Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 18 April 2019

Public Accounts Committee

Environmental Protection Agency: Financial Statements 2017

9:00 am

Ms Laura Burke:

I think it will be June or July. That is my understanding. To reiterate, financial provision was in place for the closure, remediation and aftercare of the east Galway site. We were disappointed with events in 2013 and we took significant legal action against the bank and the receiver. As a result of that case, requirements on licensees have become much more onerous. We have led development at a European level on what is acceptable for financial provision. We are not alone in Ireland in having experienced a situation such as this. Other countries have experienced similar issues, for example, the United Kingdom. That is why there are now onerous requirements and the key issue is to ensure that money is sufficient, secure and available. That is why we now have stringent requirements, such as bonds for landfills to ensure the money is available and the State does not end up paying for such sites.