asked the Minister for the Environment the proposals, if any, in his Department for the detoxification of toxic waste.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Toxic Waste.
9.
There are no proposals in my Department for detoxification of toxic wastes. This is primarily a matter for the producers of such wastes.
Does that mean that radioactive material can be disposed of by private individuals without any controls from the Department of the Environment?
Apparently.
The responsibility for toxic waste at the moment rests with the producers. The need for common provisions to ensure regulation and satisfactory disposal of toxic waste was recognised by the EEC and by this Government. A Council directive was adopted on 20 March 1978 and must be implemented within a period of two years. The Minister has already announced that the legislation relating to waste is being examined to ensure that local authorities are provided with adequate powers to discharge their appropriate planning and control functions in relation to toxic and other waste.
Is the Minister aware that Trinity College, Dublin, propose to build an incinerator for the elimination of radioactive waste with no control or supervision from the Department of the Environment? Does he not consider that a very serious matter, especially when it is done in a residential area?
That is a separate question. There is nothing in the question about what Trinity College may or may not have done.
Toxic waste is toxic waste, and this is happening without any supervision or control from the Department of the Environment. It is a serious matter.
It may be related to the question but it is not in order.
It is my function to secure the introduction of a comprehensive and environmentally acceptable system on the lines required by the EEC directive on toxic and dangerous waste.
Has the Department any power to supervise this to ensure that it does not become a public health hazard?
Will the Minister accept that one of the necessary ingredients in the attraction of industry here is to have some kind of waste disposal system? I am talking about industrial waste, toxic or otherwise. Will the Minister's Department give a lead in this direction? Surely they cannot pass the responsibility to small urban district councils and local authorities generally.
This is argument.
The Minister has already announced that legislation relating to waste is being examined to ensure that local authorities are provided with the powers to discharge the appropriate planning and control functions in relation to toxic and other waste.
I am not talking about local authorities. Is there any national plan in this area?
My original reply covered that.
May I take it from the reply that if it were not for the EEC the Government would be doing nothing about trying to prevent the poisoning of the atmosphere?
That is not correct.
That is what it seemed like.
Since the legislation on this matter may be something like two years away, would the Minister consider as an interim measure some arrangement whereby qualified inspectors in his Department would supervise the detoxification of such waste? Surely there is no easy measure that would prevent such an initiative by the Department if we have to wait two years for the legislation.
We will not have to wait two years. This legislation is hanging fire in the Department.
Would the Minister consider some interim measure between his Department and the authorities concerned?
This legislation will come fairly soon and there would be duplication.
In view of the fact that a reply to a question I asked the Minister some months ago relating to the number of reviews and inquiries going on in his Department did not include reference to the alleged review which he has now mentioned, or to the alleged review which he mentioned in answer to the previous question, is there some justification for believing that these reviews are being invented as we go along?
That is a separate question. The Deputy may put down a question about that.
That is not so.
It is the Government who need to be reviewed.
We have been assured by the Minister on a number of occasions that he has inspectors for places like Asahi and other producing factories. What is the function of the inspector who finds toxic waste being sent out by these factories into the sea, rivers and elsewhere?
It is a matter for the producers of waste to make sure that toxic waste is detoxified.
And what if they do not?
What are the inspectors doing?
They are making sure that the producers do the job they should do in relation to toxic waste.
Would the Minister accept that toxic waste at the moment is indiscriminately dumped throughout the country?
I am not so aware.