In regard to the EPA and the role of local authorities, I would like to touch on one example in the north Tipperary area. The Environmental Protection Agency took an initiative at an early stage of a huge environmental problem. It was a proper response to the huge environmental difficulties faced by the community of Silvermines, when a mining company left a tailings management facility in a state that caused an environmental hazard in the area. Some members of the community and I contacted the EPA in 1999 following a number of animal deaths in the area. There were concerns that the tailings facility was being used for purposes other than those for which it was intended. The EPA responded to our concerns rapidly and a report was published on the matter. Following consideration of the report by the local authority and the EPA, action was taken against those concerned and an inter-agency group was established. The group has conducted extraordinarily good work in relation to environmental pollution arising from the mining experiences in the Silvermines area.