Alan Kelly (Labour)

I welcome the Minister to the House. I wish to raise a very important issue on the Adjournment, namely, whether the Government will honour its commitment to clean up the Silvermines dumps, which have remained idle since mining operations ceased in the area in the early 1980s. This issue has been discussed in the House before, but changes that have taken place recently have brought the issue to the fore again. A number of reports were carried out by the EPA, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Teagasc, North Tipperary County Council and so on. Therefore, there is much awareness of this issue.

There was a very lengthy campaign by the residents in Silvermines and the surrounding areas to have the Silvermines mining area cleaned up, especially the Gortmore tailings pond. The latter area was investigated by the EPA, which in its report described it as "a perpetual risk to human and animal health".

A commitment was given by the Government two years ago to provide €10.6 million to rehabilitate and clean up the Gortmore tailings pond and five other old mine sites in the Silvermines area that cover approximately 150 acres, as they were deemed to pose environmental and health hazards. The tailing management facility in the townland of Gortmore contains the toxic remains of millions of tonnes of lead, zinc and silver silt, which were once delivered by a pumping pipe from the metal ore processing mill at Silvermines, approximately one mile away. The report also indicated that if the Government and North Tipperary County Council failed to take safety measures to prevent humans and animals being exposed to lead and other toxins used in the mining industry, they could leave their health at risk. This could lead to lead, arsenic and cadmium poisoning, and we have seen already the impact of this on animals. The report stated that it might take up to 20 years to have serious effects on humans, but those 20 years are up and there is serious concern among the residents.

The commitment by the Government aimed to clean out the Silvermines areas over a phased basis, beginning with the most vulnerable areas such as Gortmore and then moving on to other vulnerable sections of the old mines. However, it has recently been revealed by North Tipperary County Council that the cost of the clean up of the Gortmore area alone has risen to around €7 million, which is more than twice the €3 million that was allocated by the Government at the time. This is because the clean up work now envisaged for Gortmore needs to be far more extensive in order to protect human health. The tender for the work will go out soon, but it appears the works will have to be reduced sizeably because the budget is not available.

In essence, we need a commitment from the Government to provide the funding required to get the full work carried out. It has been admitted by the county council that it will have to break up this work into a number of phases in order to get it done, and that only phase one will be delivered this year. This phase will supposedly include basic provisions to ensure dust particles containing lead and other toxic substances will be prevented from blowing around farms and across farmlands. The provisions are basic as only the most vulnerable areas will be covered. The council has stated that depending on the budget allowed in 2009, it will address other areas in the Silvermines. The director of environmental services in North Tipperary County Council has admitted his concern for future funding provision for this work and this has raised alarm bells in the area.

There is a specific concern here regarding funding provision and the Government's commitment on this work. Is the Government fully committed to its initial promise two years ago of €10.6 million for the clean up operation? Will the Minister provide additional funding to ensure the work to preserve human health is carried out, given that initial quantification of the cost has been seen already to be out of date? Why will the Minister not inform North Tipperary County Council how much of the €10.6 million it is to allocate to the clean up operation in Gortmore in 2009, if there is no problem with the funding? It has allocated only €3 million to date. Is there a specific issue? The people should be made aware of such an issue if it exists.

The residents of the area would welcome confirmation that the funding will be provided for this work without any conditions and in the appropriate timeframe. It is essential for their future well being. As someone who knows these people well, has relations living in the area and whose family members worked in the mines, I would also welcome a positive response.

The group here would like to meet the Minister if possible. He is on record as saying it is disgraceful that successive Governments over 20 years have allowed this environmental pollution to continue in the Silvermines area. We hope the Government will fund the appropriate clean up in order that the people there can live without fearing for their health in the future.