A CLAIM that it would cost an estimated €300 million to clean up the Haulbowline site, where hazardous waste has been allegedly dumped, was denied by Minister of State for the Environment Máire Hoctor.
"No such estimate has been reached in relation to this site, as of yet," she said. "The future use of the site will determine the nature of the rehabilitation and that has not been determined, or even explored."
She was replying to Seán Sherlock (Labour, Cork East) who claimed that the Government, having found out the cost involved in cleaning the site, was seeking to put the blame on the subcontractors.
Ms Hoctor said that costs were not a determining factor and insisted that "the subcontractors were in breach of the contract in the work that they were carrying out".
Replying to a series of special notice questions from Cork TDs, Ms Hoctor said that the department had employed consultants to advise on any immediate environmental and health and safety issues posed by the unauthorised actions of the subcontractors. Officials would be reviewing their proposals over the next few days and acting appropriately to ensure that any necessary steps were taken in the interim, pending a risk analysis of the entire site and the determination by the Government as to its future use.
"I assure this House and local residents that the department, and other relevant agencies, are properly engaged in the management of this legacy site in a manner which is consistent with good practice and the minimisation of risk to human health and the environment," she added.
Deirdre Clune (FG, Cork South Central) said that the Government had carried out a comprehensive site investigation in 2004 to determine the contamination levels. She asked if it had given the full extent of the contamination or was there something new discovered.
Ms Hoctor said that the level of contamination overground had been identified, but what existed underground, and its extent and nature, had not been clearly quantified.
Pressing the issue, Ms Clune said that the Government had paid somebody to carry out a comprehensive site investigation which did not throw up the level of contamination now known to exist.
"Was the Government aware in 2004 of the existence of chromium VI, which has been mentioned by the German company, and that this type of contamination was contained in the site?" she added.
Ms Hoctor said that toxic materials were identified on the surface and repeated that the extent of what was underneath had not been identified and quantified.
She said it was agreed that the EPA was extremely stringent in monitoring any potential threats to human safety and life.