Minister must consign toxic island to history
From a peak of 1,200 employees in 1971, ministers Ruairi Quinn and Richard Burton sold the site in 1996 to the Indian company Ispat for £1, writing off £27m in debts in return for a commitment to provide 330 jobs for five years.
The contract included £2.3m from the State to clean up and contain the extensive toxic waste dump that made up the ‘East Tip’. The required wall was never built and less than £600,000 was spent.
