry of each mine site studied for this project. The report classifies the sites that present the greatest threat to human and animal health and the environment.

The project initially located 220 mine sites located throughout the country from which there has been extraction of minerals using the GSI databases. Of these, 128 sites were screened and 110 individual mines sites were identified for inclusion in the historic mine sites study. In the Historic Mine Sites - Inventory and Risk Classification study, 27 historic mine sites and districts were assessed using a source-pathway-receptor conceptual model and were then scored and assigned to one of five classes. Three mine sites - Silvermines, Tynagh and Avoca - were scored as the highest risk, class 1. This report is available on the EPA website, specifically www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/land/mines/. Given the existing requirement in Irish law for the EPA to maintain a list of mine waste sites and the implementation and publication of the Historic Mine Sites - Inventory and Risk Classification study, the Deputy's objectives have, in essence, already been achieved. As such, it is not proposed to accept the current amendment.

I note in the amendment that the Deputy specifies 1977. I think the EPA report goes back further than 1977, so in effect what the Deputy has asked for has already been done. I am not sure if he has had a chance to look at that copy of the report, but it is quite comprehensive and very informative. It is a historical source of information as well.