Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 356: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of illegal dumps which have been discovered in the entire country; the location of each dump; and if his Department has an estimate of the cost of cleaning these dumps. [24160/04]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Office of Environmental Enforcement, OEE, has recently commissioned a study, to be completed in 2005, on unauthorised waste activities. This will include, inter alia, establishing as completely as possible the extent of unauthorised activities, reviewing current procedures and developing improved guidance for investigation of unauthorised activities. In the meantime, the OEE and the local authorities are taking urgent and co-ordinated action against identified illegal waste activities, and these actions will be further assisted when the results of the study are available.

It is not possible to estimate the ultimate remediation cost of all sites, but it should be noted that the relevant legislation provides for such costs to be borne by those responsible, when convicted, in addition to other substantial penalties.