Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 26 Feb 2003

Vol. 562 No. 2

Written Answers - Waste Management.

Fergus O'Dowd

Ceist:

235 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his views on the Health Research Board report on Health and Environmental Effects of Incineration and Landfill; and if he will insist on a moratorium on incineration in view of the urgent need to develop skills and resources to undertake health and environmental risk assessments, and the serious data gaps that exist in relation to the environmental effects of incineration. [5869/03]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Cullen)

I welcome this HRB report. It is a lengthy and detailed document which, alongside the related inventory of dioxin emissions to the Irish environment that was published by EPA in late December 2002, merits and will receive careful consideration, both within my Department and the EPA.

In due course, having consulted the agency and other bodies that may be concerned, I will make a fuller statement in response to the HRB report and its findings.