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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 2 Hansard (27 February) . . Page.. 319 ..

MS FOLLETT: Mr Speaker, I direct a question without notice to Mrs Carnell in her capacity as Minister for Health and Community Care. I refer the Minister to the provision of meals to people residing in the ACT's two psychiatric hostels. Is it true that, as of last Friday, in a cost-cutting exercise, the evening meal was reduced to a small bowl of soup and a couple of sandwiches, and that a hot evening meal is no longer provided? Is it also true that breakfast-time at the hostels has been put back to 8.00 am, so that there is approximately a 15-hour break for the residents there between dinner and breakfast?

MRS CARNELL: Thank you for that question. I certainly will attempt to find that out for Ms Follett, but as far as I am concerned there have been no cost-cutting exercises with regard to meals at those institutions. There have been some changes in the menu. I understand that there were some difficulties for some members because salads had been increased to something like five times a week in the interests of health. I understand that consultation has since taken place and things have improved. I will find out for Ms Follett what the menu has been since last Friday.

MS FOLLETT: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker, which I would also appreciate Mrs Carnell taking on notice. Is it true that the change in the evening meal provision has removed any arrangements for people with special dietary requirements, and that in one case it provides for more bread in one meal than one person is supposed to have in a whole day?

MRS CARNELL: I will take that on notice, not having an intimate knowledge of individual people's meals at those places.

MR HIRD: Mr Speaker, I direct a question to Mr Humphries in his capacity as Minister for Planning. It concerns contaminated sites - one of the great problems many Canberrans are facing. The question that comes to light about this big problem is: What is the cost? Could the Minister inform the parliament as to who will pay for the clean-up of these so-called contaminated sites?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, first of all, I could not say what the total cost of the clean-up of these sites will be. We are still in the process of examining the records available to us to determine how many sites there are in the Territory. An estimate of 150 sites has been made by the Conservation Council. Most of those sites, I might point out, do not present any immediate threat to human health, but there is a need for us to examine them and assess what danger they present to human health. The process of discovering additional sites is quite complicated. In recent days old aerial photographs have been relied on to try to identify sheep dip sites. You can imagine that for an area the size of the ACT that is extremely difficult to do.

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