I have to apologise to the Minister for the length of the question I tabled but I am surprised that he has not dealt with one aspect of this question, that is, subparagraph (4), which asked in view of the proposed EC legislation banning sludge dumping at sea, what is going to happen to the sludge produced at Pigeon House? Is the Minister's Department making any preparations to desist from dumping sewerage sludge at sea which I understand is the case at present? What arrangements are the Department making?

The Deputy is quite right when he says that there is some dumping of sewage sludge at sea. It is dumped in accordance with a licence issued by the Department of the Marine.

Where?

At this very time Dublin Corporation are investigating alternative methods of sludge disposal which would reduce or which in fact might very well eliminate the need for the disposal of sewerage sludge at sea. That would be the aim.

Am I to understand that this alternative method involves the dumping of this sewage sludge in some land based location?

I do not have any details on the alternative methods being proposed but I am assured that in whatever way it will be done it will be environmentally proper and will hopefully eliminate all dumping at sea. As the Deputy has quite rightly said, there are some EC directives in that regard.