Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We all acknowledge that we need quarries but, like so many other things that we need, they come at a price. Quarries certainly serve us in terms of the materials they deliver but they can cost local communities in terms of dust, noise pollution, water contamination and, in particular, extra traffic. The Minister of State, Deputy English, lives in a rural setting. People living in an area with more than 20 or 30 trucks laden with stone passing their house every day certainly do not have much peace. There is also air, water and noise pollution and the impact of trucks thundering through small villages disturbing the peace of residents. There is also the effect that quarries can have on water tables. This is before we consider the potential destruction they cause to natural habitats and historic monuments. No one can be in any doubt as to how much of an impact these industrial operations have on what are often very rural places and environments.

Some quarry groups, organisations and companies fully adhere to the regulations and are good operators in every sense of the word. However, I must mention the lack of planning and regulation for quarries, which is a national scandal and a serious problem. One in eight quarries is unauthorised. I cannot think of any other business that would be allowed to operate in such a regulatory vacuum. Consider the situation I spoke about on Leaders' Questions regarding crèche regulations, which could result in 50% of crèches being unable to open in January 2020 because they will not have the documentation required. Under the regulations, that documentation must be issued by 12 December.

I ask the Minister of State not to tell us that these issues are beyond his control. We do not want to see wholesale closures of quarries but it is essential that they are properly regulated and controlled. I suggest they be monitored by local authorities because this does not happen at present. I cannot think of any other business that would be allowed to operate day after day while planning permission was being sought. Some quarry operators circumnavigate, twist and bend the law with impunity, challenging the implementation of regulations with appeals and taking judicial reviews, all the while continuing their operations. They are not only flouting the law but laughing at it as they continue to extract and blast without permission. This is certainly not always the case but it occurs far too often.

It is time for an urgent review of this situation to bring these rogue operators into the net of efficiency and transparency. I will give a few examples from my constituency of Kildare. A 22 ha quarry close to the Curragh has been operating since 2014. In 2015, the quarry was served with an enforcement notice stating that it did not have planning permission for what was being developed. The owner was told that, if convicted, he could be fined up to €12,000 and-or be jailed for up two years. Unbelievably, the unauthorised quarrying continued for years. An Bord Pleanála published a highly critical report about the quarry, stating it had significant effects on the environment but we did not need a report to tell us that. We also had a case in Ballymany, where a developer said he was using the land for plant waste only. In effect, it was a quarry and the residents in a nearby housing estate suffered for many years. Many of our communities are simply not able for this level of disruption. We must think about the cost to our citizens.

The Hill of Allen is a very historic site that is full of heritage. It has been blasted away to surface our motorways and primary roads. There are only two volcanic basalt hills in Ireland. One is the Hill of Allen and the other is the Giant's Causeway. No one is suggesting that we start quarrying the Giant's Causeway so why are we not concerned about the destruction of a prime heritage site in the centre of Kildare? The Hill of Allen was the seat of Fionn Mac CumhailI and the Fianna. Instead of celebrating this incredible historical resource, to which we could bring visitors from all over Ireland and the world to share one of our most important myths, we have stood by and allowed this hill become a victim of quarrying. It is important to mention this because we have no idea of the true value of our land if we allow the destruction of a key historical site with recorded national monuments, a burial chamber and a cairn, not to mention the iconic tower on top of the hill, which is under threat from sustained blasting.

Despite enforcement actions by local authorities and An Taisce, it is appalling that some unauthorised quarry operators have continued blasting. This matter has to be addressed. Fianna Fáil is very concerned about it and we need the Minister of State to ensure it does not continue to happen.

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