Vol. 549 No. 4
62 Mr. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will request that the IDA publish the interim report on the illegal toxic dump discovered on IDA lands at Clonshaugh and Belcamp, Dublin 17, in order that the environmental and health impacts on the adjoining 5,000 households in Dublin city can be evaluated urgently. [7038/02]
The management of the industrial property portfolio is a day-to-day matter for IDA Ireland and not one in which I have a direct function. Between 1997 and 2000, IDA Ireland acquired around 48 hectares of land, commonly known as the Belcamp site, in north County Dublin. The site was acquired for medium to long-term development as a major business park for the region, in line with the IDA's standard policies on forward planning. Dublin City Council was granted way leave to access part of this site in order to lay sewer pipes as part of the North Fringe sewer infrastructure. In the course of these works last year the contractors for Dublin City Council unearthed a waste landfill site which, on analysis, has been dated to the 1980s – long before the lands were acquired by IDA. Clearly, this land had been used for illegal dumping and contained a wide range of waste materials, including some hazardous clinical and blood waste materials.
While surprised by the discovery, IDA Ireland undertook to manage the situation according to best international practice and accordingly appointed an environmental consultant to advise on the extent of the buried dump, the implications in terms of its management and the possible origins of the waste materials. For immediate management of the site advice and technical consultation also included the involvement of the local authorities, the EPA and the Health and Safety Authority. Secured and well-marked fencing has been erected around the relevant section of the site. The best advice received by IDA is that there is no immediate risk to the nearby population. Full environmental clearance has been given at this point to the remainder of this extensive site including the nearby GAA Craobh Chiaráin sports grounds.
