THE projected cost of cleaning up the former Irish Steel/Ispat site in Cork Harbour has rocketed in recent years, from an estimated €30 million in 2004 to €300m today.

THE Naval Service has long had concerns about the environmental impact of the former steel site on Haulbowline Island in Cork Harbour.

THE full extent of potentially toxic contamination on a 27-acre site in Cork is only now being revealed, despite a risk assessment carried out for the Government six years ago.

THIS week we were forced to acknowledge one unpleasant reality, one we have denied for far too long. We had to accept that our once booming economy is in recession.

ENVIRONMENTAL engineers moved onto the site of the former Irish Steel factory on Haulbowline Island in Cobh, Co Cork, yesterday to begin the largest industrial clean-up in the history of the State.

THE end cost to the taxpayer of the former Irish Ispat steel plant in Cork Harbour may be as high as €70 million, the Green Party said last night.

THE former owner of Irish Ispat in Cork, who recently bought a house in London for £106 million, should pick up the €30m tab for the clean up of the steel works site, according to the former chairman of Cork County Council.

HE didn’t give his workers a cent in redundancy payments and the Irish taxpayer will have to foot a €30 million bill to clean up his steel mill.

UNION leaders will demand answers from Tánaiste Mary Harney today on why the Government rejected a rescue plan for Irish Fertiliser Industries.

BETRAYAL — that was the word workers used to describe yesterday’s 620 job losses at Irish Fertilizer Industries.

TÁNAISTE Mary Harney will today receive a full report on efforts to save at least some of the 600 jobs at Irish Fertiliser Industries.

THE Board of Irish Fertiliser Industries and shareholders are to discuss the possible closure of the Co Cork plant

Unemployment fell by nearly 9,000 last month, according to figures published by the Central Statistics Office.

Staff at Irish Ispat in Cork are meeting to discuss their next course of action, after the steel plant's parent company rejected a rescue package.

The Tanaiste has said her first priority in meeting the owners of Irish Ispat in London is to see the jobs and business in Cork maintained.

A last ditch effort to save the former Irish Steel plant in Cork gets underway later today.

SIPTU has insisted it has not given up hope of saving the former Irish Steel plant in Cork.

The Trade Union SIPTU representing the workers at the ISPAT steel plant in Cork are to meet with management of the company following the closure of the

Ireland was hit by its third jobs blow in three days tonight with the announcement that the Irish Ispat steel-manufacturing works in Cork are to close with 400 redundancies.

Irish Ispat have confirmed that an amount of radio active material has been found in the clean-up operation after a fire at the plant yesterday which claimed the life of 53-year-old Thomas Mulcahy.