asked the Minister for Health if he has reached a conclusion on the possibility of providing one large incinerator to meet the requirements of all Dublin city hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
117.
Written Answers. - Medical Waste Disposal.
45.
asked the Minister for Health if he has agreed to sanction the finance necessary to provide Beaumont Hospital, Dublin 9, with an efficient incinerator for medical waste, in view of the environmental hazards of burning such waste in the substandard incinerator or transporting such waste to other sites.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 45 and 117 together.
Hospital waste is very difficult to incinerate in a way which will meet our stringent environmental objectives on a continuing basis. Against this background I am in consultation with my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, with a view to achieving the most economic and environmentally acceptable solution. Technical officers in my Department are examining a number of options in this regard.