David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 32: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the methods he is promoting to deal with toxic waste from the pharmaceutical industry and other sources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18158/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The National Hazardous Waste Management Plan is the statutory responsibility of the EPA under the Waste Management Acts. The National Waste Prevention Committee, which operates under the aegis of the EPA, is the oversight body responsible for the coordination of actions to implement the National Hazardous Waste Management Plan. In general terms my policy approach is to promote waste management approaches and methods in line with the EU waste hierarchy, with prevention and minimisation as the most favourable options.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 33: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, further to Parliamentary Question No. 159 of 27 November 2008, the further progress that has been made and the action he has taken in the clean up of the former steel plant at Haulbowline, Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18157/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The report on the assessment of site conditions on Haulbowline by White Young Green (WYG) was made publicly available on my Department's website in December 2008. Hard copies were also made available where requested. Furthermore, Professor Phillip Morgan (Sirius Geotechnical & Environmental Ltd) and Dr. Marcus Trett (Physalia Limited, Consultant & Forensic Ecologists) carried out a peer review on the WYG report which was also made publicly available. The WYG assessment found that there was no immediate health or environmental threat posed by the site and did not suggest a risk to the health of people on site undertaking normal activities or to those in the Cork harbour area including the Naval Base. The peer reviewers considered that the WYG report represented work of a quality consistent with good professional practice for such projects.

Recommendations arising out of the WYG and Peer Review reports have informed my proposals in respect of the future management of the site which I will shortly bring to Government. These proposals are at present the subject of consultation with other relevant Government Departments, including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment which has a current Government mandate to look at future re-development options for the site. A small number of works have recently taken place on site. These mainly relate to normal care and maintenance including the demolition of some old huts near the main entrance to the site, the cleaning of a castor pit which was being used to store hazardous liquid waste and the disposal of small quantities of waste materials from the main industrial part of the site.