Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

This is a most important debate as this country faces a crisis in waste management. Part of the Government policy to date has included the foisting of incinerators on communities around the country. In County Louth, the county council vehemently opposed siting an incinerator in our community. The then Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, changed the law and planning permission is now in place for an incinerator.

Tonight's motion deals with a proposed incinerator for Poolbeg. It is clear from the motion that the electoral success of candidates in the Dublin area was linked to opposition to the Government's plans to build an incinerator at Poolbeg. More than 300,000 voters in Dublin supported such candidates and the vast majority of Deputies elected for the Dublin region are opposed to this plan. The elected members of Dublin City Council also oppose it. There is no electoral mandate for this project and we call on the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, to use his powers under the Waste Management Act to require this plan to be changed.

One of the most important statements I read in researching this debate was made by the Minister, Deputy Gormley, who said:

I make the strongest possible statement of my total opposition to this proposal. It is my view, and the view of the Green Party, that this proposal will set back progress on sustainable waste management in Ireland by decades. It will damage the health and amenity of local communities, and it will benefit only those private companies who are associated with it.

This is the Minister's first test in office. His first real challenge is to stand by the word he gave to the electorate to adhere to his party's policy on incineration and to explain to the House the price of his seat on the Government benches. Is he copping out on his commitment? Will he oppose the installation of the incinerator in Poolbeg and at the other proposed sites around the country, as local communities expect?

In the amendment the Minister has tabled to the motion, it is clear he is signing off his policy to the Fianna Fáil Party and the only thing he has brought to the table of Government is the Fianna Fáil manifesto. There is no fundamental change in what is before the House now and was the subject of a Private Members' motion that was debated here some months ago. At that time the Minister proposed a Private Member's Bill to oppose the incinerator at Poolbeg.

The facts speak for themselves and the truth will come out. How many incinerators has the Minister sold out on? How many incinerators has he agreed will be built as part of his deal with the Government? Is it one, two, three or four? Will the one at Carnstown in County Meath go ahead? I challenge the Minister to reveal to the House his plans in this regard. I accept the proposed incinerator in Cork may be sub judice, but what about the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg? What is the price of the seat the Minister currently occupies? Where is his determination? Where is the fire in his belly to stand up to Fianna Fáil and tell it, as his party's policy states and as people believe, that he is opposed to incineration and that he will fight tooth and nail against an incinerator in Poolbeg? That is what all his constituents want him to do.

I have campaigned in County Louth against the incinerator it is proposed to build beside my home. I work closely with members of the Green Party in trying to achieve that aim. Unless the Minister stamps his authority on this issue and delivers to his constituents in the way he campaigned so forcefully in the past, his term in Government will be a washout and a cop-out. It is a strange state of affairs when the first statement from the "green" Minister with responsibility for energy is about nuclear power and a debate on same rather than debating alternative energy and cutting back on wastage of fossil fuels. It is clear the Green Party's deal in Government has included selling Poolbeg down the river.

Following his recent trip to Europe the Minister stated he had secured a change in policy to the effect that incineration is considered as disposal rather than waste to energy. I support this and acknowledge the progress made by the Minister. The motion states the Government has no mandate to proceed with the incinerator at Poolbeg. In June 2006 the Minister tabled a motion in this House stating that his predecessor, Deputy Roche, should use his powers under section 24(c) of the Waste Management Act 1996 to require local authorities in County Dublin to vary the replacement waste management plan for the Dublin region. What exactly has changed, what miraculous thing has happened to make this call unworthy of his support? What does the Minister intend to do about this matter? People are waiting for him to take action. He should use the power of his office to fight the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg and ensure it does not proceed.

I pay tribute to my colleague, Deputy Creighton, who tonight keeps her promise to the people of Dublin South-East by continuing her strong campaign to prevent this unnecessary monstrosity being foisted upon them. I suspect if the voters in the constituency knew that Deputy Gormley was about to sell out so spectacularly, he might have limped home behind, rather than just a whisker in front of, the former Deputy, Mr. McDowell.

If one builds an incinerator, it is necessary to feed it. While incineration has worked in Europe, it has worked in tandem with recycling rates of over 40% and 50%. I do not believe we will ever reach such rates of recycling if we build incinerators in this country before the recycling, reuse and repair technology is in place. In County Louth we got our first recycling centre approximately three years after planning permission was granted for the incinerator. We are using the wrong approach. We want to know what the Minister, Deputy Gormley, will do about this issue. The famous phrase, "Where's the beef?" was used in America to comment on a presidential election there.

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