Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

Will the Minister specifically indicate whether the Seveso directive applies to this site? I would like people to be told the answer to that question. The directive provides that residents must be protected in terms of the threat posed by dangerous substances on sites. All such considerations must be taken into account in residential planning. The directive covers the protection of human health and so on. It seems it should apply to concerns regarding this site. The Minister should find out if it does and report back to the House and, if it does, he should advise the way it will be implemented.

It is good to have a report and data on the site, but a plan has not been put in place. The site may be capped. Apparently, it will be capped, but previously it was not going to be capped. The approach to dealing with the site has been one of crisis management. The Minister needs to put in place a proper plan. I am not blaming the Minister in this respect. As he said, there is a legacy regarding the management of the site, but the Deputy is now the Minister, and henceforth we need a planned approach to managing the site. The message must be clearly put across that the health of the public is being protected and that there will be planning for land use in the future to ensure it meets safety standards. The Minister should find out if the Seveso directive applies to this site and, if it does, he should implement it.

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