Govt created serious health risk through inadequate investigation of Haulbowline toxic dump

Speaking after a Dáil debate on the Department of the Environment's decision not to clean up toxic waste in Cork Harbour, Cork Fine Gael TD Deirdre Clune, accused the Government of putting local residents' health at risk by mishandling initial investigations into the onsite dangers.

"The Government took over this site in 2003 but failed to carry out a comprehensive survey of the area, failed to understand the level of contamination on site and failed to understand the potential hazards to public health that continues to exist.

"The survey carried out in 2004 was apparently a surface survey which failed to expose the subsurface lagoons of toxic waste that existed. It was in no way the comprehensive survey that was necessary.

"Junior Environment Minister Máire Hoctor could not inform provide the Dáil with details of the level of contamination on the site, whether any of the contaminants had leached into Cork Harbour or what was the level of public health risk.

"Environment Minister John Gormley needs to come before the Dáil at the first opportunity and answer these questions. If the Minister admits that his Department did instruct the company carrying out the clean-up to limit its investigation, thereby risking the health of thousands of local residents, and to cap hazardous and potentially lethal waste, then there must be an immediate internal investigation to determine at what level in the Minister's Department this decision was taken."

Deridre Clune used to be a Civil Engineer sop she knows what she is talking about, unlike some in Government...

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!

Debate to be held on Hazardous Waste

Fine Gael Cork South Central TD, Deridre Clune, along with other Fine Gael Cork TD's have secured an emergency debate this afternoon on the emerging scandal involving the Government's attempt to cover up their plans to allow 500,000 tonnes of toxic waste to remain untreated in Cork Harbour.

"This is a serious scandal involving allegations that the Government ranked budget considerations above public health considerations. The allegation that Minister Gormley's Department was planning to allow hazardous waste, including the carcinogenic Chromium 6, to remain untreated in the centre of a highly populated area is an allegation that the Minister cannot be allowed to ignore.

"I will be asking the Government to explain the actions of his Department in this attempted cover-up and to set a timetable for the removal of this cauldron of toxic and carcinogenic substances.

"As leader of the Green Party, Minister Gormley needs to show that environmental protection is not yet another core Green Party value which has been sold out to Fianna Fáil in return for Ministerial Mercs and political perks."

The Department of the Environment have attempted to cover up its role in issuing instructions to cap, rather than remove, hazardous and potentially carcinogenic waste at the former Irish Steel Plant in Cork Harbour. This is a scandel that the EPA and Cork County Council were implicit in. Heads should roll