Would the Minister of State agree that the failure of the Department to locate or identify a site for a toxic waste incinerator is nothing more than a piece of political buck passing to whoever is the suitable tenderer so that the Minister can wash his hands of making any decision on this matter? Will the Minister of State agree that given the failure of the Department to identify a site, it is unlikely that this project will go ahead and would she indicate in the light of her statement that an environmental impact assessment will be required when the necessary domestic legislation will be brought into force to give effect to the EC directive on environmental impact assessments so that if such a project does happen to make progress it will do so within the law prescribed by the EC and the environmental impact assessment will fulfil the requirements of the EC directive?

Even though the final part of the Deputy's question is a separate question I can confirm that the necessary regulations to have the environmental impact assessment enshrined on a statutory basis will be ready in a matter of weeks; certainly well in advance of Christmas. In answer to the earlier part of the Deputy's question, which suggested that the decision on the site should be made centrally, I disagree. I think a unilateral decision of the Minister for the Environment to impose this site in a particular area would be going over the heads of the planning authority and would be highly improper. It is for the local planning authority to decide on the appropriateness having regard to the question of whether a site is suitable.

A recipe for doing nothing.

Question No. 22.