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CLARE 1s not ready for the onslaught on business and recycling facilities which is coming with this weeks activation of an electrical re-cycling directive, an En- nis businessman has warned.

With just two facilities in the whole of Clare – as opposed to one every 20 miles in Sweden to deal with a similar directive – the official recycling points will be swamped. And small electrical retailers will not be able to afford to build the facilities demanded by the regulation to store old washing machines, fridges and other items, said Paul Flynn, proprietor of Ennis Electrical.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) law also means that consumers have to pay up top €40 on top of the price of new electrical goods to fund the disposal of old ones – even if the buyer is not returning any old machine or appliance.

“These new regulations mean twice the work for re- tailers and increased costs and there are a lot of small business people out there who don’t have any idea what is involved in WEEE,” said Paul.

“If we are taking back an appliance for every one we deliver, we’re going to have to make twice as many slelenantoy Ane

The Ennis Electrical boss says that the Inagh and Scariff amenities which have been earmarked to ac- cept the redundant electrical goods “are in no way prepared for what is coming. I spoke to the people in Inagh and they are expecting just a few items each week to be brought in from all over – Pll be bringing a minimum of 60 appliances a week to them and that’s just me,” said Paul.

The Ennis Electrical retailer 1s concerned that many outlets will fail to impose the charge, putting them- selves in danger of facing fines and even risking their

staff being fined.

‘This is written in stone – it’s the law and I know for a fact there are many people who don’t’ know the first thing about it. For instance, before I can even register for the directive – and every electrical retailer has to register – I have to have a holding facility for appli- ances with a concrete floor and weatherproof cover- ing. There are many people who don’t know that. Most people don’t even know that retailers now don’t have to pay when they bring appliances for disposal.”

There are 355,000 fridges sold in Ireland every year and Paul predicts that not all retailers will impose the charges which range from €1 when buying a new electric toothbrush to €40 extra when buying a large fridge.

Paul says that the retailers are “pleased that this 1s at least an exposed charge. The washing machine which a customer bought before the charges were introduced still costs the same amount and the charge is imposed on top of that.”

He believes that the WEEE Register “was negoti- ated with the big national and multinational retailers in mind – not the small retailers.”

The Ennis businessman says that he is in full agree- ment with the need to have electrical goods responsi- bly disposed of.

‘T don’t want to see fridges dumped at the side of the road. But we are not prepared for the full impact of this and the Government decides to make it law dur- ing the summer recess when there is no Minister to answer for it.”

Meanwhile, the Consumers’ Association of Ireland has called on shoppers to boycott the charge, which became law on August 13.

Dermot Jewell of the Consumers Association de- scribed the charges as another tax being levied on the Loy eTieneates

CLARE County Council has been ac- cused of engaging in an abuse of proc- ess in its bid to compulsory purchase land for a new €25 million waste wa- ter treatment plant for Ennis.

The charge comes from land-owner, Peter Anthony Liddy who has joined the Diocese of Killaloe in lodging a formal objection to the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the scheme.

Mr Liddy’s hard-hitting objection stems from the Council not seeking to acquire lands it will sterilize for any future development as it 1s designating the lands as a buffer zone around the waste water treatment plant proposed for Clareabbey.

In his objection, Mr Liddy describes the Council’s CPO as “ill-conceived, uninformed and premature”.

His objection states: “It now tran- spires that the Council now only in- tends to CPO part only of the lands it initially agreed to purchase and now also wished to place a buffer zone over most of what remains, thereby steriliz- ing the same.

“The piece of land not being com-

pulsory acquired by the Council is of virtually no value to our client as it is of no economic, commercial or agri- cultural value.

“We would suggest the Council is now attempting to acquire not only the lands which it initially agreed to pur- chase, but is in essence, acquiring the whole lot as a result of the imposition of this buffer zone over most of the re- mains of Mr Liddy’s property.”

“By doing this, the Council finds that the acquiring costs will be halved, but the net benefit to the Council will be the same as if they purchased all of our client’s lands. We would suggest that this is a complete abuse of process and will not be tolerated by Mr Liddy.

Meanwhile the Diocese of Killaloe this week sought to distance itself from the contents of the objection lodged in its name to the CPO.

The diocese — prior to selling the lands to a developer in June — did lodge an objection, but only against the 1m- position of a buffer zone around the waste water treatment plant. However, the new owner has lodged a revised ob- jection, listing a number of grounds in the letter to An Bord Pleanala.

can exclusively reveal.

A recommendation to make employers responsible is con- tained in the report of the Expert Advisory Group on Workplace Bullying, which 1s due to be published by Clare Minister of State for Labour Affairs, Tony Kileen tomor- row (Wed).

Sources have revealed that the report will recommend that legislation be put in place, making Ireland one of the only countries in Europe to imple- ment such laws and causing a major headache for bosses.

It could pave the way for thousands of employees to take legal actions.

In the last study of bullying carried out here in 2001, it was revealed that 115,000 people in Ireland had suffered serious workplace bullying.

Deciphering the difference between bullying and legiti- mate management techniques could become a legal mine- field, with employees claiming bullying tactics and managers CP YAU OTSA Ooh Va DUcmmN LUCID AYA DOTA KO get the job done.

Ennis Chamber of Com- merce CEO, Triona MclIn- erney, said that drawing up legislation to make employers culpable will make life “very difficult for businesses. While the health and safety of em-

ployees is obviously a very important issue, legislation can be very sweeping and to what real benefit, it has to be asked.”

Ms McInerney said _ that before making anti-bullying laws, the Government should conduct a cost-benefit analy- Sk

“At the momment, industry and businesses are struggling to pay taxes, pay VAT, pay the bills, yet the increased costs on business seem to coming largely from Government im- posed measures. What needs to be asked is what would be the real cost of implementing this legislation and how could we make it work? There should be a clause which says that if employers do all they can to prevent bullying and deal with it when it happens, then they can’t be totally culpable.”

The expert advisory group on workplace bullying was established a year ago with terms of reference to advise and report to the Minister on the effectiveness of current measures to prevent work- place bullying, and to identify improved means of prevent- ing it. They were also asked to look at how to address the contribution made by bullying to the incidence of workplace stress.

The group was chaired by Mr Paul J Farrell, Partner at IBM’s Business Consulting Services.

A POSSIBLE | tragedy was averted off the Kil- rush coastline this week- end, thanks to the quick actions of a fishing boat crew.

Seven people were res- cued from the 26 foot Kilrush §Marina-based yacht “Truant”, after it capsized and sank in the Shannon Estuary on Sat- urday evening.

The incident occurred between Scattery Island and Hog Island. It is be- lieved the crew on board the locally owned ship, took up the centre board of the boat, to allow them on to Scattery Island.

On returning to the

boat, they raised sail without putting down the centre board, resulting in the ship capsizing.

A passing fishing boat came to the rescue. The alarm was raised _ at 4.30pm, and the Shannon- based Irish Coastguard

helicopter was deployed to the scene. The seven were taken safely ashore at Kilrush.

On arrival, the lifeboat crew reported the stern of the yacht protruding approximately one metre from the water, which

was 3.6 metres deep.

This rescue was the sec- ond in just over a week. A 37{t Killaloe based mo- tor cruiser “Regina 4’, en-route from Dingle to Kilrush, caught fire and sank near the Ballybun- ion Buoy, at the mouth of the Shannon Estuary.

Spokesperson for the Kilrush RNLI, Charles Glynn, has advised sail- ors to remember the five main safety tips when taking out a boat.

He warned sailors to always wear a life jacket, check the engine and fuel before leaving the marina and always tell people Where they were going and when they planed to return.

LOCAL residents in Gaurus, on the outskirts of Ennis, have railed against plans to construct a €40 million housing development in the area.

Earlier this year, William McGrath and Frank Stackpoole lodged plans to construct 132 semi-detached, 70 terraced and seven detached homes in the Gaurus area, which is located in the Doora-Barefield parish.

However, following a public meet- ing at the Fahy Hall, the residents have come together to lodge a stri-

dent objection against the plan.

They state: “The density of hous- ing proposed for this development is inappropriate to an edge of town location, where sufficient land has been zoned to allow for sustainable growth in the area for the next 10 years.

“A high density development in this area would lead to the destruc- tion of the residential amenities cur- rently being enjoyed by home owners in the area.

“The land is zoned as ‘other settle- ment land’ where any development should by definition “conserve and

enhance the quality and character of the area, to protect residential amen- ity and allow for development appro- priate to the sustainable growth of the settlement.

“The proposed high density de- velopment would contravene this requirement in a rural area charac- terised by low density development and single dwellings.

‘All houses on this road are cur- rently bungalows or dormer. The proposed site of two-storey houses are out of character with the area and in the case of single dwellings bor- dering the proposed development,

will lead to the destruction of their privacy.

“The development is proposed on land immediately beside a lake and its immediate surroundings are rural in nature. A housing development of this size would likely have a negative impact on the environment/wildlife/ plantlife in the vicinity. Immediately adjacent to a Special Area of Con- servation, the development may pose an ecological risk to this area, espe- cially given the increase in housing developments close by and proposed housing developments already.

“The local county road network

is defective in width, alignment and junction standard to service a de- velopment of this scale. Access to the Ennis by-pass will be via Gau- rus Bridge, already a_ bottle-neck and Ballymacahill Cross, traversing three junctions with sub-standard sight-lines. Access to the Quin road is via a dangerous cross-road with a high accident rate due to poor vis- ibility and excessive speed

The developers have scaled down their proposal in response to a fur- ther information request and a deci- sion is expected on the application JE TKomaavtcwmastevelsen

CLARE County Council holds one of the keys to the development of state of the art playing facilities for gaelic games in the county, delegates to the Clare County Board have been Ko) (en

County Board chairman Michael McDonagh unveiled the new blue- print for the development of facili- ties at a site on the outskirts of Ennis near Norrie Henchy’s on the Tulla Road.

The board has purchased 67 acres there and McDonagh told delegates that an application has been lodged with Clare County Council’s plan- ning department to develop 20 acres of the land.

“This is the culmination of 12 months hard work,’ said Michael McDonagh. “The plan is for three fields and if we get the go-ahead it will be the model for the rest of the country,” the chairman added.

And, the county board has pledged to embark on a consultation period with the public as part of the devel- Opment process. To this end board representatives led by the Mr. Mc- Donagh will meet with public repre- sentatives and also travel to Tulla to consult with the community there.

“A lot of work is being done in de- velopment,’ Mr. McDonagh told del- egates. “We’re developing one and a half fields in Clarecastle and also Cusack Park and the pitches in Tulla. It will cost €150,000 per pitch, while the dressing room facilities will cost €300,000.

“All the work we’re doing will cost

€3 million. The development in Tul- la will be seven minutes from the by- pass and will benefit east and west. If we don’t get planning permission it will be a grave injustice to the youth of the county,’ added McDonagh. The chairman pledged to report back to delegates in Sept on how de- velopment plans are advancing.

that work is beginning next week on the draft register for 2006 and AU UTE

Through an _ adver-

tisement campaign, the council will be asking new voters, or people who have changed ad- dress, to fill out a form and inform the council.

Approximately fifteen council staff have special responsibilities for keep- ing the register updated and for eliminating the deceased from the list of voters.

“We have field workers who try to ensure that it 1s as accurate as possible,’ said Mr McNamara.

He said the onus was also on people to inform the council of any chang- es to addresses or names.

“It is now timely to ask people to check the regis- ter and inform us if they notice any duplications or omissions,” he said.

LAST week proved to be a very successful one for Clare owners with winners at no fewer than four tracks, namely Galway, Limerick, Thurles and Kilcogan in Waterford.

Noel Coote and Fiachra Hennessy of En- nis set the ball rolling in Thurles on Tues- day night when Drimeen Rumble was on the mark, winning the fourth race of the card.

Clare supporters came away from Limerick in a very happy state of mind on Thursday night after no fewer than three greyhounds obliged.

First up was Rabbit’s Droopy, owned by Tony Cusack of Cooraclare. He had a narrow

win in race two in a winning time of 29.56. This was followed by another West Clare winner with Joan Taylor of Kilmihil visiting the winner’s enclosure with Priddy Boy in race three with a winning time of 29.63.

Baby Rumble made it a hat-trick of wins when owner Pat McInerney of Clarecastle collected after winning race five in a time of pA Fere

On Friday night’s card Clare’s only win- ner was Inislosky Buddy in race seven. This dog is owned by William Casey from O’Briensbridge.

At the Galway track on Thursday night there were wins for Clare owners in the Castle-

gar Hurling Club AA Stake. John Reidy and Robert Dillon of Cooraclare saw their charge Keywest advance to the next round after win- ning race five.

This was immediately followed in race six when Moloskey Classic got the verdict for owner John Donnellan of Mullagh.

Five Clare dogs went to traps in race eight at the College Road venue on Friday. This was a first round heat in the Kudos Catering A3 550 Stake that is worth €3,000 to the winner.

White Tip Dream took the honours here for Robert Longe of Ballyea. Housed in trap two, the winning time here was 30.76.

Kilrush owner TJ McMahon also collected

on Friday night when Bodyshop Supra was the winner of race five in a time of 29.85.

The second race on Friday night’s card went to Quilty Nocando, owned by Doreen Burke of Ennis. This was the dog’s first outing and recorded a winning time of 29.57.

Inagh Hero owned by Michael McGuane of Inagh also did the business at the first time of asking. He was Clare’s only winner in Galway on Saturday night. A recent winner at Limerick, Dance Mindy, owned by Janette Downes of Killaloe made the long journey to Kilcogan on Friday night worthwhile when winning race I1 in a good time of 28.99.

A PRELIMINARY report of the cir- cumstances surrounding a_ helicopter crash last month in south Galway, which claimed the lives of two businessmen, has revealed that the aircraft’s “speed reduced significantly” prior to the col- lision, in the Slieve Aughty Mountains near Gort.

Data from the aircraft radar at Shan- non confirmed that the helicopter main- tained its track while passing over the mountains near Derrybrien at 10.45am on Saturday, July 9. However, according to the initial report of the Air Accident Investigation Unit of the Department of Transport, the helicopter’s speed re- duced significantly, after “the final ra- dar returns showed a sharp turn to the right and the signal then disappeared.”

Two Galway businessman, publican Mark Reilly and Damien Bergin who was involved in the construction indus- try, died in hospital following the crash. A third man was seriously injured. The three were returning to the helicopter’s base near Galway Airport, having spent the night in New Ross, Co Wexford.

The investigation has also established

that shortly before the accident, pilot Damien Bergin was in radio commu- nication with another helicopter at Gal- way airport. According to the AAIU, the call was routine in nature, but was the last known communication from the helicopter.

It has also been confirmed that Dam- ien Bergin used a mobile phone to raise the alarm as he lay fatally injured in the wreckage. Two Galway-based helicop- ters flew to the scene following the call, as did the Shannon-based Irish Coast- guard chopper and ground-based emer- gency services. The casualties were located and evacuated to hospital about one hour after the accident, the report SP HKG

A preliminary examination of the helicopter wreckage showed no evi- dence of pre-impact failure, although there were several reports received by the investigation team indicating poor visibility and low cloud in the area at the time of the accident.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit probe into the crash is continuing and the unit has yet to publish a full report.

JOE Duffy’s public phone lines were hopping last week with disgruntled citizens calling to register their disgust.

The parent conglomerate of NCT Service (NCTS) Ltd, the company which runs the Na- tional Car Test (NCT) service in the Republic, had just publicised it’s profits for the fiscal year, and the sums mentioned upset the right-think- ing members of Irish society.

They were complaining of course, because the company was returning exorbitant profits, because they regarded the test as fussy, and be- cause they were suspicious about the degree of fortune, which seemed to be required to pass the test.

Many even made the direct assumption that the entire service amounted to a scam whereby the company could extract hard cash from an unsuspecting Irish public by failing vehicles for trivialities.

No one mentioned that the cost of the Irish NCT is the second lowest in Europe, when compared to similar national testing schemes across the continent.

But aren’t these gestures a little late?

Only last May, members of the public on a national basis, were given the opportunity to suggest changes to the National Car Test (NCT) at a series of road shows held in Dublin, Sligo, Galway, Cork, Kilkenny and Longford.

Six public consultation meetings took place, and the general public were asked to give their views on the NCT and suggest how the service could be improved.

It’s strange that complaints now seem so prevalent, because the consultation process,

well publicised by PricewaterhouseCoopers on behalf of the Department of Transport, only at- tracted 250 public attendees in total. Bizarre.

If the general public were harbouring such fervent views on the matter, why didn’t they then make their feelings known? Instead they choose to air their lop-sided views on the mat- ter to anyone who will listen three months Eire

As with everything people fear that which they don’t understand. These people aren’t concerned about pesky EU directives, or about jalopy’s held together with bailing twine cruis- ing around.

A famous anecdote among NCT testers is the one about the woman who arrived at her test centre with her certificate of registration, con- firmation letter and car keys, but no car. Then there was the man from the border area who demanded that the vehicle inspector reimburse him for the petrol used by the testers driving his car from one end of the centre to the oth- er. There was another innocent who believed that a little divine intervention might help. A man in Cavan suggested that a church could be erected beside the test centre so that customers could go in and say a prayer for their car while Weloava eI Kole

Typical.

If mandatory car testing had not been made compulsory by EU directive, it would argu- ably never have been introduced here at all. As it was, we were the last EU member state to introduce it, even though it was desperately required since between 1990 and 2000 the vol- ume of cars on our roads increased by 60%.

The NCT was introduced five years ago when new EU legislation made such car testing com-

pulsory in member states.

Testing is carried out at 43 centres across the country under a ten-year contract awarded by the government to afore mentioned company.

AA Ireland independently monitor these test centres and while they suggest that some as- pects of the test could be improved, they re- gard the system as considerably better than the British MOT. According to AA Ireland, if you maintain your car reasonably well, it should sail through the test.

And so once again for anyone who wasn’t lis- tening five years ago.

The testing of privately owned vehicles be- gan in the Republic on January 4, 2000.

It was introduced to improve road safety, en- vironmental protection and to comply with the EU Directive 96/96/EC, which makes car test- ing compulsory in all EU member states.

The test fee is €49.00 and a re-test costs €27.50 (both fees are inclusive of VAT).

There are 57 elements to each test, which endeavour to assess the roadworthiness of ve- hicles and identify any defects, such as faulty brakes, unbalanced wheels and thread worn tyres. Detected defects must be repaired and the vehicle must pass a re-test before the car owner will be issued with an NCT Certificate.

Advantages?

The NCT is conducted on any given vehicle every 2 years and this regular evaluation will result in more frequent car servicing, which will provide better fuel economy, reduce over- all repair costs, increase reliability, and lower the risk of breakdowns.

The NCT will ensure that second hand cars are roadworthy. As with all eligible cars for testing, second hand cars will have to display

an NCT disc as proof that they have passed their NCT. This should improve overall indus- try standards and enhance air quality by reduc- ing emissions.

National car testing is likely to reduce the number of road accidents, which may as a con- sequence result in potentially lower insurance premiums.