Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 86: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the tonnage of refuse derived fuel incinerated annually at a location (details supplied) in County Meath; his views on their plans to incinerate liquid recovered fuels derived from waste solvents from the pharmaceutical industry; if the range of sources of liquid recovered fuels requires their naming under the European waste catalogue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39592/10]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 87: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the use of refuse derived fuel at a location (details supplied) in County Meath and their plans to incinerate liquid recovered fuels; if the burning of both materials requires a waste incineration directive licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39593/10]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the use of refuse derived fuel at a location (details supplied) in County Meath and the sites compatibility with the Minister's draft statement of waste policy on mass burn incineration; if the company will be required to pay a levy on incineration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39594/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 86 to 88, inclusive, together.

On 15 July 2010 I published a Draft Statement of Waste Policy for public consultation. This set out the various elements being considered as part of the development of a new national waste management policy for the coming decade and beyond by developing a resource-based and sustainable waste policy for Ireland.

The Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) process recovers all the high calorific materials from municipal solid waste through waste treatment systems, such as Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT), and then converts it into a fuel capable of replacing coal or other fossil fuels, including in cement kilns. It is one example of a process which can contribute to a resource management approach to waste and also create jobs, improve competitiveness, and enhance prosperity.

Under the Waste Management Acts, the landfill levy currently applies only to waste deposited at landfill. I have, however, published draft sections of a Bill - the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill - for public consultation. This Bill provides for the application of a volumetric levy to other waste facilities and any exclusions from such levies will be set out in Regulations made on foot of this proposed legislation. The facility referred to in the question operates under an Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) licence; decisions on IPPC licences are the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The monitoring and enforcement of conditions attaching to IPPC licences are also a matter for the EPA. Under the Environmental Protection Agency Acts 1992 to 2007 , I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to the performance by the EPA of its licensing functions in specific cases.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 89: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of incinerators in operation here including those at the pharmaceutical plants; the municipal waste plants and the cement plants and to relate these figures to the hierarchy specified under Article 4 of the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39595/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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My Department has no function in determining the number or location of any industrial or waste management facilities nationally.

The EPA is the national repository for waste management statistics and the most recent available information in respect of waste infrastructure can be found in the 2008 National Waste Report available on the EPA's website at www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/waste/stats/.