Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

Which number is real? Are any of the figures which I have just quoted real? How can the city's officials use two different costings, while central Government has a third? This is not just foolish, it is negligent to the point of being criminally so.

Costs such as for the removal of the residue ash, baling, CO2 emissions under carbon trading per the Kyoto Protocol which is another cost, unsold heat from the plant, and the removal of toxic ash from the system were ignored by city officials in their calculations on this project. The cost of these four elements alone is approximately €45 million per year. They have been completely ignored in all calculations and data we were able to get our hands on. This is not just foolish, it is negligent.

City officials also recently admitted they have already spent €10 million on this proposal for an incinerator. Without a planning application even lodged, it seems like a significant output for a dodgy plan. Fees have flown out to consultants left, right and centre. I quote the words of my party leader, "delighted and touched". The consultants were delighted, we were touched heavily and it seems it could happen again. It appears the mathematics required to cost the plant properly are missing, but those for calculating the consultants' fees are quite in order. This is not just foolish, it is negligent.

I could continue, but I have used up my time. Whatever about the theological arguments for and against incineration, and the merits and demerits of the methods proposed to deal with what is clearly a waste problem, will the Government please get this right? We had electronic voting machines and the port tunnel. We do not need the incompetence of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats to compound what is wrong environmental policy.

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