John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

The State, acting through the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in a co-ordinating role, took over custody of the former Irish Ispat site from the liquidator in June 2003. This position is an exceptional one in that the Department has been directed by a specific Government decision to have responsibility for the care and maintenance of this specific site and this is the only such site currently subject to any investigations or reports by my Department. The standing Government position is that Ministers are responsible for the implications of their own policy areas and programmes, including any associated land and property holdings.

The mandate required my Department to co-ordinate all legal actions in relation to the site and to cover issues such as ongoing site security, ongoing maintenance and other issues arising once the site was vacated by the liquidator and to enable a site investigation to be carried out to determine the best option, economically and environmentally for site remediation.

During that period the Department has co-ordinated all legal actions in relation to the site; carried out a comprehensive site investigation to determine the levels of contamination and remediation-development options at the site; set up ongoing environmental monitoring at established monitoring points; decontaminated and demolished the steelworks buildings; and arranged for the site surface clearance contract with Hammond Lane Metal Company.

These steps have brought the site to a position where the Government can make an informed decision as to its future use and where a detailed risk assessment of the entire site with recommendations for the appropriate remediation required can be undertaken. The costs associated with such appropriate remediation will depend on the Government decision on the future use of the site.

In regard to the question of any other site in the country, my Department does not compile or maintain a list of such sites which could relate to any contaminated land. With regard to landfill remediation under the Waste Management Acts, the statutory responsibility for landfill remediation lies with the local authorities and statutory responsibility for national hazardous waste management planning rests with the EPA which has prepared a national hazardous waste management plan. Section 60(3) of the Act precludes me as Minister from exercising power or control over a matter for which the agency or local authorities have statutory responsibility.

See this speech in context