Press Releases - January 2002
3 January 2002
Greens Lodge Incinerator Objection
The Green Party through its Cork South Central representative, Cllr. Dan Boyle will today (Friday, January 4th) lodge its objection to the proposed national toxic waste incinerator planned for Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork.
The objection lists several grounds as to why the party believes this project should not proceed from the cul de sac traffic situation in Ringaskiddy exposing residents to risks from toxic materials being brought in and brought from this facility, to the proximity of the proposed plant to existing and planned housing, including the proposed National Maritime College.
It is on environmental grounds that the party feels this facility is most spurious. “An Incinerator totally undermines any attempt to reduce waste levels, which in Ireland are higher than any other European country, with recycling levels paradoxically at an abysmally low level, also be totally undermined,” Dan Boyle stated.
The Green Party is nationally opposed to incineration as a waste disposal option, with party leader Trevor Sargent TD being an objector to the proposed Carranstown, Co. Meath facility, and the Greens are adamant that waste management policies are to be to the fore in any discussions centring around the formation of the next government.
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9 January 2002
Being “Best” At Globalisation Is No Source Of Pride, Say Greens
The Green Party has reacted to a Financial Times news story placing Ireland at the top of league of countries benefitting most from globalisation, as being no source of pride.
Party spokesperson on Economic and Social Affairs, Cllr. Dan Boyle, said, “What this report indicates is how dangerously open Ireland's economy has become, how it is most likely to be affected by declining international circumstances, and how we rely to too great an extent on Foreign directed investment”.
“Two lessons should attach to this report, but neither lesson is likely to be given any consideration by our economically callous government. The first lesson is to note is the continuing failure to produce a sustainable indigenous economy. The second lesson is the failure to realise that short term economic prosperity brought about through slavish adherence to globalisation is often bought at the expense of the world's developing countries,” Cllr. Boyle stated.
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13 January 2002
Incineration Company's Claim Of Misrepresentations Itself A Misrepresentation
Green Party Cork South Central representative, Cllr. Dan Boyle has strongly criticised continuing statements being made by the INDAVER company (seeking to construct a toxic waste incinerator at Ringaskiddy Co. Cork) complaining about mispresentations being reported in the media, and distributed in literature in local communities.
“As the public representative most closely with opposition to the incinerator proposal, I have written to Indaver on a number of occasions and asked for explanations as to what misrepresentations have been made, by whom and when. I have yet to receive any reply,” he stated.
“In the light of not receiving such a reply, I can only conclude that INDAVER's statements are part of a tactic to portray those who disagree with their proposal as being uninformed and unreasonable,” Dan Boyle continued.
Commenting on Cork County Council's plans to involve the Health and Safety Authority before making its decision on planning for the proposed incinerator has also been questioned by Dan Boyle. “The Health and Safety Authority is an underresourced body that does not have the responsibility or the competence to measure the likely environmental health impacts of the proposed incinerator, which causes the greatest public concern. This seems a dubious exercise that will not the central reasons why this incinerator is not wanted,” he concluded.
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15 January 2002
Greens Believe Public Services Well On The Way To Being Privatised
In reply to a question made by Green Party councillor, Dan Boyle, Cork City Manager, Joe Gavin confirmed that charges to be made at Cork Wastewater Treatment Plant , to be made by the private company contracted by Cork City Council to run the plant, will be made on the decision of the City Manager without any reference to the elected members of Cork City Council.
“This to me is privatisation of public services by the back door. The company contracted to run this plant has the potential to make huge sums of money, money that could other be re-invested in other public services in the city,” Dan Boyle claimed.
In a separate development the City Council has also developed a new separate unit called “City Clean” to oversee the city's waste collection and disposal systems. “If a decision is made to privatise the city's waste management system, it would be quite easy to cut away this unit and make it become a private company,” Dan Boyle charged.
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20 January 2002
Abandon Benchmarking Say Greens
The continuing impasse and impending industrial action by care workers working with those living with intellectual disability, shows that the benchmarking process has failed its first significant test, and should now be abandonned, according to Green Party spokesperson on economic and social affairs, Cllr. Dan Boyle.
“Benchmarking has shown itself to be a touchkicking exercise, that has allowed discriminatory and selective approaches to the practice of child care be followed and if allowed to become institutionalised, can only bring further discredit to the process,” he stated.
“Benchmarking has also provided a convenient excuse for handwringing for the Health Service Employers Agency and more significantly for the Department of Health and Children,” Dan Boyle concluded.
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20 January 2002
Indaver Criticisms Show No Misrepresentations Are Being Made
“Responding to criticism that the Indaver company (seeking to construct a toxic waste incinerator at Ringaskiddy) had failed to indicate what statements or printed matter by public representatives or campaigning groups could be presented as misrepresenations, the company has now produced a document that claims to show what those misrepresentations are. As with most of this company's public relations exercises this document show nothing of the sort.”
“At best this document contains points that are contentious, arguable and open to different interpretations. Some of the points being made by Indaver are petty and pedantic in the extreme. What doesn't come close to being proved is that any statement made by a public representative or campaigning group in relation to the proposed incinerator has been deliberately made to mislead,” he stated.
“Indeed Indaver's own recent documentation shows a very creative approach towards presenting the 'facts'. No distinctions is made between volume and mass; obscure comparisons to dioxins from car traffic are not explained by the levels involved. What this type of presentation illustrates is that highly paid for PR cannot be considered a higher form of truth over the vaild concerns of citizen groups and their representatives,” Dan Boyle concluded.
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21 January 2002
Eircom Share Compensation — How Is As Important As Why
“The Fine Gael proposal, while obviously geared as an election promise, to offer part compensation to Eircom shareholders through a tax credit asks very real questions about the dangers of establishing such a precedent,” according to G'The Green Party would have concerns that such a credit not be funded through the general taxation fund, without the prior establishment of a compensation fund, where after negligence has been established, monies that have been secured from those institutions that profited greatly from the share issue,” Dan Boyle claimed.
“Outside of the bad precedent being established , this proposal could not be applied to benefit those who are not within the tax system, unless consideration is given to the idea of refundable tax credits, which would be a policy initiative that the Green Party would like to see happen,” Dan Boyle concluded.
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