Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 884: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will explain the process whereby contractors were appointed for the clean-up of the former Irish Steel site on Haulbowline County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28367/08]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 885: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the way a company (details supplied) was selected for the clean-up of the former Irish Steel site on Haulbowline; the experience they had of dealing with hazardous waste generated in steel production; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28368/08]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 886: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the company (details supplied) appointed to clean up the former Irish Steel site on Haulbowline was subcontracting site clearance work to another firm which has been fined €100,000 for breaches of the Waste Management Act 1996 at Fota, County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28369/08]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 887: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the person who vetted the appointment of the contractors for the clean-up of the former Irish Steel site on Haulbowline; the other criteria required in terms of experience; if international firms with experience of cleaning up steel mills in the UK and Europe were approached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28370/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 884 to 887, inclusive, together.

This contract was procured for the purposes of a surface clearance only and it was never envisaged that the contract would involve sub-surface excavation or other such remediation of the East Tip.

In Autumn 2003, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government appointed Lisneys to sell any remaining plant and machinery at the site. In 2004, a proposal was made to Lisney for the scrapping of the remaining plant and machinery and the metal content of the buildings on site. Lisney then offered for sale by open tender all remaining machinery and the metal content of the buildings. The successful tenderer was Hammond Lane Metal Company Ltd operating in association with Clearway and Eastwoods Demolition. The final agreement was a combined sale of metal content for scrap, netted of the cost of decontaminating the meltshop area of the plant. The decontamination and demolition of the buildings on site is now complete.

Post-demolition, large amounts of waste material remained on the site. Significant quantities are of inert and reusable brick and concrete waste, and subject to formal classification, these were crushed and used to fill voids and tunnels. There were also large volumes of various other wastes for disposal such as metal, timber and plastic.

Procurement in compliance with public procurement guidelines of a contractor for site surface clearance to dispose of such wastes was undertaken by means of direct invitation to six appropriately qualified firms. Three firms expressed no interest, two firms submitted a fully costed proposal and one submitted a proposal without costings. The costed proposals were evaluated on behalf of my Department by Cork County Council who have managed the site under the direction of the Department since 2003.

While the two costed proposals were broadly comparable it was considered that the one from Hammond Lane Metal Company Ltd/Eastwood Demolition represented the best value for money while also having the advantage of already being familiar with the site and being able to proceed immediately. The Department approved the recommendation that the site surface clearance contract be awarded to Hammond Lane/Eastwood Demolition in December 2006 and contract and other necessary preparations got underway in early 2007.

While the vast majority of surface wastes were predominantly inert concrete, brick and metal wastes, it was recognised owing to the site's industrial legacy that hazardous wastes might be present on the surface which would require proper handling and disposal and accordingly Hammond Lane Metal Company Ltd. proposed that CTO Greenclean Environmental act as their sub-contractor.

Given the proposed participation of CTO Greenclean Environmental as a sub-contractor in the site surface clearance, Cork County Council requested various information and assurances in relation to evidence of tax clearance, evidence of public and employer's liability insurance, references for similar contracts ongoing or completed and assurance regarding accidents and prosecutions by the Health and Safety Authority or the Environmental Protection Agency. These were considered particularly important in respect of the anticipated major input that CTO Greenclean Environmental would have into the Health and Safety Plan required under Health and Safety legislation and particularly into the methodology of waste separation, classification and disposal. These references and assurances were supplied.

It is now understood that a sub-contractor of CTO Greenclean Environmental, Louis J. O'Regan, in his capacity as Secretary of Aggregate Supplies and Transport Ltd., pleaded guilty in 2005 on behalf of the company to charges of illegal dumping of waste brought by the Director of Public Prosecutions at Cork Circuit Criminal Court and the company was convicted and fined €100,000.