Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I speak in support of the Government amendment, as one would guess, and I wish to follow on from Deputy Mary O'Rourke, who spoke of standing in solidarity with the Minister, Deputy Gormley, and the Green Party on this issue. It is good to see the return of Deputy O'Rourke to the House, which we all welcome.

We have made major strides as a society in regard to the recycling of waste. The Irish public has enthusiastically embraced the process of recycling. They want more and more ways to recycle and the Government has responded and will continue to show leadership in this area by providing funding to expand our recycling infrastructure.

Like some of my colleagues, I am excited about the prospect of new technologies coming on stream in the waste management area. The national development plan will ensure that we exploit these new technologies to deal with our waste so we do not have to rely heavily on incineration as an alternative to landfill for final disposal. The programme rules out adjusting the landfill levy in such a way as to give competitive advantage to incineration and commits to ensuring that for further projects, neither the State nor local authorities will be exposed to financial risk through clauses in contracts for waste facilities.

The programme does not include a legislative prohibition on incineration, as such, nor would this appear to be consistent with EU legislation. As Members are aware, the Poolbeg project is the subject of an application by Dublin City Council to An Bord Pleanála for planning permission and an oral hearing has just recently concluded. This project has had a long, fractious and difficult history as I know from my many conversations with my colleague, Deputy Chris Andrews. The signing off on the public private partnership which will deliver the project constitutes the extent of the Government's involvement, and this took place before the new Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, took office.

In tabling this motion the Fine Gael Deputies knew well that the siting of an individual installation is not a matter in which the Government plays a role. It has been taken out of the political sphere because site selection is a planning issue and a matter for the planning authority, not for Government. It is this Government's policy to support local authorities in implementing the internationally accepted approach to waste management.

The Minister's position on incineration is well known to all of us, as is that of Deputy Chris Andrews. The Minister lodged a comprehensive objection to a proposal to build an incinerator to burn hospital waste on the Poolbeg Peninsula. The appeal which he jointly took was successful at An Bord Pleanála. He made a comprehensive submission to An Bord Pleanála, backed up by an oral submission on the last day of the hearing. He also made a comprehensive submission to the Environmental Protection Agency on the application for a waste licence.

Fine Gael, on the other hand, seems to be conveniently ignoring the fact that it has stated clearly in the past that it favours incineration as one of the primary means of dealing with waste. Fine Gael and Labour Party Deputies voted for the Dublin regional waste plan in 1998, which included incineration as an option. Only four months ago, when the issue of the Poolbeg incinerator arose before Fingal County Council, Fine Gael voted for the proposal to go ahead. The Labour Party was split down the middle, with one member voting for and the other against. I say this to expose the hypocrisy of what some speakers said here last night. Fianna Fáil and the Green Party negotiated a programme for Government which contains very significant commitments on waste management. It signals a new approach. The programme states that there will be no guaranteed waste stream for incinerators and that there will be a new emphasis on mechanical biological treatment.

Goading the Minister into reacting now is sour grapes politics from Deputies who have decided to exploit the issue. This motion is a cynical exercise when they know well that the Minister cannot exercise any power or control over any case with which a planning authority is concerned.

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