Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

The European Court of Justice made a ruling yesterday on Ireland's flouting of laws on waste disposal as a result of 12 complaints to the European Union registered between 1997 and 2000. In 1999 and 2001, Ireland was given warnings on the matter which the Government failed to heed with the result that the court has rapped us on the knuckles. We have lived with a great many complaints over the past few years about landfills in Wicklow and other locations. The Government has up to three months to address the matter and I hope the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, will take action. While many of the problems involved preceded his ministerial appointment, the Government was aware of them.

That the ruling is significant is evidenced by the fine of €20,000 per day levied on the Greek Government due to an illegal landfill site on Crete, which amounted to €18 million over the two and a half years it took to act. That was just one site, whereas we have complaints about 12 locations. I stress the urgent need to take action to avoid hefty financial consequences.

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and his officials have been involved in prolonged discussions with prison officers. These discussions appear to have foundered with the recent rejection of the Minister's terms by the officers. The Minister's extremely aggressive and confrontational remarks on radio this morning to the effect that he would use the Garda and the Army to run the prisons and win indicate that quiet diplomacy has stopped. Prison wardens are carrying out this service at present. I do not know if the Minister thinks this type of belligerent behaviour will work. A far more diplomatic approach should be taken to this problem because that type of attitude will not bear fruit and could lead to the type of action we might long regret.