The Clare People Archive

THE Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey has stated that any Govern- ment protection of Heathrow slots would be regarded by the European Commission as a special right, which would be challenged before the Eu- ropean Court of Justice.

The minister has also stated that the Aer Lingus withdrawal of its Shan- non-Heathrow service “does not re- quire that a fundamental review of our aviation policy be undertaken or that a Green Paper be published”.

He said, “The main objective is to ensure that the three State airports have sufficient capacity to respond to the growth opportunities of a com- petitive airline sector and to provide vital international access.

“In fulfilling this objective, it is pro- posed to establish Cork and Shannon as independent airports, once finan- cial and operational readiness has been demonstrated under the State Airports Act 2004. In addition, the six regional airports have a key role to play in promoting regional devel- opment.

“The further key components of our strategy are to ensure that our aviation safety and security policies comply with, or exceed, the highest international standards and that the policy framework for air navigation services ensures that the require- ments of airlines for efficient rout- ings and the avoidance of delays are met as far as possible without com- promising safety.

In response to a second question from Limerick East deputy, Kieran O’Donnell, Minister Dempsey was unable to give a date as to when Gov-

ernment funding will be put in place for the full implementation of the €53 million mid-west tourism and economic development plan.

On the decision by BMI not to proceed with a Heathrow link from Shannon, Minister Dempsey said, “The decision by British Midland that it would not commence a Shan- non-Heathrow service was made public on October 4 and reported in the media the following day. I was made aware two days previously, on October 2, that the decision was likely to be negative.

AS MINISTER for Finance, Brian Cowen, cleared the way for a miserly budget this week with talk of ‘belt- tightening’, his cabinet colleague Agriculture Minister, Mary Cough- lan, was busy painting a rosy picture for Irish farmers come December 5.

Speaking following the publication of the 2008 Pre-Budget Outlook by the Tanaiste last week, Coughlan welcomed the proposed provision of €1.722 billion for the Department of Agriculture.

In addition, €110 million is being provided for the fisheries which, for technical reasons, 1s included in the Pre-Budget Outlook under the Vote for the Department of Communica-

tions, Marine and Natural Resourc- oe

“The Pre-Budget Outlook repre- sents a new approach to the annual Estimates procedure. The Outlook is drawn up on the basis of Exist- ing Level of Service and on Budget Day, 5th December, the Tanaiste will present any budgetary additions to- gether with his revenue proposals for 2008,” she said.

“It makes a great deal of sense to deal with expenditure and taxation in a single exercise. The allocation of €1.722 billion in the Pre-Budget Outlook was the practical expression of the Government’s commitment to the development of a modern, ef- ficient and sustainable agri-food in- dustry.

“The Minister said that the fund- ing reflected the Government’s and my own objectives for the sector as outlined in the various policy state- ments and agreements, including the National Development Plan, To- wards 2016 and the Rural Develop- ment Programme, 2007-2013.”

Apart from this voted expenditure, the Department of Agriculture will also disburse almost €1.4billion in EU direct payments and market sup- ports in 2008.

A number of areas have already been earmarked for substantial fund- ing including €17Imillion for food safety, animal health and welfare and plant health and more than €1billion for a range of measures under the Rural Development Programme and

for capital investment in the dairy, beef, sheepmeat and farm sectors.

Of this billion euro some €375mil- lion has been allocated for the Rural Environment Protection Scheme, €257million for Income Support in Disadvantaged Areas, €68million for Early Retirement and Installa- tion Aid Schemes, €12I] million for investment in the Forestry Sector and Bio-Energy and €183million for schemes of on-farm investment, 1n- cluding Farm Waste Management.

Along with this some €27million is provided to support the efforts of An Bord Bia to promote Irish pro- duce in overseas markets which, the Minister said, is more vital than ever in the face of increasing competition from non EU producers.

YOU’VE heard of the Chinese year of the sheep and the pig, well in agri- cultural circles at least 2008 has been branded as the International Year of the Potato.

The United Nations Food and Ag- riculture Organisation (FAQ), has taken on the task of celebrating the mighty spud, and to commemorate this initiative the Minister for Food and Horticulture at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Trevor Sargent, this week announced funding for the FAO.

“Ireland will provide significant funding, starting with an initial pay- ment of $150,000, to support the

activities of the UN Food and Agri- culture Organisation (FAQ), which is the lead United Nations’ agency for implementation of the International Year of the Potato,” he said.

“The coming year has been desig- nated as the United Nations’ Interna- tional Year of the Potato. Throughout the world, governments, scientists, farmers and others will focus on the potential of the potato to improve food security and nutrition and to reduce hunger and poverty. Ireland is committed to play a major part in view of the fact that the potato is the third most important food crop in the (ey ule B

“Funding provided by Ireland will go to support FAO activities. Ac-

tivities will include information gen- eration and dissemination through conferences and symposia to review research policies and chart the future direction of the sector.

“This will include a major confer- ence run by the International Potato Centre in Peru in March 2008 fo- cusing on the application of potato science for the poor. It is hoped to encourage action throughout the developing world to focus on potato systems including crop yields, exten- sion training on improved varieties and production systems.”

The mighty spud has noted the central role the potato has played in Irish History. The failure of the crop due to potato blight in 1845 led to a

famine that left 1.5 million dead and a further 1 million citizens forced to emigrate.

“Irish people have a deep memory of the effects of famine on our nation. Our history means we are acutely aware of the need to focus on the po- tato and the vital role that agriculture can play in improving nutrition and supporting food security,” continued Sargent.

To mark the Year of the Potato, Ireland will also organise a national programme of events for 2008 with an emphasis on nutrition. This will include activities for schools includ- ing a primary school competition that aims to promote both the aware- ness and the growing of the potato.

POPULATION experts are predict- ing a population surge in Kilrush in the coming years, despite a decade of overall population decline.

Economic decline in traditional em- ployment; limited opportunities in new emerging employment sectors; and an increase in employment op- portunities in urban areas such as En- nis and Shannon, Galway and Dublin has contributed to the fall in the local population that has been experienced.

However the number of people liv- ing in the town and its environs is ex- pected to rise.

Analysis of population trends for the Kilrush area shows a fluctuating but overall population decline between 1991 and 2006. However, it is esti- mated that the area covered by the new draft plan of the town will see a population increase from 2,657 in

2006 to 2,993 in 2014 and to 3,245 in 2020.

The population forecast projection 1s based on previous population trends in the periods, residential dwelling completions in the past five years and the Clare County Housing Strategy 2007 – 2012.

The population of Kilrush accord- ing to the 2006 census is currently at 2,657, a number that has been hotly disputed as being too low and fail- ing to take account of the large Polish population now living and working in the town.

The new Kilrush draft plan predicts a need for 153 additional new houses in the town during its life time and a further 121 houses during the life span of the following plan from 2014 to 2020.

These projections are based on a further declining household size esti- mated at 2.43 persons per household

by 2020. Such a reduction in size is attributable to such factors as frag- mentation of existing households and smaller family sizes.

The population in the rural area sur- rounding the plan will also have an impact in the development and sus- tainability of the west Clare capital.

The Kilrush rural area in contrast to the urban area, experienced an over- all increase in population from 543 in 1991 to 621 in 2006 which reflects a population increase of 78. Factors in- fluencing this trend include returning immigrants to retire or relocate to the area; the attraction of the western sea- board for people to relocate and live in the area, benefiting from the serv- ices offered by the town of Kilrush; and from good road links to Ennis al- lowing for easy commuting to places of employment like Ennis, Shannon and beyond.

The projected population growth of

157 in the Kilrush rural area trans- lates into an additional housing re- quirement of 56 permanent housing units, based on the projected house- hold size for the rural area of three per household and that the percentage of the population living in permanent private households opposed to those living in communal accommodation is 99 per cent. Census figures also show a decline in the zero to 18-year- old bracket with the population of un- der four year olds dropping by more than 26 per cent — between 2002 and 2006 while the older age groups increase slightly.

The implication from population structure figures against the projected erowth in population for the plan pe- riod is that growth that does occur will largely be a result of fragmentation of existing households and in-migration, rather than natural population growth within the plan area.

A NEW blueprint for the west Clare capital is to go before its people to comment upon and possibly amend, before it is returned to the town councillors and signed into law.

The Draft Kilrush Development Plan 2008 – 2014 will set out an over- all strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of Kil- rush town including Cappa.

It will replace the Kilrush Develop- ment Plan 2002, 1998 and the Draft Development Plan 1993 and will last for six years from the date of its adoption.

The aim of the plan is to develop policies and proposals for the proper planning and development of the area; provide a detailed and consist- ent framework for determining plan- ning applications; provide a basis for co-ordinating public and private de- velopment throughout the area; and bring planning issues before the pub- lic for consideration and debate.

The plan must also inform resi- dents, property/land owners and de- velopers how their interests will be affected during the life of the plan making it essential reading for all those the live and work in the town council geographical area.

The Planning and Development Act 2000 requires a statutory noti- fication of the Planning Authority’s intention to prepare a Development Plan. In addition to this requirement, the council undertook a comprehen- sive programme of public consulta- tion and sought to engage all sectors of the population in the plan review process at an early stage.

The consultation approach involved a public consultation information event with workshop, held in the Community School, Kilrush.

A series of workshops were also held with community groups, the business community and _ service providers. An issues paper was pro- duced and circulated which included a consultation response form.

All the hard work to date and input by the local people by responding to this process has been considered by the planning authority in adopting the draft plan.

The managers report on the public consultation process was considered by the council and the managers rec- ommendations with directions issued by the members or the council.

The plan soon to go on display must by law conserve natural re-

sources and natural and cultural her- itage; pursue social and economic inclusion through partnership, par- ticipation and equality of access to services, transport, housing and employment; shape new develop- ment patterns in ways which reduce private car dependency and increase the attractiveness of the plan area for economic growth and in particular for tourism; and optimise the use of already developed areas while mak-

ing them more attractive places to i S(0)U ar NEO EA Lor

The draft plan will be on display until January 4 1n Kilrush Town Hall, Clare County Council Planning Sec- tion, Ennis, DeValera Library, Ennis, Local Study Centre the Manse Ennis and Kilrush and on the council web- site Www.clarecoco.ie.

ON FRIDAY night next, 15 commu- nity games participants from west Clare will be among those honoured at the Clare Community Games All Star awards.

Among the All Stars is Kieran Magner from the Cross/Carrigaholt area. The 14-year-old student at St Joseph’s Community School Kil- kee could not find his niche in the running section of the community games, but determined to compete he took up the shot putt just two years ago.

During his first year of compet-

ing he won the county final, so this second year he was determined to go one step further.

The young teen trained under the watchful eye of Kilmihil man John Devine and practiced every day dur- ing the summer.

All the hard work paid off when he won Silver in the All Ireland in Mos- eae

A keen rugby player and talented musician Kieran was also part of the Naoimh Eoin under 14 team that won the county championship.

Three of his four brothers also play for the GAA club.

The 14 other west Clare communi-

ty game participants to be honoured on the night include Marathon run- ner Liam Markham from Kilmurry McMahon/Labasheeda and under 16 basketball player Sally Glynn from Kilrush, who also holds an All Ire- land U/16B Ladies football medal with her local club.

Laura Egan from Kilmihil who is now a member of the Under-12 team will be honoured for her cross-coun- try running as will Conor Madigan from Kilrush who was part of the County U/12 football winning team.

Harp player Grainne Harvey from Cross/Carrigaholt will be _ recog- nised for her football playing abili-

ties while Becky O’Donnell from Kildysart is a talented gymnast. Kilmihil has four more sporting heroes in the line up including Bri- an Waters, Michael Keating, Dean Cleary and Pauric O’Gorman. Seamus Collins is from Ballyna- cally/Lissycasey and 1s a talented set dancer, while Laura McGuane and Niamh Cahill both from the Kilma- ley/Inch/Connolly area are receiving an All Star for their soccer playing. The last in the west Clare list is Doonbeg’s Sean Conway. Although he is a fan of soccer play- er Wayne Rooney he is being hon- oured for his swimming talent.

SUPERVALU Kilrush has displayed a decade of cleanliness and hygiene.

The supermarket owned by Queal- ly’s was awarded for its polished performance at a special ceremony in Dublin.

The supermarket won the prestig- ious Excellence Ireland ten year Na- tional Hygiene Mark Award at the annual National Quality and Excel- lence Awards which was organised by the Excellence Ireland Quality Association (EIQA).

The Excellence Ireland Hygiene and Food Safety certificate pro- gramme provides independent veri- fication of the highest standards of hygiene and food safety in the food sector, so for SuperValu, Kilrush to

receive this award for the past ten years was no small achievement.

The supermarket had to excel through the most rigorous of audit and assessment programmes de- signed to produce long-term under- standing and commitment to quality in every aspect of the business.

The award was presented to Paul Queally and Denis Nolan by Paul O’Grady, Managing Director, and Excellence Ireland Quality Associa- nee

Mr Nolan was in no doubt who was due the credit for such an achieve- ment.

“Winning the National Hygiene and Food Safety award is one of our key business objectives each year and everyone who works here plays a part in striving for this. The bar for

excellence is raised each year and the team have certainly responded to the benchmarks put in place. Our customers have very high expecta- tions, which we work hard to ensure they are achieved on a daily basis,” he said.

Congratulating the Kilrush super- market Donal Horgan, SuperValu Managing Director, said that quality and hygiene were top priorities for Supervalu Kilrush therefore, it was no coincidence that it consistently received awards in retail hygiene and food safety.

“It 1s a tremendous achievement for Queally’s Kilrush to receive the 10 years National Hygiene Award. It demonstrates their consistent at- tention to detail and commitment to putting in place top class quality

and hygiene systems. Quality is and always will be at the heart of every- thing we do. Queally Supervalu in- vest hugely, both time and money, in ensuring the highest possible hygiene standards and food safety measures. For SuperValu, Kilrush to maintain such high standards ten years in a row takes an enormous amount of hard work and dedication from the owners, managers and staff,’ he SrHKOe

COUNCILLOR Cathal Crowe has been given a commitment from one of the main contractors in the Shan- non Tunnel construction that they will carry out repairs to roads in east OE

After meeting with representatives of the Roadstone company last week, Cllr Crowe said he was “given a firm commitment that they will carry out repair work on the Woodcockhill Road. I requested the meeting to

discuss the much deteiorated Wood- cockhill Road. My meeting with the official lasted for almost an hour and during this time we drove the length of the road and surveyed it’s various bad points.”

The councillor said that he has been raising concerns regarding the state of Phairs Road and the Wood- cockhill Road for the past year. He had met with a number of residents in the locality on several occasions “and their frustration 1s palpable. Many people living in the area have

complained to me not only about the poor condition of the road but also the untold damage that heavy good vehicles are causing to their front boundary walls. There can be no de- nying that most of the damage caused to these roads has been inflicted by the countless trucks that carry sand and gravel from the Woodcockhill sandpit to the nearby construction site of the Shannon Tunnel.”

At a council meeting last Decem- ber, Cllr Crowe tabled a motion call- ing for a fund to be set up to provide

for the immediate restoration and ongoing repair of Phairs Road. “I believe that the financing of any re- pair work should be the responsibil- ity of the relevant authorities / bodies involved in the construction of the Shannon Tunnel. The Shannon Tun- nel is a project of national impor- tance and whilst nobody in Meelick wants to get in the way of progress we feel that something urgent needs to be done to ensure that our local roads are restored to an appropriate standard.”

IT WAS a proud day at St Mochulla’s National School in Tulla on Friday when staff and pupils raised their second Green Flag.

The school took their energy use to task to earn the accolade and in the process, cut their power and heating bills by 12.5 per cent.

“Staff parents and pupils were all involved,” said school Principal, Bri- an lorpey.

The pupils designed draught ex- cluders for the doors while reflective

panels were put behind all the radia- tors in the school.

Children formed an SOS – switch off switches – squad and patrolled the school in the morning to make sure there were no lights burning un- necessarily and did the same at going home time to ensure that computers and electrical equipment was not left on standby.

The staff room boiler was fitted with a timer and the schools ther- mostats were regularly monitored to make sure the heat had not been turned up too much.

“A parent came in and gave us a talk about how he is saving energy in his house with things like solar panels – it was very interesting,” said Brian.

Tulla Goalie, Phillip Brennan, did the honours in raising the flag at a special ceremony on Friday.

The school got it’s first Green Flag two years ago after the staff and 262 pupils got involved in reducing the school’s waste mountain.

The Green Flag scheme 1s approved by An Tasice in conjunction with lo- cal authorities and Clare County

Council came to the school to in- spect and approve the energy savings before the flag could be awarded.

And the clean, green school won’t stop there. “Having achieved our second flag, we’re now moving to get our third which is for reducing water waste,’ said Brian.

WORKERS at Moneypoint are pre- paring to strike after talks between the Technical Engineering and Elec- trical Union (TEEU) and the ESB failed to resolve a dispute over pay arrears and security of employment for 200 Polish workers.

The workers employed by ZRE Katowicz, a subcontracting com- pany working on the environmen- tal retro-fit project at the 900 mega- watt station, have not been paid for six weeks and were turned away

from the power station when they turned up for work on Friday morn- ing last.

A second shift of the Polish work- ers was turned away yesterday morn- ing as Lentjes, the German-based company employed by the ESB to carry out the €384 million project, had terminated ZRE’s contact.

In serving strike notice, TEEU’s General Secretary Designate, Eamon Devoy, warned the ESB that should it “continue to refuse to engage in meaningful discussions” the union would immediately initiate a cam-

paign of industrial action.

It is now feared that if other mem- bers of the union come out in support of their colleagues and the action escalates, there could be a knock-on effect for local power supplies.

“A very serious and disturbing de- velopment has taken place on the ESB Moneypoint site with the con- sequences that approximately 200 workers, members of the TEEU, are being displaced from their place of work to be replaced by other workers without consultation or discussion with their union.

“It appears from our informa- tion that it is proposed to replace the workers by engaging a new sub-contractor with an alternative workforce in breach of your legal obligations under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Regulations), and in a disgraceful disregard of any ob- ligations to the employees or proce- dures,’ the union told the ESB in a letter last night.

The letter added that the work- ers had not been paid their wages for over six weeks and been denied some of their other legal entitlements

for Over a year.

As aresult, some face destitution.

In a statement, the ESB said it had met all its obligations including proper payments to its contractor Lentjes, who sub-contracted ZRE to carry out mechanical works on the project.

“ESB at all times acted in accord- ance with the terms of its contract and at all times upheld Irish and EU employment law,’ it said.

Both parties are to take part in bi- lateral meetings this morning at the Labour Relation Commission.