Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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758. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 658, 659, 660 and 662 of 31 March 2015, if he will provide an update on his meeting with his counterpart from the Northern Ireland Executive; if he is satisfied that all of the necessary protections north of the Border are being put in place to protect water courses and aquifers in this jurisdiction; if he is further satisfied with the level of co-operation, enforcement and detection of the illegal activity north of the Border; if he has received requests from local authorities for financial support to cover clean up costs, since his reply to this Deputy's question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23118/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Enforcement in relation to illegal diesel laundering activities is primarily a matter for the Irish Revenue Commissioners from the point of view of avoiding loss of revenue to the Exchequer. Given the links between these unlawful activities to organised criminality, the Irish Revenue Commissioners are fully supported in this area by An Garda Síochána.

Fuel laundering continues to be a serious concern for authorities in both Ireland and Northern Ireland. Recognising this shared concern a Cross Border Fuel Fraud Enforcement Group, comprising representatives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, HM Revenue Customs, the UK National Crime Agency, the Revenue Commissioners, An Garda Síochána and the Irish Criminal Assets Bureau has been established to target these activities on an all island basis. Arising from the work of this Task Force, a number of groups involved in the laundering and distribution of illegal fuels, operating in both jurisdictions, have been identified and are being specifically targeted for investigation by all law enforcement agencies concerned.

My Department assists local authorities in carrying out their role as competent authorities under waste legislation, which is to take the necessary measures, on behalf of the State ,to ensure that any waste generated and left abandoned by the diesel launderers is disposed of without endangering human or animal health and without harming the environment, in particular without risk to water.

Approximately 1,400 incidents of diesel laundering waste dumping have been dealt with by local authorities to date and my Department has financed the substantial costs associated with such disposal. The overwhelming majority of the clean-up operations have taken place in counties along the Northern Ireland Border. In 2015 to date, some 113 tonnes of laundering waste has been managed by Monaghan County Council and a further 156 tonnes by Louth County Council. The approximate cost of the disposal of recovered laundering waste inclusive of transport is €500 per tonne so approximately €135,000 has been incurred in dealing with this waste since the start of the year.

Given the possible origin of the laundered waste material from Northern Ireland there is a clear need to ensure that efforts to tackle the issue and support remediation measures have full cross border support. To drive this agenda I have previously written to my counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive, Minister Mark Durkan, to highlight the problem and I have also raised the issue directly with EU Environment Commissioner Vella and have requested the Commission’s support in this area, in particular in the context of the North-South dimension.

The matter was also raised at the meeting of the North South Ministerial Council in May, which was attended by my colleague Deputy Ann Phelan, in her capacity as Minister of State at my Department. On foot of these discussions it was agreed thatboth Department’s would provide a full update on the extent of the diesel laundering problem, any cross Border initiatives which can be taken to mitigate against the proliferation of this practice and the measures which can be taken to protect the environment and human health at the next Council meeting.