Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

I should like to share some of my time with Deputy Billy Timmins, with the agreement of the House.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise plans by Rentokil and South Dublin County Council to destroy seven cylinders of hydrogen cyanide in the Manor Kilbride area of west Wicklow. I condemn the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for not being here for this important debate. West Wicklow must not be allowed to become a new dumping ground for such dangerous and potentially lethal chemical waste. There has been too much illegal dumping in that area in the past.

I am calling on the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to halt this crazy plan and to introduce legislation to deal properly with this issue. It is astounding that the transport and disposal of such dangerous material has been kept secret from the public. No licence has been issued by the EPA, no risk assessment has been published and there has been no public consultation with residents or local public representatives. Hydrogen cyanide is a particularly dangerous chemical, once used as an agricultural poison. Concentration of 300 mg of the gas in air would kill a person within a few minutes. It is commonly listed among chemical warfare agents that cause general poisoning and it is listed under schedule 3 of the Chemical Weapons Convention as a potential weapon. It was reportedly used in death camps in Nazi Germany and, more recently, in the genocide of the Kurds. Rentokil approached South Dublin County Council about the destruction of its stock of hydrogen cyanide which is now decades old. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government then got involved and asked the Army to identify sites for the controlled burn or explosion of the chemicals. Manor Kilbride in west Wicklow was chosen. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, is the responsible for that choice.

This plan is all the more surprising because according to South Dublin County Council "the advice from chemical experts and manufacturers is that the cylinders are safe to remain in the building in their current condition and position". If that is the case, why then embark on a risky procedure of burning the chemical and exposing people to potential risk and the area to potential pollution? Army personnel have been told to vacate the Kilbride army camp for four days. A 1 km wide exclusion zone is planned, although families living within that zone have not been properly informed.

The lack of information and consultation has fuelled anxiety among local people and generated considerable alarm. No risk assessment has been published. That is simply unacceptable. No environmental impact study has been published in accordance with EU directives covering the destruction of explosive substances which is probably illegal. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has the power to halt this plan and he should use it.

Yesterday, I travelled the road from the Army's camp at Manor Kilbride. It is a small country road with poor surfacing and potholes. These conditions give rise to new concerns. The transport of these cylinders carries great risk. No such journey should take more than two hours. If cylinders are disturbed in transit, they are prone to explosion. I was contacted reluctantly by an expert in the risks attached to the transport of hydrogen cyanide. If an explosion were to occur, he said he would not be able to forgive himself. He was that conscientious but what about the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government?

If he were in the Chamber, I would say to him that the illegal dumping in west Wicklow did not happen on his watch but this disposal of highly toxic material by explosion will. I urge the Minister to stop this madness and leave the material in situ for the time being where it will be safe. He must prepare legislation to protect and inform the public instead of riding roughshod over the concerns of people in west Wicklow.

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