Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

Yes. We must understand what we are discussing. It is almost comical, but 100 times more dioxins are created on bonfire night than would be generated in 12 months by all the incinerators one could put in place. That is the reality with which we must deal. We are out there with our kids shovelling stuff on to bonfires. We go collecting with them and help to poison them. Those fires, with all the tyres burnt on them, will do more damage in years to come than anything else. I am trying to introduce the best technology to reduce and manage the problem in order that we may live in a society that protects both our health and the environment. Nothing in the world is risk free but we can act to reduce the risk substantially and maintain our environment.