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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 20 Jan 2011

Vol. 727 No. 2

Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 32

Before coming to the Order of Business I propose to deal with a number of notices under Standing Order 32. I will call on Deputies in the order in which they submitted their notices to my office.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to debate the following urgent matter of public interest, namely, the illegal dump at Kerdiffstown, Naas, where more than 1 million tonnes of unauthorised waste has been dumped, where the High Court has ordered that no further waste be dumped, where large volumes of foul smelling and deadly gases are released into the ground and atmosphere, where poisonous leachate is leaking into the surrounding ground and threatening to pollute the Kildare and Dublin water supply via the nearby River Morrell, which runs into the River Liffey, and where several fires have occurred, adding to the toxic atmosphere; the need for Dáil Éireann to resolve that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, should now instruct the EPA to take the necessary remedial action in the interests of public safety to render this illegal dump safe by putting in place the infrastructure to prevent the gases and leachate escaping from the site and to remove the waste for suitable treatment; and that these works should be funded from the landfill levy and the plastic bag levy that will bring in an income of €69 million in 2011.

Ba mhaith liom an Dáil a chur ar athló faoi Bhun Ordú 32 chun déileáil le gné rí-thabhachtach seo, namely, the urgent need for the Government to respond to the Synthesis Report on equality bodies recently published by the European Commission, which was highly critical of the seven and eight year delays for some cases at the Equality Tribunal, attributed to inadequate resources and the decentralisation of the Equality Authority, which the report held impedes accessibility. While recognising that funding reductions are likely in the context of the economic downturn, it concluded that the 43% cut in the authority's funding in 2008 was one of just seven examples where the cuts imposed were disproportionate, amount to regression and diminish the effectiveness of the body. The report recommends that the Government "establish a clear and transparent process for calculating and attributing an adequate resource base to equality bodies and ensure that it cannot be reduced without clear rationale and broad and public debate".

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to debate the situation at Dublin Airport, where Aer Lingus management have breached an agreement with the workers' representatives, sought unilaterally to impose roster changes and have turned away staff reporting for work, which has resulted in flight disruptions, and the urgent need for the Labour Court to intervene.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to debate the following urgent matter of public interest, namely, the ongoing and escalating industrial dispute between Aer Lingus and its aircraft cabin crews, which has resulted in dismissals, cancellation of flights, annoyance, stress and disappointment to passengers in a vital sector at a time of economic sensitivity. I call on the Minister for Transport to intervene immediately by way of appointment of a suitable arbitrator with a view to early and amicable resolution at this crucial time for the economy, Aer Lingus and its staff.

A Cheann Comhairle, I received a note from you in response to a similar request yesterday, which effectively stated that the Minister had no responsibility to the House. He does not have it now.

Deputy, it is not appropriate to be raising this matter under Standing Order 32.

(Interruptions).

Having considered the matters raised, they are not in order under Standing Order 32.

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