Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has certainly made the case very strongly on behalf of the people who have expressed concerns. I know Ballinasloe very well and I appreciate it has suffered from many issues, including bypasses, downturns in the economy and changes in employment structures. However, it is a town that is ideally placed to fight back, given its location.

To reiterate, the planning permission granted contains a condition that the development be limited to handling 23,400 tonnes per year or a new planning permission will be required. An environmental impact assessment is required for facilities which take in more than 25,000 tonnes. The current limiting factor under the planning permission is that level but there are also the other planning permissions that have to be considered. In addition, given an environment impact assessment will be required, the EPA will also have a role in this.

I do not have any information on the issue of the EPA monitoring of the closed landfill. I suggest the Deputy writes to the EPA and the line Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, to check whether the closed facility is subject to ongoing monitoring or at least to check what is its status.

There are statutory processes in place through both the local authority and the EPA. It is very important that, through the submissions process, local concerns are articulated and heard, and that clarity is given. I take the point that the size of the site is a cause of concern not just for what is already there, but in regard to what may be there in the future. That is something typical when we see an application like this come in.

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