Following a meeting of Derry City and Strabane Councillors with DAERA Minister Andrew Muir and department representatives, People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin confirmed support for a Health Impact Assessment was agreed.
People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said,
"Meeting with the DAERA Minister Andrew Muir was certainly useful but the concerns on the timetable for remediation of the toxic Mobuoy superdump, the strategy for it and how it will be funded all remain.
"The Minister was urged to get control of the site and ensure its safety.
"I asked the Minister if he continues to support a public inquiry, if he backs the Community-led inquiry and if he will support a health impact assessment demanded by residents living around Mobuoy.
"He agreed to support a health impact assessment and members of his team committed to working with the Public Heath Agency to progress it.
"I'll be following up with the Minister and DAERA officials to make sure this happens. The health and well-being concerns of local residents resulting from the toxic superdump need to be properly addressed.
"Mobuoy is Stormont's mess to clean-up."
"The Minister confirmed his support for a public inquiry and committed to bringing a case for it to the Stormont Executive, but he also expressed frustration at the DUP for blocking the creation of an Independent Environmental Agency.
"He also confirmed he was aware of the Community-led inquiry but couldn't commit to participating in it or backing it.
"Without the efforts and resilience of campaigners in The Gathering, Faughan Anglers and residents, the toxic Mobuoy superdump would not be on the political agenda. It would have been buried with no clean-up plan and no accountability.
"It's critical for Derry City and Strabane Council to hold the Minister accountable for Mobuoy, but this must be a priority for the Stormont Executive as a whole.
"Mobuoy is Stormont's mess to clean-up.
"Stormont's track record on environmental crime is a disaster. The proliferation of illegal toxic dumps and the pollution of our waterways for profit has been facilitated through the lack of regulation and enforcement. A drastic shift in government priorities is required."