Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

Will the Minister of State acknowledge that the projected cost of fully cleaning up the site is estimated to be in the region of €300 million and that this was a determining factor in the Government's decision to send a letter to the contractors on 18 April, as reported in today's Irish Examiner, stating that the required course of action would be to "cap the lagoon with inert slag material (or other such suitable available material), pending a detailed risk assessment of the entire site"? The Government found out how much it would cost to clean up the site and is now seeking to spin the matter in such a way as to suggest that the subcontractors on the site were acting outside their station or ultra vires and is now seeking to put the blame on them. When the Government realised that it had unearthed such a problem, it refused to acknowledge it and sought to cover it up. Its intention, in the first instance, was never to fully assess and continue the works that are necessary on the site.

This is a bombshell to the people who reside in the vicinity of the site. They thought that the Government was acting in good faith when it decided that the Haulbowline site would be cleared. For the Government to state that the contract only covered above-surface works and not sub-surface works is an attempt to cover up the problem that exists from a subterranean point of view. Its intention was never to expend the funds necessary to clean up the site and make it safe for those who reside and work in its vicinity. I ask the Minister to specifically address the point in the letter dated 18 April 2008 because it is the most pertinent point relating to this issue.

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