This article is from page 10 of the 2011-05-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
A FINAL decision on the proposed change in the boundary between Clare and Limerick will be made in eight weeks.
The new Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan (FG) told The Clare People last week that a final decision would be before the cabinet before the summer break at the beginning of July.
Minister Hogan was in Ennis to officially open the new fire station and training centre on the New Road but also attended a one-hour, behindclosed-doors meeting with members of Clare County Council. The Clare People understands that 14 elected members of the local authority met with Minister Hogan during the meeting, with each councillor making a two minute presentation on why the current boundary should remain.
The minister also rejected claims that he had reopened the boundary debate, which many people felt had been resolved before this year’s General Election.
“You will have to talk to the previous government if they [the voters of Clare] feel that they are let down by them because this is the first opportunity that I have had to deal with an issue that it there and I will deal with it in the next couple of months,” he said.
“After six or seven week you wouldn’t expect me to have a resolution found but I am working on a resolution and I am here today to hear the views of the Clare local authority and Oireachtas members to get their views on the issues raised in the Bro- snan Report. I’ve already met with members of Limerick City Council and I’ve met with Mr Brosnan and I’ll be coming to conclusions in the next couple of weeks.
“I’m not going to announce today [what I intend to do]. I am in a con sultation phase and I am going to listen to people here in Clare as I have been listening to the people in Limerick.
“I have a lot of legacy issues to deal with. After just six weeks in office I think I need a little bit more time o deal with these issues. I have a lot of issues that I have inherited from the previous government and previous minister but I am going to consult widely on this matter. It has far reaching decisions for Clare and for Limerick but I won’t be dragging out that process. I would expect a recom mendation to be before cabinet before the summer recess.”
Speaking after the behind-closeddoors meeting, the Mayor of Clare, Christy Curtin, said that the councillors had restated their opposition to the boundary change in the strongest terms possible to the minister.