Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

The sample measured mercury. It was taken by independent consultants and I can show the reports to the Minister afterwards. If he has not seen them, he should have. The figure quoted for mercury found on the beach outside this site is 281 milligrams per kilogram. The recommended intervention level is ten. This is 28 times the level that should require intervention. What does the Minister say to that? Has he seen that report?

A second issue of concern is that, in an effort to get agreement, the Department agreed to take on an independent engineer with expertise in landfill to try to establish how much surface level material was left to be moved by the contractors. I have an e-mail from that engineer which states, in part:

Today is our fifth day on site and the process of quantifying the quantities of surface waste left for disposal for the Department of the Environment is progressing well. However, we feel obliged to make an interim report regarding the findings so far. It is of considerable concern to us that there are significant levels of hydrocarbon-contaminated mud under the constant influence of tidal movements and percolating rainwater which we would deem necessitating emergency treatment immediately.

That engineer was let go the following week by the Department. What does the Minister say to that? Why did this occur? What has happened regarding the concerns expressed by that engineer?

Third, is it appropriate that the Department's representative at the former Irish Ispat site, in respect of managing the environmental monitoring and clean up of the site, used to be Ispat's quality and environmental manager? That is a genuine question. It was the same situation for Irish Steel.

Is it appropriate to appoint, again, White Young Green to do a job it already did in 2005? That company is the only one that says there is not a serious public health threat at Haulbowline while three or four other reports state that there is such a threat.

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