29-May-08
Boyle raises questions about use of Thornton Hall for asylum-seekers and mental health patients
Speaking in the Seanad today Green Party Senator Dan Boyle said: "It is an open secret that the Green Party had qualms about locating a new prison at Thornton Hall, and it formed some of the negotiations for the programme for Government. However, it has been accepted as a policy that is in train and will be seen through to conclusion.
"There is no disagreement about the need for a new prison. The existing prison infrastructure in this country is unacceptable and inhumane. In many of the prisons the conditions are Dickensian. There is no doubt about the need to transfer much of the current prison population to a new facility; the need exists in other parts of the country also. The most overcrowded prison in the prison service currently is Cork Prison and I would like to some progress regarding a new prison in the Cork area.
"There had been talk of a new prison in the Kilworth area, which, as a parallel, has many of the disadvantages highlighted in the debate on Thornton Hall vis-Ã -vis Mountjoy in that it is 30 miles outside Cork city, does not have a dedicated public transport network and is compromised in terms of offering family support by way of visitation, which should be an essential part of a rehabilitation process in any prison sentence. The Minister of State might indicate whether progress is possible in that area.
"Even though my party is supportive of the construction of Thornton Hall, given the progress that has been made on the development of the site I am concerned about some aspects of the way the development is to proceed. We do not know the position regarding the reception centre for people seeking asylum and immigration status, which is open to debate and causes concern in wider society.
"The question about the Central Mental Hospital is left open also. I am glad that is the case because the economics that inform the idea of selling the entire Dundrum site for the Central Mental Hospital and moving it to Thornton Hall no longer necessarily applies. We should use the change in the economic circumstances and the uncertainty of the property market to ask questions about whether the move, which has questionable moral justification, from Dundrum to Thornton Hall can now be best considered by redevelopment of the Dundrum site.
"The Patients not Prisoners report published on Tuesday by the Irish Mental Health Coalition shows the way regarding a partial sale of the Dundrum site that would allow the full redevelopment of the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum. Given that the Taoiseach in particular has said he is prepared to examine areas of public expenditure and certain policy areas, this is a good opportunity to do so in regard to an unnecessary linkage that exists between a health issue and a justice and prisons issue. I hope he will take that opportunity.
"I share the concerns about the preferred bidder in this site. I have no questions about the tendering process, which has been done with as much efficacy as possible, but the fact that it has delivered a company that is currently under a critical eye raises questions about that very tendering process and the contracting that follows from it. It should be an element of any contract with companies providing services to the State, particularly regarding capital infrastructure, that there is consistency in their dealings with the State. If a company is providing a large piece of infrastructure in the form of a prison and choosing not to provide other forms of infrastructure in the form of social housing, that raises serious questions about the nature of that contracting system. I ask that the tendering process and contracts be examined in that regard.
"I make that point because regarding public private partnerships, I helped author a report for the committee on the need to tighten up many contracts in this area. I am not talking about PPPs specifically but the principles are the same in that the State enters into a contractual relationship and too often the nature of those contracts are stand alone contracts that do not take into account the history of the company concerned in terms of working with the State and the ability to see through any contract agreed.
"I have expressed my reservations about the wider aspects of the Thornton Hall development while acknowledging my party's support for the motion before the House and envisaging the development of the prison.
28-May-08
Cork train strike causing suffering and disruption
Speaking today in the Seanad on Iarnród Éireann's industrial dispute in Cork, Green Party Senator Dan Boyle said: "I ask the Leader [of the House] to consider an opportunity to discuss the Iarnród Éireann industrial dispute in Cork if it continues during the coming days. It is difficult to decipher the dispute's cause or to attribute blame. The net effect is that a service that has been highly resourced in recent years and has become the country's best and increasingly used rail service is in danger of losing much of the public good will it has acquired.
"People have suffered in the short term. I have heard horror stories of people missing hospital appointments, university examinations and job interviews. While we discuss the warring factions in every industrial dispute, we forget the collateral damage among the ordinary people who depend on public services. If there is no sign of an imminent breakthrough during the coming days, the House should discuss the issue."
19 May 2008
Childish approach to climate change highlights
FG's lack of credibility
Fundamental changes now will save money in the long term, says Boyle
Green Party Finance spokesperson Senator Dan Boyle has questioned Fine Gael's environmental credibility following an attack on the Government's climate change campaign at the weekend.
Responding to accusations on the cost of the campaign, Senator Boyle said Fine Gael's approach to the issue was childish. "Michael D'Arcy's weekend attack shows that his party has little interest in the steps that can be taken to prepare Ireland for the consequences of climate change. He has made a mockery of Fine Gael's environmental and energy use policies. This is not the first time that a Fine Gael politician has blatantly tried to win headlines on this issue.
"Information about the costs and content of the Government's climate change campaign has been in the public domain since last year and were explained in detail to Deputy D'Arcy's colleague Phil Hogan at the Oireachtas committee on climate change. This campaign is far more than an 'ad' campaign, it is an all-encompassing awareness campaign, designed to bring about a fundamental shift in how we live our lives. Much of the resources of this campaign will be used to work in partnership with stakeholders from various sectors to develop appropriate, relevant and useful tools and techniques to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
"By changing how we use energy now and by meeting our EU emissions targets we stand to save money, not lose it. It is disappointing that there are politicians out there like Michael D'Arcy who fundamentally misunderstand how serious an issue we are facing and the scale of the challenges ahead," concluded Senator Boyle.
19 May 2008
Now is the time to borrow says Boyle
"Now is the time to borrow," says Green Party Finance spokesperson Senator Dan Boyle following a weekend report that claims the National Economic and Social Council is advising the Government to increase borrowing.
Senator Boyle said: "I agree that this is the approach to follow. We need to continue to address our infrastructural shortfall. Tax receipts this year look set to fall short of expectations. In facing this reality the Government needs to decide whether or not to proceed with all planned for capital expenditure, to divert money from current expenditure or to do the most expedient thing in borrowing additional money.
Senator Boyle who was once a member of the National Economic and Social Council said: "Interest rates on borrowings are likely to remain at current levels and more probably fall in years to come. The excellent work done by the National Treasury Management Agency in bringing our debt/GDP ration to a sustainable level gives us a capacity to borrow, well within the Eurozone's Maastricht Criteria.
"The impetus of additional capital spending will address dips in activity currently being experienced in the economy. The Government is well placed to direct economic growth in ways that will help overcome current uncertainty," concluded Senator Boyle.
