Ray Butler (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise an issue that was a blight on rural Ireland during the crash, namely, legislation regarding quarries. Now that construction has begun again after the crash, nobody has any problem with progress but I have seen three or four quarries in County Meath from which companies just walked away. Along with residents, I viewed one quarry on the border between Longwood and Rathmoylan where a man-made lake was left behind. Acres of desolate land were left behind. There was no safety and children were swimming in the lake that was left behind by the company that had quarried limestone out of the quarry. It was a disgrace that there was no legislation to tell this company to come back and fix up the mess it left behind.

There are three or four of these quarries in my county which companies have just walked away from. Could the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government come to the House to talk about proper legislation relating to this issue? It is a huge issue all over the country. I am sure Members in this Chamber have issues relating to quarries in their counties where companies have walked away and just left the areas desolate. A person would think he or she had landed on the moon. When I went down to see that quarry and went around the corner, I saw a massive man-made lake that would cost millions of euro to fix. It is a disgrace.

We need serious legislation because local authorities do not have the powers to cope with these companies which just walk away. We need to be proactive for future generations and to ensure safety for all. History will not be kind to us if we do not address this issue.