Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

Last week when we discussed this issue, we were less informed than we are now. Significant information has been garnered by people interested in this issue, particularly by the two previous speakers. Local people need to know what will happen with this site and how it will be made safe. When will the analysis be carried out to find out what is in the material? The people in the area are very worried for themselves, their children and, above all, the local economy, which will suffer as a result of these revelations. They need assurances from the Minister who is the only person who can assure them the necessary investigations are being carried out and that we will discover what is in the material, where it was transported to and how and when the site will be dealt with.

Earlier the Government announced adjustments or curtailments or whatever the Minister wants to call them under which €10 million will be cut from his budget in respect of remediation of landfills. If what we have found out to date is correct and material removed from this site could have ended up in various landfills, how will this cutback affect his response to this issue? Will the Haulbowline site not be dealt with as a matter of urgency? Will it mean when the materials are traced to other landfills, those sites will not be dealt with? The people in the lower harbour area in Cork want to know what the Minister will do about this and what assurances he can give them that the site will be dealt with speedily and properly? Above all else, those assurances are vital.

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