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CLARE County Council is bracing itself for a fire-fighters strike and has drawn up a contingency plan in case personnel in Ennis go ahead with the threatened action.

The Labour Relations Commission has already intervened in the dispute which could still see fire-fighters at the county’s busiest fire station go on strike before Christmas. Both sides met at LRC convened conciliation talks last Thursday but the meeting broke up without resolution.

The council was issued with strike notice last week by SIPTU, follow- ing claims that the local authority has breached agreements and refused to agree to the appointment of an arbi- trator to resolve long-standing issues.

SIPTU’s Clare County and Health Service Branch Organiser, Tony Kenny said, ““We have issued notice of official industrial action regarding our members of the Retained Fire Service in Ennis. We believe that in recent dealings, Clare County Coun- cil have breached agreements in spirit and content, transgressed the line of natural justice and put undue pressure on our members.”

Clare County Council’s Director of Services, Mr Ger Dollard said, the threat of action remains in place and formal notice is being taken ser1- ously.

“We are proceeding with contin- gency plans which will be in place

in the event of industrial action aris- ing. We have also sought engagement from SIPTU in relation to essential

cover which is a requirement under the LRC – Disputes Procedures for Essential Services.”

“The council participated in over two and a half hours of discussions on Thursday last, facilitated by the

LRC. On Friday, the council received notification from SIPTU indicating that the notice for industrial action would not now expire until Decem- ber 18,’ Mr Dollard added,

Ennis fire station, the largest and busiest in Clare, is a part-time serv- ice which responded to 570 calls last year alone in a catchment area with a population of 60,000 people. SIPTU also believes that the issue of provid- ing ‘day manning’ or making Ennis a full-time service also needs to be looked at.

At any one time, nine of the sta- tion’s 15 part-time personnel are on call, which only leaves six positions free for all staff to share for time-off, holidays, sick leave, course leave and special time. That complement has recently been reduced to 13, with one person on leave and another relieved of duty because he has not yet passed his truck-driving test.

Both sides are expected to meet again in the coming days under the auspices of the LRC and SIPTU spokesman, Tony Kenny also con- firmed that at the request of the LRC, the union has agreed to extend the expiry date for industrial action until December 18.

A FINE Gael TD yesterday raised the spectre of criminals with outstand- ing warrants for their arrests roam- ing free in the Clare countryside.

According to Deputy Joe Carey, the criminal justice system is failing people living in these rural areas who are becoming increasingly afraid of being victims of crime. Deputy Carey was responding to revelations that there are over 2,100 outstanding warrants in existence from the Clare area.

In the Dail last week, the Minister of Justice, Brian Lenihan revealed that there are 2,145 outstanding war- rants in Clare.

The breakdown of the figures show that there are 1,521 penal warrants outstanding, 541 bench warrants and 83 committal warrants.

Committal warrants relate to peo- ple convicted of offences in their ab- sence and who should be in prison but have not been arrested, while bench warrants are issued for people who have not turned up in court to answer a charge against them.

In response, Deputy Carey said, “I think these figures clearly show that the Gardai need increased resources to help them do their work compre- hensively and effectively.”

He added, ““The increases are wor- rying particularly as the number of warrants are increasing by about 25 per cent each year. In rural ar- eas, people are rightly worried that criminals with outstanding warrants, who should be in prison, are roam- ing free.

“These people should be brought to justice otherwise they will con-

tinue to re-offend and be a menace to society.”

Deputy Carey added, “The number of outstanding warrants in Clare is equivalent to the population of a large rural town. That is not accept- able. The system is failing people, particularly in rural areas, who are increasingly afraid of being victims of crime.”

A total of 111,453 court warrants remain outstanding nationally, in- cluding 36,000 bench warrants, is- sued after arrested people have failed to turn up in court.

KNOCKANEAN National School is looking for help in identifying past pupils from this photograph taken sometime during the 1930s. The photograph features all pupils of the school at the time, as well as their eres ace

“Tt would be a great help if we could find out the names of even a few of the pupils in the photograph.

“We could then go to the old role books to work out the exact year it was taken and the names of the other pupils in the photograph.” says

school principal, Pat McNamara.

‘This picture was taken outside the old school building which is now a bat sanctuary and is visible from the new Ennis bypass.”

The photograph is included in the Knockanean 2008 school calendar, which also features photographs of all pupils in the years 1956 and PAU

If you can identify any of the pupils in this photograph, or if you would like to obtain a copy of the photo cal- endar, you can contact Knockanean National School by phoning 065 6840088.

MINISTER for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, has welcomed the provi- sion of more than €1.9 billion for her department in 2008 in last weeks budget. In addition to voted money, the department will spend approxi- mately €1.4 billion in EU funding, primarily in the form of EU direct payments.

“This 1s an increase in voted ex- penditure of six per cent over the equivalent gross estimate for 2007.” “When the carryover of capital sav- ings from 2007 to 2008 is taken into account, and allowing for the adjustments to include fisheries ex-

penditure, it involves the net addi- tion of €91 million to the funding announced when the pre-budget out- look was published in October,’ she Sr BKOE

“The key priorities for this addi- tional funding are the Farm Waste Management Scheme, the Suckler Welfare Scheme, afforestation and the White Fish Vessel Decommis- sioning Scheme.”

Coughlan said that this Budget, in circumstances where economic con- ditions were tighter than they had been for a number of years, marked a strong commitment by the Govern- ment to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food sectors.

“The ongoing Government invest- ment in Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will enable Irish operators to capitalise on the surging demand for and increasing price of food global- ly,’ she continued.

“In the current climate, it 1s more important than ever to ensure that such investment is focussed on ena- bling operators to improve competi- tiveness and innovation.

“This investment and the additions announced on budget day focus on measures which I consider to be crit- ical to the development of a sustain- able agriculture, fisheries and food sectors into the future.”

A particular emphasis has been

placed on the continuing need for productive capital investment, to enable Irish operators to gear up to meet the competitive demands of an increasingly globalised market place.

With this in mind, the Munister said that more than €238 million had been provided in subhead H for capital investment in development of agriculture and food.

“I am satisfied that the estimate as framed would support the strategic priorities outlined in the National De- velopment Plan and help to prepare the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food sectors for the challenges ahead.”

SERIOUS concerns have been ex- pressed by Clare County Council over a €20 million housing devel- opment in the village of Crusheen, which has seen rapid growth in re- MND Salen

Earlier this year, Keco Construc- tion Ltd lodged plans to construct 86 Ceyeaten weet Ovabeve sorte

In a submission, the Crusheen and Ballinruan Development Associa- tion stated that it was “particularly concerned with the proposed density of the development, which at 16 units per acre 1S way in excess of existing housing density.”

The submission continued, “We believe that allowing such a density in what is essentially a small rural village will destroy the character which we have endeavoured to create throughout our local plan.”

Keco is planning to purchase the Danny Dillon-owned lands subject to securing planning permission.

However, the council has put the plan on hold stating that it has “seri- ous concerns in relation to the pro- posal”’.

The council state, “This is not ac- ceptable. You are invited to submit a masterplan for remainder of the

zoned lands which show how the pro- posed development and future poten- tial development will integrate.”

The council add, “Having regard to the zoning of the lands as ‘other settlement lands’ and the predomi- nantly rural context of the village of Crusheen, the council considers that the density and scale of the proposed development is excessive and not in keeping with the established charac- ter of the village.

“You are invited to submit your proposals to overcome the concerns of the council.

The council also admits to hav- ing “serious concerns regarding the layout of the proposed development which is predominantly linear in na- ture and does not have regard to the rural village of Crusheen.

“You should note that the council is not favourably disposed towards the proposed development as it is considered piecemeal development with no linkages to the zoned lands in the vicinity of the site or to the vil- lage of Crusheen and this request for further information should in no way be interpreted as being indicative of a favourable outcome to the applica- nto) n a

A decision is due on the application next year.

FARMERS organisations gave a lukewarm welcome to last Wednes- day’s budget with very mixed opin- ions of how Minister Cowen’s figures will effect farm incomes.

According to IFA President, Pad- raig Walshe, the increased capital allocation to the Department of Ag- riculture of €35m to help fund the major level of necessary farm invest- ment currently taking place is posi- tive.

“However, a significant shortfall still exists relative to the demand for the two main investment aid schemes, Farm Waste Management and the Farm Improvement Scheme,” he said on Thursday.

The IFA welcomed the Govern-

ment’s response to IFA’s proposal for relief from capital gains tax where joint ownerships of farms by family members are dissolved.

“However, no progress was made on the IFA proposal for targeted re- lief from CGT where a farmer sells and buys land for the purpose of farm consolidation.”

Macra na Feirme national president, Catherine Buckley, also welcomed the increased provision of €35 mil- lion for next year’s Farm Improve- ment Scheme, stating it was critical that young farmers and new entrants are supported in their farm develop- ment plans.

However, she said she was disap- pointed that the Minister for Finance hadn’t taken the opportunity to in- troduce a direct support for young

trained farmers to allow them re- structure their holdings without be- ing liable for transfer taxes.

‘“Macra had lobbied for changes in relation to Capital Gains Tax and Income Averaging issues for milk production partnerships. I welcome the fact that these issues are to be ad- dressed,” she said.

“The number of anomalies has acted as a significant disincentive for some people who wish to engage in Milk Production Partnerships and pointed out that all remaining bar- riers to genuine farm partnerships must be removed to allow farmers to gain economies of scale by farming in partnership.”

Reacting to Budget ‘08, ICSA Pres- ident Malcolm Thompson said that it contained little of any use to cattle

and sheep farmers.

‘‘A number of key issues still remain unresolved, such as the discrimina- tion against farmers and other self employed people arising from the failure to amalgamate the PAYE and persona tax credits,” he said.

“Although the additional money for the Farm Waste Management (FWM) scheme is necessary, many cattle and sheep farmers have been badly affected by the premature closure of the Farm Improvement Scheme (FIS).

‘Measures on farm partnerships are necessary, but the reality is that it is of no benefit to the vast majority of farmers. Most farmers who wish to expand their holdings will continue to pay very high levels of stamp duty on agricultural land.”

SPECULATION is growing that the proposed creation of a Marine Res- cue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in Ennis will be put on hold because of increased local pressure in both Valentia and Malin Head.

Ennis had been considered the fa- voured location for the creation of the new station, to coincide with the phasing out of facilities at Malin Head and Valentia, with Cork and Galway also in the mix.

Last week Ceann Comhairle and Kerry South TD, John O’ Donoghue spoke out against the move. In an

open letter addressed to his Fianna Fail colleague, Transport Minister Noel Dempsey, O’Donoghue stated that closing the Valentia centre would not improve service and would have a devastating effect on the locality.

With a similar movement already in operation in Malin Head, Minister Dempsey in coming under increased pressure, both from within and out- side of Fianna Fail, to reverse the decision. This could mean the end to a possible Marine Rescue Co-ordi- nation Centre (MRCC) in Ennis and as many as 50 jobs that would have come with it.

The Minister for Transport is to

meet with representatives of both groups later this week to discuss the ongoing situation.

He has already given a verbal com- mitment that no jobs will be lost as a result of restructuring work which takes place within the Marine Res- cue Service.

Minister Dempsey’s decision to faze out Valentia and Malin Head represents a u-turn in Government policy, as in 2002 the then Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Dermot Ahern, gave commitments to the future of both centres and also funded a mas- sive upgrade of facilities.

A CLARE politician has vowed to go back to the streets to register the anger of women in the mid-west who may not be able to avail of the life- saving Breastcheck service in Clare or Limerick until 2009.

While eligible women can travel to Cork as of last week, mid-west TD, Labour Spokesperson on Health, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan has revealed there will be a two-year delay in roll- ing out the service here.

And Labour Councillor Paschal

Fitzgerald has pledged to go back on the streets of Clare to collect more signatures to add to the thousands he has already handed in at the Dail de- manding the service.

“Despite the news that the service will be available in Cork, it is still extremely disappointing that all eli- gible women in the greater mid-west will not be called for a screening service until the end of 2009,” Depu- ty O’Sullivan said.

Cllr Fitzgerald said that he and party colleagues “stood on _ the streets and collected thousands of

signatures calling for this service to be available in Clare and we will do ime: hex-0 00 ae

He continued, “The Government is ignoring the people of the mid-west. Broken promises are one thing but people’s lives are at risk here.”

The Breastcheck programme pro- vides a screening service for women aged between 50 and 64.

Since its inception, there has been an 80 per cent uptake by women of- fered the service to attend for screen- betes

Statistics have proven that where

a screening service 1S in operation, deaths caused by breast cancer have considerably reduced due to early de- tection.

The National Cancer Screening service spokeswoman could not say precisely when women from Clare might be called to avail of the serv- ice but said that the service is being rolled out as quickly as possible.

Deputy O’Sullivan welcomed the announcement that breast screening for eligible women started in Cork from last week, despite a delay of nearly five years since it was first

promised.

“T, along with my party colleagues, have been campaigning for a number of years to have the national free breast-screening programme extend- ed to the south and western parts of the country.

“While I welcome the announce- ment which will allow women throughout the mid-west to avail of the screening programme in Cork, the full roll-out of this vital service throughout the country must be pro- eressed without further unacceptable delays,” she said.

THE Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey has confirmed that he has held no discussions with his British Government counterpart to establish a subsidized service on the Shannon- Je (edevKey se celvicorn

The subsidy, known as a ‘public service obligation’ is seen by many observers as a last chance to secure the Shannon-Heathrow route.

However, Minister Dempsey told Fine Gael deputy, Dan Neville, “I have had no discussions to date with my UK counterpart concerning the establishment of a PSO on the Shan-

non-Heathrow route because such discussions would be premature.

“Ireland already has an air serv- ices Public Service Obligation (PSO) scheme in operation. The scheme provides for the subvention of air services from Dublin to Kerry, Gal- way, Knock, Sligo, Donegal and Derry.”

He added, ““The relevant EU Coun- cil Regulation allows a Member State to establish a PSO route in respect of scheduled air services to an airport serving a peripheral or development region in its territory, where such air services are considered vital for the economic development of the regions

concerned and where air carriers are not prepared to provide them on a commercial basis.

‘My department has recently writ- ten to the EU Commission with a view to exploring what the options if any exist for facilitating the provi- sion of air services to meet the con- nectivity requirements of the west of Ireland in a liberalised, competitive aviation market.

“My officials have requested an early meeting with the commission on the matter. Following that meet- ing, my department will be in a po- sition to advise me on appropriate contacts with the British authorities.

With regard to not being informed of the Aer Lingus decision to trans- fer Heathrow slots from Shannon to Belfast, this has been fully dealt with following the report of the Secretary General of my department into the matter.”

In response to a question from Dep- uty Pat Breen on the provision of the US customs and border protection facility at Shannon, Minister Demp- sey said, “The operation of these fa- cilities would be subject to an inter- governmental treaty to be concluded between the two countries and the advice I have received is that this would require new legislation.”

THE Santa Experience at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park will feature on RTE Nationwide on Monday, December 17 next when presenter Michael Ryan and an RTE Nation- wide film crew will be welcomed by the Shannon Castle Entertainers who will perform traditional Christ- mas carols for the crew.

The Bunratty Santa experience has been running for the past five years and is an important part of Shan- non Heritage’s calendar of events for the home market. The Folk Park has been transformed into a Christ- mas wonderland with activities and Christmas characters in every nook and cranny. Over 8,500 visitors from

all over will attend this year’s event. Although the Santa visit part of the experience is now booked out, visi- tors can still come to the Folk Park and enjoy the festive atmosphere. Also we will have the well-known Lambert Puppet Theatre putting on a performance of the Magic Toy Shop Puppet Show on December 28 to 30. Tickets are still available for this. The Folk Park Christmas experi- ence is designed for all the family, they can call in to see Mrs. Claus in her Kitchen as she prepares for Santa’s trip – making sure his clothes are ironed and he has plenty of food for his journey. A traditional Irish story teller is on hand to enthral both young and old as he recalls colour- ful tales of Christmas long ago. The

village street is decked with holly, and festooned with fairy lights and adorned with a Christmas tree. New this year is a polar bear exhibit which is causing quite a stir with visitors.

A troupe of Santa’s Elves will be on hand to welcome visitors and there are indoor play areas. Christmas themed shops selling traditional fare will ensure that visitors can get in a bit of last minute shopping. If the re- tail therapy is proving too much then a complimentary glass of mulled Wine awaits the adults in Corry’s Pub on the village Street.