Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will reassess his plans in relation to waste incineration in view of the Government commissioned report from the HRB which clearly identifies links between incineration and chronic health problems; his views on the advice given to the Government from the HRB, which was endorsed by the EPA director general, that health information systems here cannot support routine monitoring of the health of persons living near incineration and landfill sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30365/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland's waste management policy is grounded on the internationally accepted waste management hierarchy of prevention, re-use, recycling, and energy recovery, with environmentally secure disposal of any residual waste. This hierarchy has informed the waste policy of countries such as the Netherlands and Germany which are widely considered to be among the most environmentally advanced in Europe and which practice an integrated waste management approach. This approach combines high levels of recycling with the extensive use of modern, highly regulated thermal treatment facilities. The HRB report acknowledges that an integrated systems approach is required for effective waste management in Ireland.

The HRB report focused on old waste facilities which would have higher emissions than would be acceptable today whereas new facilities would have to comply with much more stringent environmental and operational standards. Any evidence of health effects was either inconclusive or heavily qualified. In addition, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recently published a report on the review of environmental and health effects of waste management. This study looked at cancer, respiratory diseases and birth defects and found no evidence for a link between the incidence of the diseases and the current generation of incinerators.

The HRB report refers to the desirability of having health information systems support routine and long-term monitoring of the health of people living near waste facilities so that any public health impact from such facilities or other types of environmentally significant development can be identified and evaluated over time.

All thermal treatment facilities are subject to the most stringent controls under the relevant EU directive on incineration. These have been given legal effect in Ireland through the rigorous licensing system operated by the EPA, which will include ongoing licence enforcement and facility monitoring. The EPA has written to me to reconfirm that it takes into account environmental and human health issues when processing licence applications and that it is satisfied that facilities operating to licence conditions will not endanger human health nor harm the environment.