Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 886: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will confirm that material was removed from slag heaps at Haulbowline to be used in road construction; the quantity of material removed; if the material was examined for toxicity and, if necessary, treated; the name of the company that extracted the material; the locations where the material was used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26748/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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As the Deputy is aware the State, acting through my Department in a co-ordinating role, took over custody of the site in question from the liquidator in June 2003 as mandated by Government. The mandate required the Department to co-ordinate all legal actions in relation to the site, to cover matters such as site security, ongoing care and maintenance, and other issues arising, and to enable a site investigation to be carried out to assist in determining the best option, economically and environmentally, for the future use of the site and its remediation.

I can confirm that since receiving this mandate in 2003 no material has been removed from slag heaps to be used in road construction, or indeed any other activity, despite a number of approaches to the Department from interested parties in this regard. Anecdotal evidence suggests inert slag material was employed for this purpose during the period when the steelworks was in commercial operation but my Department does not hold any records or information from this period.