Minister Misleads Dáil

Cork South Central TD, Simon Coveney, has accused Minister of State Máire Hoctor of misleading the Dáil by claiming that during the past five years, only a surface investigation has been conducted of the former ISPAT site in Cork Harbour.

Coveney made the accusation during a debate on a Private Notice Question put down by himself and Cork TDs David Stanton, Deirdre Clune, Sean Sherlock and Ciaran Lynch on the issue in the Dáil this afternoon.

"If what Minister of State Hoctor is saying is true, then the Government has deliberately ignored what everyone suspected to be subsurface contamination at the site.

"If on the other hand, as is common knowledge, a subsurface investigation has taken place, then the Minister has deliberately misled the Dáil, and is complicit in a cover-up of the Government's knowledge as to the extent of the hazardous material. If this is the case, and Government Ministers have been sitting on information and have not exposed the true extent of hazardous material on the site, their actions can only be described as grossly negligent.

"This is an issue of huge concern for residents of Ringaskiddy, people working in the naval base in Haulbowline and in the maritime college. It is also of concern to residents in Cobh and the thousands of people who use the harbour for recreational purposes.

"The Government needs to be upfront and honest, expose the full extent of hazardous material on the site, and put in place a short-term plan to clean the site up and guarantee public safety. Because of the level of suspicion and anger, nothing else will restore public confidence on this issue."

He is right on the honesty, something that is lacking in the current government!

Answers Raise More Questions

The Hawlbowline story continues.

Fine Gael Cork East TD, David Stanton criticses Máire Hoctor TD's, Minister of State, non-response on Haulbowline waste.

"The Minister's response this afternoon regarding hazardous waste at Haulbowline has raised more questions about the safety of local people, in particular naval personnel, than it has answered. Deposits of heavy metal and toxic chemicals are a very serious matter and raise serious health and safety and environmental issues.

"Not only could the Minister not give a clear account of the number of reports carried out on the site, she was also unable to give answers to the impact of waste on the local community. At this stage, it is still very unclear as to what dangers this waste poses. Are toxic chemicals seeping into the sea and harbour area? Is there an aquifer at that location?

"I have written to the Chairman of the Oireachtas Environmental Committee seeking an emergency sitting of the Committee to discuss this issue. It is essential that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, officials from the EPA, Health and Safety Authority, the HSE and member of Cork County Council appear before this Committee to provide answers.

"The Government must take immediate action to provide an efficient and effective solution to what could be the single most hazardous environmental pollution incident the country has ever seen."

I will post the Ministers response as soon as it is online.

Stanton and Buttimer Call for Debates on Haulbowline Toxic Waste

In response to todays Irish Examiner front page story, Cork East TD David Stanton has called for a special debate in the Dáil to discuss the situation in Haulbowline.

"I have been raising the matter of the clean-up of Haulbowline in the Dáil for a number of years. I am very concerned now about information that is emerging about the presence of large amounts of highly carcinogenic substances, and the danger that this may pose to residents of Cobh and Cork Harbour.

"It is vitally important that the Minister come into the Dáil today and inform the public about the situation at Haulbowline and what the Government intends to do about it."

Meanwhile Cork South Central Senator Jerry Buttimer, has called for a debate in the Seanad in response to the news.

"Reports in today's media of a cover-up by the Government, the Environmental Protection Agency and Cork County Council of the treatment of around 500,000 tonnes of potentially deadly waste material from the Irish Steel site at Haulbowline, Co. Cork are beyond belief.

"Not only has the Government shown utter disregard for the environment by suggesting the capping of the lagoons where the waste material is held but to blatantly ignore the health implications of such a move for local resident is incomprehensible.

"I have called for a Seanad debate at the earliest convenience so that the extent of what is going on here can be determined. These lethal carcinogens must be removed from the area and disposed of with the utmost care and consideration. That the Greens in Government could have presided over this cover-up is reprehensible in the extreme. An explanation is needed immediately."

The Irish Examiner has broken a story that a cover-up involving Cork County Council, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Environment has been ongoing over highly hazardous waste buried at what has been described as potentially “the largest and most extensive pollution incident in the history of the State”.

The most worrying part is this

The documents also reveal the waste includes highly toxic substances such as chromium 6 — the second most dangerous carcinogen — as well as hydrocarbons and other oil and metal byproducts. The cost of the operation at Haulbowline to date also suggests a full clean-up of the site could cost up to €300 million.

An official investigation, the findings of which have been seen by the Irish Examiner, has already found that the waste material is “likely” to be a “severe” health risk to people locally, such as the residents of Cobh and navy personnel based nearby, mainly because of toxic dust getting carried by the wind.

It also represents a huge risk to flora and fauna.

What has the ministers response been?

Environment Minister John Gormley last night insisted he remained committed to transforming the site from an environmental liability into an asset for the region. “My officials are finalising a report on the site, which will outline options for its future, which I hope to bring to government in the autumn. Work has been ongoing for the last five years to properly assess the site, so that an informed decision on its future can be made.

“In relation to the recent issues regarding sub-contractors on the site, the department, acting on best expert advice of the EPA, ordered the unauthorised work to stop, as there were serious concerns that the work being carried out in such a piecemeal fashion posed a significant environmental risk,” he said.

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