Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 April 2004
145 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the action the Government is taking to ensure that a site (details supplied) in County Cork is cleaned up; the estimated cost of such a clean-up; the way in which it will be financed; the timescale involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10375/04]
View answerMy Department has been assigned the operational responsibilities associated with the former Irish Ispat site, including the advancement of the site investigation and remediation processes.
Cork County Council has agreed to take a front-line role on my Department's behalf in advancing the site investigation exercise which is designed to determine more precisely the nature and extent of contamination of the site and identify an appropriate remediation programme. The council is about to commence the process of engaging professional expertise which it requires in order to manage these processes. Following this, tenders for the site investigation exercise will be sought with the intention of commencing the process in autumn 2004.
Arrangements have also been made for the identification of potentially hazardous materials which can readily be removed from the site; removal of some materials has already taken place and the removal of further materials is currently under consideration.
The intrusive site investigation will facilitate the development of more reliable cost estimates for the required remediation. Pending the outcome of this, it is difficult to quantify the costs involved. However, a desk study carried out previously on behalf of the State estimated remediation costs to be of the order of €30 million. The ultimate financing of the remediation process will be dependent on a number of factors, including the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings.
