This article is from page 4 of the 2007-04-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
FINE GAEL TD Pat Breen and In- dependent ITD James Breen have joined forces this week to highlight what they describe as a “major crisis that will hit the capital town of Ennis in relation to water and waste water esata oh iee
The two TDs plan to raise Ennis’ water problems at an adjournment debate in the Dail today. They are calling on the Government to sub-
sidise bottled water for children and people with weakened immune sys- caehe
Cllr Madeleine Taylor Quinn (FG) said that she was “very pleased” that the two deputies “have responded to the water campaign which I launched over the weekend”.
She distributed thousands of free bottles of water to people affected by the Ennis water system. Her high- profile move included a “contract” providing that if she was elected and
Fine Gael were in Government, the town’s new permanent water scheme would be delivered immediately.
She described it as an “unusual co- incidence” that the two TDs should bring the matter up at Dail level now. She added that she “would hope that Ennis will reap the benefits and I am calling now on Minister Tony Kil- leen and Minister de Valera to join with the deputies and raise the matter in the Dail with the Minister”’.
The two deputies say they were told
at a briefing of Ennis Town Council that the preliminary report on the main drainage scheme lodged with the Department of the Environment in 2002 was out of date. Consultants were needed to prepare revised fig- ures.
Deputy Pat Breen said that this would further delay the process and the “present water crisis will not have a permanent solution until at least the end of 2008.
“The new scheme will cost €1 mil- lion a year to run and will only cater for the existing population of Ennis of approximately 20,000 people, de- spite the fact that figures show that the population of Ennis could double by 2020 as Ennis is the fastest grow- ing town in the country,” he said.
“If there isn’t a quick response by the Department of the Environment, then further planning and develop- ment in Ennis could be sterilised,’ he said.
Deputy James Breen said that the last report cost €1 million in taxpay- ers money to complete.
‘Now we have to have another one because the minister has done noth- ing about it – what is that going to cost the taxpayer? The initial cost of a solution to the problem in 2002 was €50 million and what is that go- ing to cost now? It will at least have doubled.”