Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 35: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps being taken to ensure that landfills are not contributing to the pollution of the surrounding environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43047/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Under Section 60(3) of the Waste Management Act 1996, I am specifically precluded from any involvement in particular circumstances in a matter for which a local authority or the EPA has statutory responsibility. This includes the granting of waste licences for which the EPA is responsible, including licensing of landfills and the enforcement of conditions attached to a licence. The Act requires conditions attached to a waste licence, as appropriate, to specify measures to be taken to prevent the entry to waters of specified substances or to avoid pollution by specified substances. Steps to ensure that landfills are not contributing to the pollution of the surrounding environment are, accordingly, part of the licensing conditions of landfills and therefore they are the statutory responsibility of the EPA.