Press Releases - January 2005
5 January 2005
Green Party calls for introduction of ‘Waste Allowance’ to tackle nationwide inconsistencies in waiver eligibility criteria
Green Party spokesperson on Social and Family Affairs, Dan Boyle TD, has today called for the introduction of a special Waste Allowance of between €5 to €7 per week for social welfare recipients to overcome the inconsistencies in waiver eligibility that have accompanied the new pay-by-weight waste collection system throughout the country. These criteria differ according to the local authority area. Moreover, due to a recent High Court decision, waivers cannot be applied to privately-operated waste collections. “These discrepancies must be tackled immediately. It is unacceptable that some people in receipt of social welfare payments are being asked to pay such large bills – this will undoubtedly create financial hardship for both individuals and families.”
Deputy Boyle tabled a parliamentary question on this issue. In his reply before the Dáil's Christmas recess Séamus Brennan, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, stated that a national waiver scheme “would present considerable practical difficulties”. However, he continued to say that he was “concerned about the effect of emerging current trends and that he would be consulting with cabinet colleagues on the matter”.
Deputy Boyle said today that, “This reply indicates that the Minister appreciates that a problem exists. This is because a recent High Court decision stipulated that waivers cannot be applied where private waste collections, other than by a local authority, are in operation. The confusion is added to by local authorities applying different criteria as to how waivers, and to whom, are applied in their administrative areas.”
“I believe that the solution is to ensure that each household should make a direct payment to their local authority, thereby bypassing the cost of administering a waiver scheme, be it local or national. To allow this to happen the Department of Social and family Affairs would need to create an additional Waste Allowance for social welfare recipients, along the lines of the existing Fuel Allowance, to allow such households to make these payments. The advantage of such an allowance is that it would not only help reduce costs and improve revenue at local government level - which can then be used towards improving public services -, but would also help reduce the overall level of these charges,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
6 January 2005
Tax relief review unnecessary – Greens call for an end to unjust tax reliefs
Green Party Finance spokesperson Dan Boyle TD said today that, “Today’s statement by Minister for Finance Brian Cowen on how he intends to conduct the review of tax reliefs is an unacceptable prolonging of many of these socially unjust measures. Instead of hiring consultants and offering the prospect of a public consultation, Brian Cowen should instead end many, if not all, of these reliefs in the Finance Bill which he is due to introduce in the Dáil in a number of weeks’ time.”
“Tax reliefs to assist in the building of multi-story car parks, holiday cottages and other reliefs that in general have only played a role in raising property prices should have gone at Budget time. The Minister’s proposal today is only a recipe for further prevarication on these unacceptable reliefs,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
7 January 2005
Onus now on Republican movement to comprehensively distance itself from criminal activity
The Green Party views with concern the statement by the PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde that he believes that the Provisional IRA carried out the recent robbery at the Northern Bank headquarters in Belfast.
Green Party Whip Dan Boyle TD said today that, “Taken on its own merit, this statement raises serious questions as to the bone fide commitment of the Republican movement and those who claim to speak on its behalf. At any level, this represents a setback for the peace process and there is now as equal an onus on the Republican movement to fully disprove this charge as there is on Mr Orde and the PSNI to provide sufficient evidence and prosecute those involved.”
“The Republican movement has no one to blame but itself for being considered in these terms given its past history of criminal activity and suspected continuing involvement in these areas. It is no longer enough to say no or to deny. If the Northern Ireland peace process is to have any hope the Republican movement must distance itself as far away from any criminal activity as it is possible to be,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
7 January 2005
Green Party pays tribute to the late Eileen Desmond
Dan Boyle Green Party TD for Cork South Central today paid tribute to the political life and achievements of the late Eileen Desmond.
“It is with regret that I have learned of the death of the former Government Minister, former MEP and former Labour Party TD, Eileen Desmond. While Mrs Desmond had retired from active politics before my own involvement in local and national politics, I was always strongly aware of her contribution and her achievements.”
“After being widowed at an early age she served with distinction as a TD, first in the then constituency of Mid Cork, and subsequently as one the first group of TDs to be elected to the new Cork South Central constituency. She had a historic role in Irish politics which should be rightly acknowledged; she was the first female Minister for Health, and the second woman to be made a member of the Irish cabinet.”
“Even after her retirement from active politics, I had the privilege of meeting her on several campaign trails as she continued to campaign strongly on behalf of the Labour Party and especially on behalf of her daughter, Cork County Councillor, Paula. I wish to offer Paula and her sister Honor my deepest sympathy and that of the Green Party in the Cork area.”
14th January. 2005
Greens welcome date for Public Oral Hearing on the granting of the Ringaskiddy Toxic Waste Incinerator licence
Green Party Cork South Central TD, Dan Boyle, has today welcomed the setting of a date for the holding of the public oral hearing on the granting of a waste licence for the running of a toxic waste incinerator proposed for Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork.
'The oral hearing, which will be held at the Cork Airport Great Southern Hotel beginning on Monday February 14th, offers a further opportunity to air publicly the arguments which helped convince the senior inspector of Bord Pleanála, Mr. Philip Jones, that this incinerator should not be built,' Deputy Boyle claimed.
'The hearing is also an opportunity for the Environmental Protection Agency to show that it is truly independent, by judging this application on its merits and not because it feels obliged to back up flawed government policy.”
Mr. Boyle said that the recent fatal incidents at incinerator plants in the US and Argentina highlight how dangerous and how flawed incineration technology really is.
16 January 2005
The Green Party has called for an urgent investigation by the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee into the Media Lab closure.
Green Party Finance spokesperson Dan Boyle TD said today, “In light of this closure and the questionable future of the whole Digital Hub project questions must now be answered about how the money invested has been spent to date. In particular, the monies invested in any viability plan process that should have identified the pitfalls for the large public monies that were invested.”
Deputy Boyle said that he believed that the PAC should also scrutinise the seemingly large sums of money given to consultants in the development of the Digital Hub project.
17 January 2005
More resources for probations services needed - not electronic tagging
It has been reported that proposals to introduce the electronic tagging of offenders will be brought before the Cabinet by the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell in the coming weeks.
Green Party Whip Dan Boyle TD said today that, “electronic tagging is likely to be used for offences that would not normally require imprisonment. The Minister for Justice’s time and energy would be better deployed at aiming to secure more and better resources for the probation services.”
“A properly resourced probation service would be able to do its job more effectively particularly in the overseeing of community service orders. The Green Party believes these orders represent a far better mechanism for addressing the type of offences than the electronic tagging which the Minister for Justice seems to have in mind.”
“What is needed is less of the novel and more of making sure that the probation services are properly resourced and allowed to work properly,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
23 January 2004
Greens call for parity in tax repayments to overcharged PAYE workers
In light of revelations indicating a large-scale overcollection of tax, Green Party spokesperson for Finance Dan Boyle TD has called for the automatic repayment of such overcollected tax on the same terms by which evaded tax is collected by the Revenue Commissioners.
“Over the last number of years, the Revenue Commissioners have successfully collected a large amount of evaded taxes. As the amounts secured were substantially increased through additional penalties and interest payments, a strong case therefore exists for exactly the same principle of penalties and interest repayments to be applied to the sums of overcollected tax which should now be returned to PAYE workers.”
“It is important for the reputation of the Revenue Commissioners that the excellent work already carried out in relation to tax evasion is not compromised by whatever inefficiencies exist in some areas of tax collection. The onus is on the Government, through the Revenue Commissioners, to ensure that all taxpayers can be and will be treated equally,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
24 January 2005
Shocking and shameful results of EU survey on Ireland’s income and living conditions
Green Party spokesperson on Social and Family Affairs, Dan Boyle TD, said today that, “The release today of data from the Central Statistics Office, as part of the EU-SILC (formerly the Living in Ireland) survey, has revealed facts about poverty in Ireland that are truly shocking, and are shameful as far as Government policies are concerned.”
“Almost one quarter of Irish citizens live in risk of poverty, with close on 10% of Irish people living in consistent poverty. The most- at-risk groups are people who live alone, and those who are part of lone parent families, with this latter group having a greater risk of risking consistent poverty - with an astonishing 15 per cent of young people now in this category. These are damning facts for a Government that continues to preside over deepening and widening social division in this country.”
“The gap between the top and bottom income groups is five to one, highlighting the realities of the Government's policies for those without in our society, despite December's so-called ‘socialist’ budget,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
24 January 2005
Greens criticise use of public money for environmental propaganda
Green Party Cork South Central Dáil Deputy, Dan Boyle, has today criticised the publication of a series of ‘information’ leaflets from the Race Against Waste campaign on behalf of the Government.
Deputy Boyle said today that, “One of the leaflets in the set is on incineration which is nothing less than environmental propaganda. This leaflet is filled with spurious ‘facts’ designed not to inform the public but to bolster a publicly unacceptable government policy.”
“Not only is it offensive that public money is being abused in this fashion, there is also a question as to the bone fides of the Race Against Waste organisation. I would ask why this group is producing any leaflets at all on waste disposal methods such as incineration, when its brief is to encourage the general public to wherever possible reduce waste, reuse or recycle materials.”
“The independence of the material provided for these leaflets has to be questioned, especially when the information is being provided by RPS Group plc, a company which in its varying forms has produced waste management strategies throughout the country, all of which have promoted incineration as a valid waste disposal method,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
24 January 2004
Greens welcome decision for full judicial review of toxic waste incinerator
Cork South Central Green Party Deputy, Dan Boyle, has today welcomed the decision to grant a full judicial review hearing at the High Court on the decision of Bord Pleanála to grant planning permission for the construction of a toxic waste incinerator at Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork.
Deputy Boyle said today that, “We believe that today’s High Court decision to allow this judicial review confirms that significant grounds exist for the review to happen. This in turn gives considerable grounds for optimism to the many residents of the Cork Harbour area who clearly do not wish to live alongside this unwanted incinerator,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
25 January 2005
Withdrawal of funding from Community Workers Co-operative is politically motivated says the Green Party
Green Party spokesperson for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Dan Boyle TD said today that, “The decision by Noel Ahern, Minister of State for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, to withdraw funding from the Community Workers Co-operative by the end of March is a politically motivated decision. It is a worrying signal for non-governmental organisations that access state funding to help finance their activities.”
“I believe this decision is politically motivated. The Community Workers Co-operative, as well as being a representative body for voluntary and professional community workers, is also dedicated to promoting community development values that can allow many of our marginalised communities to identify and meet their own needs.”
“The Minister of State, Noel Ahern and the Government seem to believe that offering a critical analysis of the effect of government policies is a disqualifying factor for receiving any state funding. The Minister and the Department for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs have a responsibility to ensure the continuation of diverse and informed opinion on the best way for community development to take place in Ireland.”
“If this precedent is followed the effect will be for other NGOs to down play any possible criticism of government policies less any state funding received by them would also be stopped,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
25 January 2005
Government produces modest legislative programme for new Dáil session says the Green Party
The Government’s legislative programme for the Dáil session up until Easter - which was released today - has been described as modest in the extreme by Green Party Whip Dan Boyle TD.
Deputy Boyle said today that, “With only 11 new bills promised, three of which the Government is obliged to introduce in any case (the Finance Bill, the Social Welfare Bill and the Electoral Amendment Bill), this legislative programme is the least ambitious provided by the Government since its election in 2002.”
“Despite the Taoiseach’s glowing praise for lack of democratic accountability in the planning process in Shanghai during his recent visit to China, this programme shows no sign of the promised Critical Infrastructure Bill.”
“What we seem to have here is either a Government which has run out of ideas or, for fear of courting unpopularity, only seems willing to bring about a minimum amount of new legislation.”
“Particularly striking is the fact that there is only one priority Bill listed from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform – this from a Minister who seems to invent a likely new bill every week but has yet to produce the fruit of his half-formed ideas,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
31 January 2005
Greens express grave concern at water quality in Cork
Commenting on an internal Cork City Council report by its Director of Environmental Services that water quality in the two channels of the River Lee is seriously polluted to a 75 percent degree, Dan Boyle Green Party TD for Cork South Central today stated that this represented a totally unacceptable standard of water quality.
Deputy Boyle said that, “The report further outlines that the river is an additional 10 percent moderately polluted, 10 percent slightly polluted, and only 5 percent unpolluted. These totally unacceptable figures represent a severe lack of environmental control.”
“Given that there has been a number of licences issued by the local authority to directly pollute to the river, and through sewers, and equally a total failure to instigate any prosecution for breaches of the Water Pollution Act, there seems to be a dangerous complacency that this water pollution is a problem that will disappear when the main drainage treatment plant, Carrigrenan, is fully operational. The proper course of action should be to identify and eliminate all existing sources of pollution, something which Cork City Council seems unwillingly or incapable of doing,” concluded Deputy Boyle.
