Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 2 Mar 1995

Vol. 450 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Dunsink (Dublin) Tiphead.

Mr. N. Ahern

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. Dunsink tiphead was due to be closed ten years ago but it is still open. During two days last week protesters blocked the entrance to the tiphead. The local lobby groups trying to force the closure of the tiphead have complained about the lack of information given to them by Fingal County Council. Management seem to be in favour of extending the tiphead to fields which were designated in 1984 for amenity purposes. In recent days the manager of the council has been quoted in the newspapers as saying he could not locate a halting site in Howth because he had given a personal commitment to the people of the area. The commitment given to the people of Finglas means nothing compared to the commitment given to the people of Howth on a different issue.

The lobby groups are looking for definite information on the wind down procedures for the tiphead, the closing date and the plans to rehabilitate the area. Even though they are entitled to this information under EU directives the promised report has been continuously delayed. Reference has been made to a possible closing date in June-July 1996 and people want this commitment to be put in writing. They are afraid that a further demand will be made to keep the Dunsink tiphead, which is 80 feet high in some places, open for another few years. For some years local authorities operated on the basis that a tiphead would be opened in Kill but many people think this tiphead will never be opened.

It is not enough to tell people that the Dunsink tiphead will be closed in 1996 when there is no obvious alternative. People want a definite commitment and information on the alternatives. Having failed to get proper information from the local authorities the local people reported the matter to the EU which informed them that despite repeated requests by the Petitions Committee the Government had not supplied any information.

I ask the Minister to give the full details of the proposed closing date for this tiphead and the rehabilitation plans. The problem in the past was that the person who gave the commitments retired and the person who took over said that things had changed and it was a new ball game. This problem is likely to recur as the official dealing with this matter is near retirement age. The people want a definite commitment in regard to the closure of this tiphead. I ask the Minister to outline the plans so that we can monitor whether he implements them.

Minister for the Environment (Mr. Howlin)

I thank Deputy Ahern for raising this matter. Responsibility for the management and operation of local authority landfills within their functional areas rests with the local authorities concerned. In the case of Dunsink landfill, this responsibility is vested in Fingal County Council. Only exceptionally could the Minister for the Environment appropriately accept responsibility before this House for operational matters concerning local authority landfills. I am responding to Deputy Ahern's motion this evening not because of any involvement by my Department with the operation of Dunsink or other local authority landfills, but because of my Department's responsibility, on behalf of the Irish Government, for co-ordinating and transmitting replies on environmental queries, complaints and legal proceedings to the European Commission.

The European Commission notified my Department on 31 May 1994 of a complaint received in relation to Dunsink landfill. The grounds for the complaint relate to the site's location and a claim that the design, engineering and technical precautions adopted at the site and its management are not adequate.

The operation of this facility is the responsibility of Fingal County Council and their detailed complaint was forwarded to the manager for a full reply on 13 June 1994. A reply was received from the council on 23 August 1994. While that reply addressed the majority of the issues raised in the complaint, clarification of a number of matters was sought from the council on 4 October 1994. Pending receipt of that information, a letter was issued to the Commission on 16 September 1994 outlining the new local government structure in the Dublin area and how that had impacted on the management of the Dunsink facility.

My Department has now provided a full reply to the Commission on the issues raised by them in this correspondence. Given that this correspondence arises from a private complaint registered with the Commission, it would not be the practice to release it publicly or to go into its details at this stage. We await the Commission's response to our correspondence.

In terms of my general responsibilities for waste management, I am most anxious to co-operate with all local authorities in the development of better waste management planning, practice and facilities, with particular emphasis on recycling and waste minimisation.

The environment services operational programme contains a sub-programme on waste management to support this approach. I hope to communicate the detailed implementation of this sub-programme to local authorities and other interests very shortly.