David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)

I wish to share time with Deputy O'Dowd. This is an important matter. It is a serious issue and we need to know clearly what is current Government policy.

There is a new Government, a new amalgam of parties. I have been searching through some of the documents produced, in particular the agreed programme. Importantly, this final draft programme does not state that incineration is off the agenda. It uses terms like "modern waste treatment will be used" and "use all available technologies to achieve this", and it speaks of using waste for generating sustainable electricity. It does not state it is off the agenda, which is interesting, and at some stage I would like the Minister to be clear about this.

Earlier, Deputy Coveney was specific on it. The Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, stated that there were no specific directions given to An Bord Pleanála re incineration, but An Bord Pleanála makes decisions based on Government policy and in its report on the issue in Cork, about which Deputy Coveney spoke earlier, specifically stated it has regard to the national waste management policy framework and strategy, as set out in Government policy statements "Changing Our Ways" and "Delivering Change", published by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in 1998 and 2002, respectively, particularly the preference for thermal treatment with energy recovery over landfill disposal of residual waste. Therefore, An Bord Pleanála takes into account Government policy. We need to know what is Government policy. It is unclear at present.

A report by Dominic Hogg et al for Greenstar which has been issued recently points out that the policy on incineration in Ireland is unclear. It maintains that in "Changing Our Ways", different technological options are presented, that, however, as regards residual waste, the only technologies presented are waste to energy incineration and thermolysis, that the presentation on WTE is more extensive than for other technologies — waste energy — and that no biological treatment facilities for residual waste are mentioned. We need urgently clear Government policy statements and papers on this.

I also draw the Minister's attention to the treatment of toxic waste. In the United States they have moved to a toxic use reduction programme in many areas, and yet we in Cork are still faced with this toxic waste incinerator. Whatever about a municipal waste incinerator, a toxic waste incinerator is frightening people. As Deputy Coveney stated, there were 14 reasons given by the inspector for why it should not happen but the board overturned its own inspector's report because of Government policy.

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