asked the Minister for the Environment if he has satisfied himself with the policy of dumping toxic and hazardous wastes in various Third World countries; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that much of such waste comes from Europe and may well involve such waste exported from this country; if he is satisfied with such an arrangment which seems to attach a lower regard for the health of people in these countries than in Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Toxic Waste Dumping.
30.
I can assure the Deputy that there is no question of hazardous waste from this country being dumpted in a Third World country. The export of hazardous waste from Ireland is subject to control under the European Communities (Transfrontier Shipment of Hazardous Waste) Regulations, 1988 which came into operation on November 1988. These regulations provide the legal framework for this country's participation in a community-wide control system under which hazardous waste movements, including any exports to non-member states, are subject to pre-notification and acceptance requirements.
The purpose of the new controls is to ensure, in advance of any waste movement, that proper contractual arrangments have been made for disposal, that the proposed disposal arrangments are acceptable to the authorities in the states in which the waste is intended to be disposed of and that adequate technical capacity exists for such disposal. There is an additional obligation on the waste exporters to ensure that confirmation is given to the local authority concerned that the waste has reached its proper destination.