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that An Post admitted the service was “not satisfactory”’ when he presented his findings to the com- ee veNA ‘Despite the fact that the new sorting ar- rangement in Cork has been up and running for several weeks, the slow pace of mail de- livery continues,’ Deputy Breen said.

“T decided to post letters to my constituen- cy office in Ennis from 20 locations around the county over the weekend or on Monday morning. By Tuesday, only five letters, or

one in every four, had been delivered.”

The letters, which made it through with- in 24 hours, were posted in Ballyvaughan, Scariff, Ardnacrusha, Broadford, and Kil- FW eyer

But letters posted in Kilrush, Ennistymon, Lahinch, Lisdoonvarna, Lissycasey, Killa- loe, Kildysart, Ballynacally, Cratloe, Sixmi- lebridge, Shannon, O’Callaghan’s Mills, Tulla, Miltown Malbay and Ennis failed to be delivered by Tuesday morning even though they had all been posted by 10am on Monday, with the exception of the Ennis let- ter which was posted at 5.20 pm.

“This has nothing to do with the post of- fices who play a vital role in delivering an essential service every day. This has to do with the new sorting arrangement in Cork,’ said Deputy Breen.

“It falls far short of An Post’s actual rate

of a 76 per cent next day delivery, accord- ing to their regulator, Comreg, and a target of achieving 94 per cent,” he added.

By Wednesday, a further 13 letters were delivered, giving a 90 per cent 48-hour de- livery service, but the Shannon and Miltown Malbay postings had failed to arrive.

An Post issued a statement to the Deputy stating that this week’s operational reports do highlight mail arriving into Ennis too late in the morning to be processed and delivered that same day. This results in a portion of Ennis mail being delivered a day late. This confirms the nine per cent figure for 48-hour delivery.

“We sincerely apologise to customers who are being affected by late delivery. we are working around the clock to improve the Service,’ the statement said.

WITH a glut of rental property available lo- cally, Clare investors have cast their property investment net a lot wider, in recent times. In response, two Ennis businessmen, Martin Guerin and Gerard Lynch, have launched Blue Ten Properties, to facilitate investment in a carefully selected portfolio of overseas proper- Woe

Blue Ten has opted for a wharf-side develop- ment in central Birmingham as its first foray, and so far, just a few weeks after launch and based primarily on word of mouth, 35 of the 40 units have been snapped up. Martin Guerin confirmed, “over 90 per cent of the take-up has been from Clare based business people’.

Guerin has over 20 years experience working in the financial services sector and he believes that his reputation within the county has al- lowed investors to place their trust in him. But

Guerin and Lynch have also played safe with their first choice.

‘Holliday Wharf’, Birmingham, has been built by the very reputable builder, Charles Church. It overlooks Central Canal, in an area of the inner city in Birmingham which has undergone huge regeneration in recent years. ‘Having analysed the rental market, we decid- ed to reserve one-bedroom apartments only, as the rental return is very steady. Investors can expect to achieve rent of stg£625 per month on these properties, which are priced from £143,000 to £151,00”. The price range reflects whether or not the apartments include a park- ing space and their specific location within the building.

‘Holliday Wharf’ incorporates 155, one and two bedroom units and interestingly, Guerin said, ‘it’s estimated that over 55 per cent will be owner occupied.”

By buying in bulk, off plans, Blue Ten was

able to negotiate discounts of up stg£14,800, per unit, on behalf of its investors. Guerin ex- plained, “investors have to pay a 10 per cent deposit to reserve a property and the remainder is due on completion, which is anticipated early next summer.

“We have sourced a management agency, called Assets, to oversee the rental of the prop- erties on behalf of our investors, although if investors wish to pursue their own rental path, that’s fine. While many fittings are included, we have sourced a package of loose furnish- ings at acost of stg£5,000, again whether or not the investor wants to take up that option is at their own discretion. We have also negotiated a very cost effective conveyancing fee, with a local firm of solicitors, at £550 per unit”.

Guerin is convinced that this investment op- portunity is a safe bet. The rejuvenation of Bir- mingham continues at pace and it is anticipated that the face of England’s second city will have

utterly changed within the next five years.

“We have achieved substantial discounts that are not available to the one-off buyer. The dis- counts achieved are as much as some investors hope to make in their first two years”.

Certainly, there 1s consensus in the market that the UK continues to be a good area for property investment. According to recent re- search by Cambridge University the UK will experience a 1.4 million homes shortfall by 2021.

Guerin and Lynch may not confine them- selves to the UK however. “We are looking at potential investment properties as far away as Montreal.” But, Guerin conceded, “Birming- ham is a very good place to start. They speak the same language and you can hop on a plane and be at your investment property within a couple of hours, should the need arise”.

For further details on Blue Ten Properties, contact Martin Guerin on 087 2524639.

A MEMBER of the travelling community with 25 previous convictions has been jailed for nine months for stealing two ham joints from a truck in Shannon.

Father-of-eight Timothy Joyce, of Bal- lymurtagh halting site in Shannon denied stealing the hams – valued at €35 each – at Smithstown Industrial Estate in Shannon on May 31 of this year.

He also denied stealing 48 yoghurts, 15 packets of rashers, 10lbs of sausages and 24 bottles of Yop yoghurt.

Witness Tony Mulcahy told Ennis district court he returned to his business premises at around 9pm on the night in question. He noticed a red van parked in a cul de sac and pulled in behind the van. He said he saw a “young fella” jumping out of a truck, carry- ing two trays of yoghurt. The accused, Tim- othy Joyce, he said, was sitting in the van.

“Mr [Timothy] Joyce asked me to move. He said he was after catching a young fella stealing yoghurts,’ said Mr Mulcahy.

Gerard Shanahan told the court he ran a cold meats business in Shannon. He was alerted to some activity at his premises

on the night in question. When he arrived there, he found the back door of his truck forced open and goods, including sausages, bacon and yoghurt, lying close to the truck.

Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client was collecting waste chipboard, from a unit. Garda Stephen Elvins said he re- ceived a call to go to Smithstown.. He said Timothy Joyce, a teenager and two children were at the scene. Products were strewn on the floor, between the truck and Mr Joyce’s Web

Mr Joyce’s vehicle was seized and two large hams were found in the back of it. In

reply to caution, Mr Joyce, said, “I don’t know a thing about it.”

Ms Godfrey said she was applying for direction, pointing out that evidence was heard that a young person stole some of the items and that the State had not proved it was the accused.

Judge Mangan said he was amending the charge, to exclude the rashers, sausages, yo- ghurts and Yops, but said the accused had a case to answer, relating to the ham joints.

He found him guilty and imposed a nine month jail term. The judge fixed recogni- sances, totalling €3,000.

MAKING sure that they are not breaking the law and keeping up with rapidly changing employ- ment legislation is one of the top worries for business owner man- agers, mid-west business people were told at a meeting last night. The group were being briefed by the Chamber of Commerce on a new service which will help take the pain and the risk out of employer/employee dealings. The new Chamber HR service for the first time in Ireland, offers employers an interpretation of the law, expert advice on human resources management as well as indemnification against the legal and award costs associated with responding to a claim in the La- bour Relations Commission or Employment Appeals Tribunal. Announcing the service, Chief Executive of Limerick Cham- ber Maria Kelly said, “feedback from our members strongly indi- cates that businesses, especially SMEs, struggle to understand

and keep abreast of changes in employment legislation. Yet they are responsible for compliance and implementation.”

Poor HR practice is not a de- fence in court, the gathering heard. “Chamber HR seeks to protect those who endeavour to comply with the law but lack the expertise to do so,” the CEO said.

Those attending the briefing were told that recently, the La- bour Court awarded €15,000 to a Congolese temporary call centre employee who was dismissed af- ter he made a 24 minute long dis- tance phone call while at work.

In another case quoted to the meeting, the Employment Ap- peals Tribunal awarded €3,000 to a bar worker for unfair dis- missal having been sacked for allegedly selling cannabis to col- leagues while at work.

“A potential fair dismissal can become an actual unfair dis- missal if good procedures are not scrupulously followed. When it comes to employment law, igno-

rance 1s no defence,’ the Cham- ber CEO said.

The service is supported by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) and is being part- nered by Peninsula Business Services, the largest employment law consultancy in the UK which has offices in both Dublin and Manchester.

Peter Done, Managing Director of Peninsula added that, “From personal experience, I know that common sense doesn’t count and owner managers need expert ad- vice and support. That is the gen- esis of Chamber HR. Peninsula is proud to be involved in providing this unique and indispensable service.”

The Chamber HR service 1s also providing details on “Chamber Business School” a FAS funded Chamber initiative that provides members with local access to training courses on people and performance management skills.

Details of how to avail of the service can be had by contacting any chamber of commerce.

THE issue of a 24-hour ambulance service for East Clare is to be raised in the Seanad this Vorb tee

The purpose-built, state-of-the art station in Scarriff was opened in 2003, but is open for only 19 hours a day.

Senator Timmy Dooley is to claim this evening that there is no justifiable reason why East Clare should be the only ambulance base in the Midwest region without 24-hour ambu- lance.

‘There has been a spate of accidents recent- ly in the area and many of them have taken place between 7pm and 12 midnights, a time when no staff were roster to operate the lo- cal fleet of two ambulances. Critically injured

people have had to lie on the roadside for an unacceptable length of time for ambulances to come from Limerick and Ennis while two ambulances lie idle a couple of hundred yards away, the senator said.

“This can not be allowed to continue as lives are being put at an unnecessary risk. It will only be a matter of time before a delay in the arrival of an ambulance will lead to the unnecessary loss of life. I will continue to put pressure on the Minister until the funding is put in place.”

According to figures contained in the Mid Western Health Board Ambulance Service Development Plan which was sent to the De- partment of Health just over 12 months ago, Scariff is the only purpose-built station in the Mid-West area.

IT has been a fruitful but confusing week for economic statistics. First we had the end-September Exchequer Re- turns. Then we had the Central Statis- tics Office (CSO) figures for the second quarter of this year, with conflicting figures from the Economic and Socials Research Institute (ESRI) hot on their heels.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday, October 4, by the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, an Exchequer deficit of €1,123m was recorded in the first three quarters of this year. This is substantially greater than the Excheq- uer deficit of €418m for the first three quarters of 2004, but well under the budgeted deficit of €2,988m for 2005 as a whole.

The Current Account Balance at the

end of September showed a surplus of €2,238m, not much different to the sur- plus of €2,348m for the same period last year. The budgeted surplus for the full year of 2005 is €4,092m.

The Capital Account Balance at the end of September showed a deficit of €3,361m compared to a deficit of €2,/66m for the same period last year.

The budgeted deficit for 2005 as a whole is €7,080m for 2005.

The CSO then released figures for the second quarter of this year showing that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 4.1 per cent up on the same quarter last year, at €37,784m. The Gross Na- tional Product (GNP), which excludes the earnings of foreign-owned compa- nies, grew at 3.1 per cent for the same eau lelee

Soon afterwards, the ESRI disagreed with these figures. It said that econom-

ic growth, as measured by real GDP, would grow by 5.7 percent this year and 5 per cent next year.

“Strong economic growth will contin- ues for the foreseeable future,” it said. It based this upbeat prediction partly on the large increase in employment shown by the latest Quarterly Household Sur- oe

SW ilommcaviseet-lKOeMMolciAWiocor mech iO best IKon me ls mainly down to different interpretations of what exactly is happening to produc- tivity.

The government explanation is that productivity has fallen owing to the loss of manufacturing jobs and their re- placement by less productive work. The ESRI, on the other hand, says that there has been a large increase in the numbers employed but that it sees no evidence of a downturn in productivity.

A CLARE group is currently looking for a warehouse to store thousands of Christmas presents donated to less well off children overseas.

The local Operation Christmas Child campaign is appealing for anyone with an unused warehouse to come forward.

Almost 6,000 children in Eastern Eu- rope and Mozambique received Christmas presents last year from Clare people of all none

Approximately 5,700 of the 273,143 Christmas shoeboxes sent from Ireland to developing countries as part of Operation Christmas Child came from the Banner County.

“We receive shoe boxes from créches up to youth clubs, schools and Regina House

Kilrush to Carrigoran,’ said June O’Neill, who assists in co-ordinating the operation locally.

Operation Christmas Child began in Wales in the early 1990s when people be- gan sending shoeboxes filled with gifts and toys to orphanages in Romania. Since then, the projects, which is run by the Samaritan Purse Charity, has gone from strength-to- strength.

The shoebox appeal reached Clare in 2001, when 1,000 people sent gifts to children liv- ing in poverty throughout the world.

By 2004, the number had multiplied al- most six times, as the people of Clare re- cycled good quality, almost-new toys and bought out discount stores so that children across the world could have a present at Steinke

This year, people have until November 10

to find a shoebox, cover it with Christmas paper and fill it with gifts for children living in impoverished conditions.

Ms O’Neill recommends that anyone who cannot decide which of the six age groups to choose for a gift, to choose boys in the ten to 14 category who are often forgotten.

Participants are also reminded to consult the Operation Christmas Child leaflet when packing, as some items such as toy guns and liquid products such as bubbles are banned from the boxes.

A charge of €3 is also required to cover the transportation of the boxes. People can then drop off their gifts at the AXA offices in Ennis or Moyasta National School.

People looking for a leaflet for their boxes or further information can contact June on O86 1981591 or Margaret 6843075 or check the website www.samaritanspurse.ie.

SIPTU, representing over 500 workers at Shannon Airport and the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), are on a collision course over the future of Shannon. Last month, talks between SIPTU and the DAA’s Director for Change, John Horgan broke up after Mr Horgan produced a document proposing the exiting from ca- tering and the outsourcing of the majority of functions at Shannon.

SIPTU’s National Industrial Secretary, Michael Halpenny has proposed the parties reconvene for fresh talks this Wednesday, October 12.

However, in a strongly-worded letter to Mr Horgan outlining SIPTU’s concerns, Mr Halpenny has con- firmed to Mr Horgan that the production of the docu- ment at the union-management meeting “is unaccept- able and indeed unhelpful to the process, insofar as it is premised on the exit of catering and the outsourc- ing of what appears to be the majority of functions in Shannon’.

He said, “The undue focus on an exit package — al- beit to be “negotiated” — detracts completely from what should be the focus, the future of Shannon and the place of our members therein. We have proposed discussions based on the following: no change without consultation and agreement with the Unions; nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and no compul-

sory redundancies.”

Mr Halpenny said that a SIPTU official would meet with a DAA representative in the two days prior to the meeting to examine the financial status and projections for the airport. He added that the meeting scheduled for October 12 would agree an agenda for discussions and agree a schedule of meetings going forward.

He warned, however, “In this context, it is important to repeat we cannot accept exit from catering or out- sourcing of functions as part of that agenda.”

Mr Halpenny suggested that the parties agree to Seek the services of a Facilitator to assist them, with- out prejudice to their rights to refer disputes in the nor- mal course to the LRC, Labour Court and third party NOLO NMOS EON

The talks are taking place with the DAA, as the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) has yet to become a legal entity because a business plan for the airport has yet to be approved by Government.

Shannon is on course for a record year in 2005 with the first nine months showing passengers numbers be- ing in excess of 2.5 million — an increase of 36% – while the lucrative US troop traffic has accounted for almost a quarter of a million passengers and estimated to have generated over €25 million for the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA).

Last year, the Airport’s loss was €2.5 million on a turnover of €95 million.

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has put in place addi- tional safeguards in a bid to prevent a re-occurrence of pharmaceutical plant Schwarz Pharma polluting the Shannon area.

This follows the EPA issuing a draft license to the German-owned com- pany, imposing increased controls on the company to ensure that it does not breach its Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licence.

The company was one of the first fa- cilities in Ireland to secure an IPC li- cense in 1996 and a significant breach of the licence caused a dank odour to spread across Shannon for a number

of months in 2002 and 2003, prompt- ing the EPA to demand a review of its IPC licence.

The company pleaded guilty to various breaches of its [PC license in the distrist court in 2003 and the li- cence review has now culminated in the Agency giving the green-light for a new license for the company, which has spent in excess of €6 million this year on increased environmental safe- guards at the plant, where bulk active pharmaceutical ingredients are pro- duced.

The EPA has ruled that the new li- cense shall have effect for four years, having regard to the nature of the works and arrangements necessary in connection with the installation

and upgrading of plant environmental abatement and protection infrastruc- ture and plant environmental proce- elt Kee

As part of the new license, the EPA has instructed Schwarz Pharma to employ an experienced installation manager who shall be responsible for the management of the wastewa- ter treatment plant and air emission abatement equipment. The EPA has also instructed the company to estab- lish and maintain a Public Awareness and Communications Programme to ensure that members of the public are informed about the environmental performance of the installation.

In its decision, the EPA refused none of the proposed activities sought by

Schwarz Pharma — which employs 176 people — in its application.

The interim Managing Director of Schwarz Pharma, Peter Brunk, this week said that the company was still studying the licence and would prefer to comment when that process was complete.

Shannon Town Mayor, Cllr Tony Mulcahy this week welcomed the tighter controls contained in the new 36-page licence. Cllr Mulcahy told

THE construction arm of controversial US multi- national, Halliburton is set to scoop the contract to construct the €370 million Shannon tunnel.

The National Roads Authority (NRA) has iden- tified the “Direct Route” consortium, including Kellogg Brown & Root Limited as “the most eco- nomically advantageous tender” to complete the project.

As the construction subsidiary of Halliburton, KBR employs 64,000 people in 43 countries around the world and it is part of the same “Direct Route” consortium that has won the contract to construct the N8 Rathcormac-Fermoy bypass.

The other companies involved in Direct Route in- clude the Austrian company, Strabag AG involved in the Ennis by-pass; John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Limited, Lagan Holdings Limited and Roadbridge Ltd. The Texas-based Halliburton conglomerate is the biggest private contractor for American forces in Iraq and has received contracts worth some elev- en billion dollars for its work there.

US vice-President, Dick Cheney was chief execu-

tive of Halliburton in the five years immediately prior to becoming Vice President and Mr Cheney earned €45 million during his tenure at the world’s largest oil-and-gas-services company.

One of the many contracts that Halliburton has se- cured from the US Government is the €37 million deal to build prison camps in Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay for suspected terrorists — the company has had more than 35 of its contractors killed while work- ing in Iraq.

The NRA is to now proceed with discussions with Direct Route with a view to appointing it as the Provisional Preferred Tenderer. If such discus- sions prove successful and Direct Route are ap- pointed Provisional Preferred Tender, that is likely to lead to an award of the Contract for the Project in Spring 2006 with work expected to start around the same time. As part of the deal, the Direct Route consortium stands to generate €456 million in tolls from the route over a 30-year period.

The Direct Route consortium is also one of four pre-qualifying consortia for the controversial M3 Motorway, which skirts and the Hull of Tara.