Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 54: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the communication he has had with Northern Ireland Office officials and Ministers regarding cross-Border transportation of waste; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22298/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Since the establishment in 2004 by the Office of Environmental Enforcement of a national enforcement network, there has been regular contact between relevant officials from the Environment and Heritage Service of Northern Ireland and our own enforcement authorities.

The function of the enforcement network is to harness the collective resources, expertise and investigative capacity of all the players engaged in dealing with environmental crime in Ireland. The participants include all the local authorities, the Office of Environmental Enforcement, the Garda Síochána, including its national bureau of criminal investigations, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Environment and Heritage Service and Police Service of Northern Ireland.

A priority initial focus of the network is to deal with unauthorised waste activity in Ireland and, in particular, the issue of illegal cross-Border movement of waste from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland. The network is bringing a level of consistency and focus to waste enforcement in Ireland that did not exist prior to its establishment and targeted roadblocks and inspections of suspect premises have occurred. Senior officials from my Department will meet their Northern Ireland counterparts on 30 June to exchange views on a range of waste management issues, including criminal activity. I intend as soon as practicable to arrange a corresponding meeting at ministerial level.