Month: August 2006

NEW guidelines on environmental protection could prove costly for repeat polluters.

A document released by the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday last places the responsibility firmly on companies to financially face their environmental responsibilities.

The Guidance on Environmental Liability Risk Assessment, Residuals Management Plan and Financial Provision will, according to the EPA, help companies, local authorities, financial institutions and consultants to assess “the inherent risk to the environment that an industrial activity poses” and will help them to “quantify and provide adequately for their environmental liabilities”.

“Though intended as a guide for companies, this document very firmly underpins the polluter pays principle, by ensuring that inability to pay cannot be used as a means to avoid remediation or compensation responsibilities by companies that pollute,” said Dara Lynott, Director, EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement.

“The level of financial provision required of a company will vary depending on three things: the complexity, and therefore the risk, attaching to the site; the sensitivity of the receiving environment and the effective management of environmental risk by the company,” he added.

“The guide also underpins the rationale for granting pollution prevention and control licences by the EPA. Such licences confer considerable enforcement powers on the EPA and considerable responsibilities and costs on licensed companies,” Mr Lynott concluded.

As well as identifying risks for companies the guidelines also assists companies to prepare for closure and aftercare of facilities in a structured manner. In addition, it will provide information on reducing potential damage to the environment, minimising the long term impact of manufacturing and waste management facilities upon closure and also help companies on financially planning for environmental liabilities.

This year in Clare, only Schwarz Pharma based in Shannon received a fine for €110,000 having been prosecuted under Sections 8, 82 and 84 of the Environmental Protection Agency Acts, 1992, 2003 for 11 separate charges for breaches of its Integrated Pollution Control licence.

MORE than 50 events are scheduled to take place around Clare during Heritage Week 2006, which takes place from August 26 to September 3. Clare County Council says the events will include a range of talks, field trips and exhibitions aimed at encouraging people to take an interest in their local heritage.

Activities will cover a broad range of heritage issues such as the limestone pavements of Ireland and Britain, Ennis placenames, seabird watching, biodiversity, monuments and castle houses, the geology of Scattery Island, songs around the Slieve Aughty, whale and dolphin watching. There will be a fieldtrip to Inchicronan Abbey, a bat talk and walk, an exhibition of Clare Embroidery and a talk on the Field Monument Advisor Programme currently underway in Clare. Heritage Week 2006 will also be marked with the publication of the findings of the Clare Cuckoo Survey 2006.

Heritage Week is part of European Heritage Days, a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union. Locally the event is co-ordinated by Clare County Council and the Heritage Council with support from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

“Clare’s rich architectural and cultural heritage is invaluable and should be celebrated,” said Congella McGuire, Heritage Officer with Clare County Council. Imagine waking up in the morning in a county very different from the Clare of today. One in which the Burren’s majestic Karst landscape did not exist, where there were no castles and ancient monuments to visit, where our native birds and animals did not populate the countryside, and where there were no parks or forests to contrast with urban life.

“It is, therefore, imperative that people take an interest in Clare’s built, natural and cultural heritage thereby encouraging its conservation and preservation. With something for everyone, both young and old, I would urge people to take the opportunity to experience Clare’s heritage.” McGuire stated.

Further information and an events listing for Clare is available on www.clare.ie/ news/news.html or www.heritageweek.ie.

A PUBLIC meeting to debate antisocial behaviour will take place in Lahinch tomorrow evening following another weekend of violence in the north Clare village.

Six adults and one juvenile were arrested there over the weekend on a variety of charges relating to fighting and damaging private property.

Two people were arrested on Friday night, three on Saturday and a further two on Sunday.

In recent weeks, Lahinch has received one extra garda to help deal with the growing antisocial problem being suffered by the town during the summer season.

Meanwhile, the Lahinch Community Council will host a public meeting tomorrow evening, August 23, to discuss matters of public interest in the town.

The meeting will tackle the growing antisocial problem as well as the proposed new developments on the village’s promenade and the new bylaws that are due to come into effect from September 1. The meeting will take place in the Castle Course Clubhouse at 8pm on Wednesday, August 23. A spokesperson for the community council said that everyone in the town was welcome to come and openly discuss the issues.

SALMON stocks in Doonbeg could be decimated in the coming months if action is not taken to repair a broken model, a type of weir, at Cloghar Beach. The damage to it could also result in a repeat of the flooding which took place in 2002, when almost 80 acres of local land was submerged.

The model that allows the wild Atlantic salmon to enter the Annageragh River, has been severally damaged in recent years. According to local man Bill McNamara, neither the Office of Public Works (OPW) or Clare County are taking responsibility for it.

“It is totally blocked at the moment and nothing whatsoever can get up or down it,” said Mr McNamara.

“You can sit in the middle of it and it is completely dry – that is how blocked it is. It is on the brink of collapsing completely.

“We have seen fish trying to get up there in the last few weeks but it completely impossible now. Something has to be done immediately or it will be a disaster for the fish stock.”

The model has become increasingly dilapidated over the last number of years and it has become blocked periodically by falling stone and rubble. Many locals fear that a major flood could take place in the next few months if the situation is not rectified.

“The river cannot get out so it will flood again when the weather gets bad. It will be worse than before – there is just nowhere for the water to go,” continued Mr McNamara.

“It needs a new model altogether. It is a big job, but they are spending plenty of money sending a gun ship up and down the coast stopping poachers. What are they going to do, let this get wiped out altogether?”

Mr McNamara has contacted a number of authorities about the problem, but to date no-one has taken responsibility for the model.

“I went to the OPW the last time and they said that it was not their responsibility,” continued Mr McNamara. “I then got on to Clare County Council and the emergency services and to be fair they cleared it very quickly but they claimed that it was the OPW’s responsibility.

“The fisheries authority in Listowel cleared it a few months ago and they said it was the responsibility of the OPW as well.”

The Clare People contacted the OPW about this matter, but no response was forthcoming at the time of going to press.

HOUSEHOLDERS are being warned to keep their homes under lock and key when they are working during the day, following three burglaries near Shannon last week.

Cash and jewellery was stolen from a house in Deerpark on Thursday morning and two houses in Drumline on Friday morning. A substantial amount of cash was stolen from one of the homes.

According to gardaí, a man was seen acting in a suspicious manner, near Drumline, at around the time the houses were targeted on Friday. Gardaí carried out house-to-house enquiries, as part of their investigations.

“This man is aged about 20, of thin build. He was wearing a cap and dark clothes. He was seen in the vicinity of Drumline, at around 9.30am on Friday. We do not know if a car was used. We are asking anyone who may have seen suspicious activity around this time to contact us,” said Detective Sergeant Michael Houlihan, of Shannon Garda Station.

He said houses are being targeted during the day, while their owners are working.

“There is a trend whereby dwelling houses are being entered during the daylight hours, when the occupants are at work. If anyone sees any suspicious activity near their homes, they should contact us,” added Det Sgt Houlihan.

“We are appealing to people to keep their properties secure and not leave cash in their houses and lock away jewellery,” he added.

Separately, gardaí in Shannon are investigating the theft of an estimated €20,000 from a safe at the Shannon Shamrock Hotel in Bunratty on Tuesday night.

It is believed the money was taken between 6pm on Tuesday and 9am on Wednesday. Gardaí say their enquiries are ongoing.

NORTH Clare has received a major employment boost with the news that more than 60 jobs are to be created at Hotel Doolin aver the next 12 months. The new €5.5 million hotel, which was officially opened yesterday, is the brainchild of John Burke, Managing Director of the Armada Hotel and Lisdoonvarna developer Paddy Burke.

Some 35 people will be employed between the hotel and the bar, Fitzpatrick’s, over the next few weeks with that number expected to swell to 50 next summer. The complex also contains five retail units which will employ up to 10 people when they are up and running.

“At the moment we are employing 25 people, but when it is fully opened in the next few weeks that will probably go up to about 35 people. We will be keeping on about that number of people for the winter and will be employing about 50 people in the hotel next summer,” said Mr Burke.

This is the second hotel to open in Doolin in the last few weeks following the opening of Tír Gan Éan in the village last month.

“We feel that Doolin is well serviced by high quality accommodation as it is but what these two new hotels are doing is bringing in something that bit different to the centre of Doolin,” continued Mr Burke.

The building was designed by Liscannor architect Alex Russell who attempted to blend the local scenery with a modern design.

“Alex has paid particular attention to the region and location that we have and created a street style building with various different levels and using a lot of local materials and local stone and tradition style street lighting,” said Mr Burke.

“With Fitzpatrick’s Bar anchoring it on one side and Hotel Doolin on the other side we are offering two different styles – with a traditional bar focusing on the local people on one side and the hotel on the other which will be really contemporary and modern focusing on bringing in tourists.”

The 17 bedroom hotel is expected to draw much of it’s customers from the Irish market and will be aiming at a four star standard.

“With the way the business is going there has been a lot of speculation over the last few weeks, about tourist figures and a lot of talk that they are going up and down, but I feel that Doolin should remain strong,” continued Mr Burke.

CLARE’S junior Minister Tony Killeen has described the cost benefit analysis of the development of Ennis Hospital as an “obstacle to be crossed.”

The HSE called for the analysis when it emerged that the first phase of the project would now cost in excess of €30 million.

This week Clare’s Minister for State said that should the obstacle be overcome, “it indicates that the future of the hospital is acknowledged by the HSE”.

He has rejected any conspiracy theories that the HSE are planning to “scupper” the project.

Minister Killeen was also adamant that the first phase of the project should not be scaled back so that it would cost less than the €20 million allocated.

Originally, phase one of the project was much smaller but other necessary improvements were added.

“The additional items are welcome and were very hard fought for and I am completely against going back,” said Minister Killeen.

“I am confident that it will get through this examination but I am concerned as to how long it will take,” he added.

In a letter to the Minister for State from the Office of the Financial Director of the health service said it was anxious to facilitate the refurbishment and infrastructural improvement of Ennis General Hospital. The letter also pointed out that the project must be considered in line with the Department of Finance Guidelines/HSE capital projects approval process.

“Each individual project within the capital programme must be separately approved following analysis by the HSE Capital Planning Group in line with relevant guidelines. In this regard, there are a number of issues concerning the Ennis Phase 1A Project that need to be addressed before the Planning Group could recommend that a project approval letter issue.”

THE Western Yacht Club in Kilrush was in the limelight again this weekend as the Kingspan-Chieftain cruised to victory in the Round Britain and Ireland Race.

Gerard O’Rourke’s Cookson 50 was the third boat to cross the winning line behind two professional crews. But, when handicaps and penalties were applied the Kilrush based crew were clear winners.

The Limerick owner-skipper, who has a summer home in Kilkee, is now recognised as a classic offshore racing campaigner, as he has guided the boat to victory in seven prestigious races this year.

Starting in January, Chieftain was the class winner in Hobart before going on to win at Cowes-L’Harve and Cowes-Malham. The boat then brought even more glory to Kilrush when it won the English National before going on to win the super zero class in the Round Ireland Race.

The 1,780 miles of ocean that makes up the Round Britain and Ireland Race was the 12-man crews’ biggest win to date. Made up of seven Irish men, two Australians, one English member, one New Zealander and a Dutchman; the crew is almost completely amateur.

Mr O’Rourke told The Clare People that the boat was now the leading contender in the competition for best boat in the UK following its year of successes.

He said that the successes would not have been possible without the sponsor boat and acknowledged that the boat’s successes ensured all sponsors received value for money.

Fellow club mate and skipper of the Spirit of Kilrush, Thomas Whelan, described the win as “a brilliant boost for the club”.

The Western Yacht Club, of which Mr O’Rourke has been a member for more than 10 years, received its name from the former Royal Western YC in Kilrush.

THE HEALTH Board in Clare investigated 448 reported cases of child abuse in 2004 and in 33 of those cases, experts could not say whether the abuse had taken place.

The latest available figures show that the then Mid Western Health Board were called in to examine 448 reports that children living in their area were being abused.

The board investigated a little over a quarter of those cases in 2004 and by the end of the year, 307 investigations were still on-going.

In 98 cases, the abuse was confirmed and in ten cases, investigators were able to say that no abuse had occurred.

Thirty three of the reported cases were described as “inconclusive”.

The figures for this area were not as high as those in the Eastern Regional Health Authority, where 1,301 cases were reported, or the Midlands Heath Authority, which probed 1,564 reports.

But they were higher than North Eastern Health Board figures, which showed 353 cases reported and the North Western Health Board, which looked into 301 cases.

The number of cases still under investigation at the end of the year here was relatively high, with the board still investigating almost three-quarters of all cases reported to them.

This was in comparison with the neighbouring Southern Health Board, which completed nine-tenths of the investigations before them.

Nationally, less than half of all the 6,188 cases reported were concluded in that year, with wide variations in the number of cases tackled in the various regions and in the number of cases in which a conclusion could be drawn.

Barnardos’ director of child advocacy, Norah Gibbons, said the varied status of cases in each of the HSE regions supported the organisation’s belief that children did not get equal treatment.

“We have been concerned about inconsistencies in the system for a long time.

“It is hardly surprising that things are not being dealt with, given the inconsistencies that are there, especially in staffing and how different people deal with cases,” she said.

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children chief, Paul Gilligan said that “because of the high numbers of abuse cases being reported in the media, many people mistakenly think that the majority of those who have been abused do report it.

“But this is not the case,” he said.

STAFF at the former De Beers plant in Shannon were today expected to be told that the company plans to shed more than 50 jobs.

Staff were summoned to a meeting planned for 11am this morning for what was expected to be a redundancy announcement.

The company says that the move will secure the future of the plant in Ireland. Nevertheless, the announcement represents a serious blow for employment prospects in the region.

Rumours had been circulating in the factory – now re-branded as Element Six – for some time.

The figures being mentioned were between 50 and 60 jobs, which are expected to be axed from the administrative side of the company.

It is understood that the redundancies will be implemented on a voluntary basis and are being brought in as part of a restructuring of the company.

Union representatives had been briefed in advance of today’s meeting but were remaining tight-lipped on what they had been told last night.

Former De Beers employee, Deputy James Breen said that while he was sorry to hear of the job losses, he was pleased that the future of the company in Shannon was being made secure.

“I am sorry to see a reduction of staff there again. As a former staff member, I am sorry to see the jobs go but seeing that the future of the company is secure is good news and I welcome that the redundancies are voluntary,” the deputy said.

De Beers Industrial Diamond Division established a factory in Shannon in 1963 and became the jewel in the crown of the Shannon Free Zone. In 2002, the company rebranded to become Element Six.

Element Six is now one of the world’s leading suppliers of superabrasives and industrial diamond materials, including both diamond and the complementary superabrasive cubic boron nitride (cBN)

Diamond and cBN products are mainly used in the manufacture of tools for applications including drilling, sawing, cutting, grinding and polishing of different materials such as ferrous and non-ferrous metals, natural stone and concrete, wood based materials.