Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the decision of the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, to grant a licence to Irish Cement to burn up to 90,000 tonnes of toxic waste daily. Irish Cement is based in Castlemungret in Limerick where there are a number of schools along with plans for up to 800 houses. The area also contains a number of nursing homes and a respite home, so there are a lot of very vulnerable people living in the area. There are three schools within less than a kilometre of Irish Cement. After the EPA granted the licence, thousands of people took to the streets of Limerick last week. I was glad to join the protest. There must be engagement between the EPA and Limerick Against Pollution. The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment also needs to have an input into it because there is real fear about the burning of up to 90,000 tonnes of toxic waste. Limerick Against Pollution hopes to appeal regarding some of the produce it is proposed to burn. The Minister needs to intervene because we are talking about climate change, a topic that is at the top of all our agendas, and burning in the old kilns is not acceptable.