Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 377: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the details of correspondence between his Department and a company (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28263/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Rentokil, as holder of hazardous waste material, has the statutory responsibility to deal safely with this material under the Waste Management Act 1996, the Safety Health and Welfare at Work Acts 1989 and 2005, the Dangerous Substances Act 1972, Protection of the Environment Act 2003 and accompanying regulations and licensing regimes. My Department's involvement has been to facilitate the local authority concerned and the company in achieving a satisfactory outcome.

On behalf of Rentokil, Arthur Cox Solicitors made my Department aware of the existence of seven cylinders of hydrogen cyanide in April 2007 at the Rentokil premises at Ballymount. This followed a series of meetings held by Rentokil with South Dublin County Council, the Defence Forces, the Fire Services and An Garda Síochána to develop a solution for the disposal of the cylinders. My Department replied to the solicitors on May 2007 notifying them that South Dublin County Council was the lead agency in respect of this matter and that the Department did not have a direct role in relation to the operational issues involved.

On 18 June 2007, the company wrote to the Minister for Defence requesting assistance in the procurement of a suitable Defence Forces site for the disposal of the cylinders. This letter was copied to my Department and its receipt was acknowledged on 19 June 2007. A further letter issued by Rentokil on 25 June 2007 to the Minister for Defence in relation to the procurement of a suitable Defence forces site was copied to my Department.

In November 2007, the company addressed a letter to the Minister for Defence and to myself outlining difficulties it had encountered in finding a suitable disposal site. An e-mail copy of the same Rentokil letter was acknowledged by my Department on 3 December 2007. On 10 December 2007, I wrote to the company stressing my concern that the matter had not been resolved and emphasising that the company had the statutory responsibility to achieve a satisfactory resolution. In January 2008, the company contacted my Department by telephone to determine the nature conservation requirements that might apply for proposed disposal sites and a reply issued on 21 February 2008 setting out conservation recommendations.

On 29 February 2008, the company wrote to my Department inviting representatives to attend a meeting on 5 March 2008 facilitated by South Dublin County Council to advise on the environmental/permissions process in relation to the disposal of the cylinders at the Defence Forces site at Kilbride. Officials of my Department were invited by the company on 12 March 2008 to a further meeting on 13 March 2008, which was facilitated by South Dublin County Council. Subsequent to the latter meeting, on 13 March 2008 my Department issued an e-mail to the company advising on statutory waste management and planning issues. A report prepared by Rentokil of the meeting held on 13 March 2008 was circulated by the company viae-mail and received in my Department.