asked the Minister for Local Government whether he is aware that concrete waste was dumped on Sandymouunt strand last August and whether any action has been taken to prosecute the interests responsible.
56.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dublin Bay Dumping.
55.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he is aware that a firm (name supplied) dumped deleterious matter into the sea at Irishtown, Dublin; and what action he has taken or proposes to take in regard to this case of pollution.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 56 together.
Any action to be taken in regard to such an incident is fundamentally for the local authority, operating under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963, or the Sanitary Services Acts.
I take it that the incident to which the Deputies refer is one which took place at Sandymount Strand last August. I understand that Dublin Corporation took the matter up with the firm concerned, who claimed that the incident was an isolated one which arose due to a misunderstanding of instructions given to one of their employees and that they have also indicated in a letter dated 29th September, 1971, to the corporation that they had ceased all dumping in the area.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that his own Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Transport and Power jointly visited that particular strand, I think in July, before the dumping took place and expressed themselves appalled at the dumping of the waste that had occurred before that consistently, pouring out on to the strand there, and how, therefore, could this action in August be an isolated incident?
I am afraid my reply refers to one dumping incident——
Quite.
——by one firm which was investigated. If the Deputy has in mind other incidents——
The Parliamentary Secretary's reply would appear to suggest that his Minister accepts something as an isolated incident which the Minister himself visually saw for himself had occurred consistently before that and would he agree this is a very unconvincing kind of reply?
That is a separate question.
The Deputy's question refers to dumping in the month of August and the Parliamentary Secretary has answered that question.
He suggested it was an isolated incident, which it visibly was not.