Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 Feb 2005

Vol. 596 No. 4

Adjournment Debate.

Job Losses.

Mr. Perry

A total of 70 manufacturing jobs have been lost in the past week at the Saehan media plant in Sligo. This brings the total number of job losses in the past 12 months in this company to 170. I call on the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to appoint a task force incorporating IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland to treat Sligo as a special case for job creation in 2005. In the past three years, more than 1,350 jobs have been lost in Sligo, mainly in the food, plastic and rubber manufacture industries but also in furniture and wood related services. This is an unprecedented loss in the north west and for an area with gateway status, it is disappointing that more than 636 jobs were lost in 2003. This is very disappointing when we consider the great opportunities for the BMW region.

Sligo is by far the largest town in the north west. A great deal of infrastructural investment has already taken place, but Sligo has infrastructural deficits which need to be addressed to promote inward investment and develop its potential as a main regional growth centre. Sligo has many of the basic ingredients necessary for the development of a vibrant growth centre. It is a scenic coastal location with developing road corridors; an institute of technology, which could be upgraded to university status; a regional airport and a small sea port; a base for arts and culture facilities; a developing water and sewerage treatment plant; and mainline rail heads. However, action needs to be taken to consolidate Sligo's position for mobile investment and economic and social development.

When it comes to the creation of jobs, Sligo has a tradition of supporting and promoting indigenous industry. Further support and targeted measures are required. With the huge job losses at Saehan due to a changing market, I call on the Minister to look at the possibility of supporting the company in diversifying in some way. We have a strong tradition in supporting small companies. Further investment must be made in research and development to encourage new and existing enterprises in the county.

The enterprise boards have been effective. However, I call on the Minister to appoint a special task force in light of the job losses. There is a difficulty in that 100 jobs remain at Saehan Media and there is a risk of further job losses if action is not taken immediately. The task force should incorporate IDA and Enterprise Ireland and should treat Sligo as a special case for job creation in the current year.

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Mr. M. Ahern)

I learned with grave disappointment of the recent decision by Saehan Media Ireland Limited that it intends to make 70 people redundant at its Sligo facility. The company has decided to cease production of large reels of videotape and to concentrate on production of video cassette tapes. The decision to cut production lines, according to the company, was as a result of increased competition from cheaper Far Eastern competition.

Finding alternative employment for the workers affected is a priority for FÁS, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the county enterprise board. FÁS has already been in contact with the company to offer its full range of support services. These supports include skills analysis, jobs placement, guidance and counselling interviews, identification of training needs and suitable training courses.

The north-west region is a priority location for the State development agencies. In recent years, IDA Ireland has been able to attract new investment in emerging sectors, such as international services; life sciences, including medical technologies; software; and high-end engineering. Employment in the region has been dependent on traditional sectors such as clothing, textiles and low-end manufacturing. The transition to a high skill, high technology regional economy will take time to achieve. However, for Sligo and Leitrim, total employment in overseas firms for both counties has risen by almost 30% in the period from 1999, that is, from 2,003 to 3,641 persons.

In that context, IDA Ireland has radically changed its policy with a commitment to deliver new greenfield jobs into the Objective One regions, including the north-west region. The agency continues to try to secure new investment for Sligo and Leitrim and is committed to playing its part in the development of the region by maintaining the maximum number of existing jobs in overseas industry and by attracting new foreign direct investment into the region. The region continues to be marketed for new investment. IDA Ireland has relocated its key divisions of engineering and consumer products and part of the international services division, including software, to the region. This work of marketing the region for new investment is ongoing.

There have been a number of other developments in the region. In July 2001, Abbott Laboratories announced that the company planned to establish a major new pharmaceuticals manufacturing facility in Sligo which will employ 195 people. Construction of the project has been completed and production has commenced. A further €45 million investment by the company in the expansion of its diagnostics facility at Finisklin and a further €55 million in the development of a new facility in Longford will create 350 jobs in Sligo and 600 jobs in Longford. Construction of both facilities is well under way and recruitment is ongoing.

Eaton Corporation, a global $8 billion dollar diversified industrial manufacturer, has established a new operation in Manorhamilton and now employs approximately 200 people. The company has plans to develop the business further in Manorhamilton and has been recruiting over the last 18 months. MBNA, the world's largest independent credit card lender and the leading issuer of endorsed credit cards, has established a new contact centre at Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim. The company invested €32 million in an expansion project in 2002. This investment has brought total employment to approximately 1,000 people and recruitment is ongoing.

To encourage further investment, IDA Ireland has extended its Finisklin business park and the existing park has been upgraded to international standards. In conjunction with local private developers, IDA Ireland has provided three advance office buildings on the park which are being marketed to suitable services-based projects. Planning permissions have been obtained for advance technology facilities at Finisklin and these buildings will be constructed by the private developers when progress has been made on securing projects for existing properties.

The agency has also invested significantly in the development of Keenaghan business park in Carrick-on-Shannon and, in conjunction with a property developer, has provided a new 2,400 sq. m. advance technology building on the park. This building is being marketed for new investment. In June 2004, Enterprise Ireland approved €750,000 to the institute of technology in Sligo for the development of a design centre of excellence under its applied research enhancement programme. Utilising in-house expertise and recruited design expertise, the centre will carry out applied design research to support Irish industry.

Enterprise Ireland is also proactive in increasing the overall level of innovation in the north-west region. In this regard, linkages to third level colleges are important. Under the enterprise platform programme, the agency partners the institutes of technology in Sligo and Letterkenny by providing funding for eligible participants to attend the programme and develop business ideas.

Given the representation of the State agencies and the county council on the Sligo County Development Board, it is considered that should any further co-ordination be necessary, the county development board would be the most appropriate forum to fulfil this function. In the circumstances, I do not propose to establish a task force for the area. The State development agencies under the aegis of my Department will continue to market County Sligo for investment and will make every effort to secure alternative employment for the staff who are being made redundant.

Rail Network.

Ms McManus

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise the important issue of the forthcoming temporary closure of weekend DART services to south Dublin and north Wicklow. There was no warning about this decision and no consultation with the people directly affected.

The decision, as yet unannounced by Iarnród Éireann, to close its weekend DART service on the south side of Dublin is a major shock to people living in my constituency, County Wicklow. The closure is due to begin on 3 June and a full service will not recommence until 19 September. It is unacceptable that the travelling public of Bray and Greystones are, yet again, being denied a proper public transport service. This is not the first time it has happened.

For almost a year my constituents were denied a full DART service. From autumn 2003 to June 2004, they had no weekend service. This had a negative impact on commuters and it had a serious impact on businesses in Bray that depend on the thousands of visitors who avail of public transport to visit the town. In particular, Bray seafront is a magnet for visitors from the greater Dublin area and from further afield.

I accept that remedial works are needed to make the service accessible for disabled people and nobody objects to any work that has such an objective. The questions raised, however, relate to how this problem has arisen and why we have no information about it. At last night's meeting of Bray Town Council, this issue was raised as a matter of urgency. The council had not been informed of the intentions of Iarnród Éireann to close down the service at weekends even though it is the premier authority in the town of Bray. This type of arrogance does nothing to enhance the reputation of Iarnród Éireann nor does the indication that there is no room for compromise on this issue.

Will the Minister for Transport intervene to ensure that there is minimum disruption to passengers and businesses in my community? Will he assess why this work could not have been carried out while the service was shut down over the past year? It stayed closed for a longer period than was expected but it also was opened on important holiday weekends. This was a concession granted to the travelling public after numerous complaints.

I urge the Minister for Transport to ensure that the minimum disruption possible is experienced as a result of this unilateral decision. There will be two bank holiday weekends over the time of closure, the June and August bank holidays. Surely it is possible to provide DART services over those weekends. There is also a strong case for the Minister to meet representatives of Dublin Bus to ensure additional bus services are provided during the period of disruption. It is disturbing that Dublin Bus has not been given the go-ahead for the extra buses that the service so desperately needs. The fact that the rail service will be so curtailed to thousands of people is surely grounds for a significant improvement in bus capacity to meet the needs of the people I represent who are not being well served by Iarnród Éireann. I thank the Minister for listening so intently to the case I am making on behalf of my constituents. I am glad he cares.

Minister of State at the Department of Transport (Mr. Callely)

I thank Deputy McManus for her kind words and for giving me the opportunity to discuss the DART upgrade project and its consequences. This week the Government announced the largest ever investment, €460 million, in the history of Iarnród Éireann. Separately, we are investing €176 million in DART services, which is the largest single investment since the DART was introduced in 1984. It is good news all around for the commuters to whom Deputy McManus referred. Passenger numbers have been increasing in each year since the service began and the system is almost at capacity. Iarnród Éireann has informed me that it will deliver a 33% increase in peak capacity on the service by the end of this year, thereby completing a five-year process which doubles peak capacity on the service.

Deputy McManus may not be aware that the project entails the lengthening of platforms to accommodate eight-carriage trains, renewal of overhead lines, enhancement of the power supply to operate eight-carriage trains, development of sidings to accommodate the expanded fleet and the improvement of accessibility in stations to facilitate mobility-impaired customers and the increased passenger numbers forecast in the years ahead. In addition to the DART upgrade project, €80 million has been spent on 40 new DART carriages to allow eight-car trains to operate. Iarnród Éireann decided that the most effective way to achieve its objectives with the least disruption was to close the line at weekends. This approach minimises the impact on customers and ensures the core Monday to Friday service is unaffected. The weekend closures allow Iarnród Éireann to carry out a week's work in two days by working round the clock.

Deputy McManus will be aware that from October 2003 to July 2004, excluding the weekends before Christmas, services were suspended between Pearse and Greystones stations. During that time, all platforms on the south side were lengthened and all overhead lines renewed. Similarly, from the August holiday weekend 2004 to the end of May 2005, weekend services are suspended between Pearse and Howth and Malahide stations. By May, all north side platforms will have been lengthened, all overhead lines renewed and all accessibility features completed. No further disruption to services on the north side is expected after that date.

From June 2005, it will be necessary to suspend services for a period of approximately three months between Pearse and Greystones on weekends to complete accessibility works, including the installation of lifts and ramps. When these works are completed in September 2005, no further disruption to customers is expected from the project. Remaining works, including electricity sub-station commissioning, completion of new station buildings at Howth Junction and Bayside and new sidings at Fairview to accommodate the expanded DART fleet will be completed by the end of 2005 without impacting on services. Once the work is completed, the benefits of a major increase in capacity will be delivered to DART customers.

Iarnród Éireann has stated that the methodology being employed is the only way the urgently needed capacity can be delivered quickly to the commuters of the greater Dublin area. A benefit of confining works impacting on services to weekends is that other public transport modes can cater for the smaller number of customers affected. Deputy McManus mentioned additional services, especially buses. Deputy McManus may not be aware that throughout the DART upgrade project, additional Dublin Bus services have operated on routes adjacent to the DART at weekends. This will be the case for the south side works this summer. Up to 25,000 additional customers were carried by Dublin Bus every weekend during the previous south side works. In addition, express coach links have been provided for intercity customers affected at weekends during the works on the Belfast and Sligo services during north side works and on the Rosslare route during the south side works.

Iarnród Éireann has publicised its intentions well in advance of any work that impacts on services. Notices have been placed in newspapers, on billboards and on board trains. Regular announcements are made over public address systems and on the real-time passenger information displays at all DART stations. I understand that all public representatives are kept apprised of the company's intentions.

Ms McManus

That is nonsense.

Mr. Callely

I note Deputy McManus is indicating that she has not been informed.

Ms McManus

Nobody else has either.

Mr. Callely

I will ensure the Deputy receives the information. The previous Minister for Transport indicated in response to a parliamentary question as far back as last May that further work would be required on the south side. I understand that Iarnród Éireann has worked hard to keep Deputies from all parties fully informed of its intentions.

While it is regrettable that customers are impacted by such works, in such a large-scale project it is unavoidable. When the project is completed customers and businesses along the route will benefit from the significantly increased capacity of the service.

Community Development.

Ms O’Sullivan

I thank the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for attending personally as it is essential he addresses this matter urgently if funds already committed to St.Munchin's family resource centre in Limerick are not to be lost. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has committed €500,000 for the project in this year's allocation while the Family Support Agency has approved €161,000 to replace the inadequate facilities at the centre with a larger, updated premises appropriate to its needs. The centre applied for capital grant assistance under the equal opportunities child care programme for 2006, but received a letter indicating it was unsuccessful under the first tranche of funding. However, the letter referred to a review of remaining applications and the hope that the Minister would announce further projects in 2005. I urge the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to approve this vital project for the sake of the people who live in this RAPID area in Limerick city.

I have a letter from the administrative officer of the social policy and housing section of Limerick City Council which indicates in clear terms that Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government funding is subject to securing money from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The letter states:

I refer to my letter dated 2nd June 2004 confirming a contribution of €500,000 from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government towards the development of a Family Resource Centre at Clonconnane Road.

As previously advised, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has stipulated that this funding is subject to verification that the outstanding amount required to meet the total cost of the Childcare Facility and Family Resource Centre has been obtained from other sources, namely the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

The foregoing indicates how important it is for the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to provide the necessary funding this year. The requirement for funding from this source and the extremely tight space available in the current centre are the reasons this matter is so urgent.

I visited the centre recently with Oireachtas colleagues and we were amazed at the level of activity in such a confined space. The centre consists of two city council flats in Ballynanty, which is a RAPID area. It houses 12 full-time and four part-time staff as well as FÁS trainees and volunteers. It is used by approximately 500 people every week to accommodate a crèche, pre-school activity, an after-school homework club for at-risk children, adult education, literacy training, family support, intercultural activities, money advice, bereavement counselling, a drop-in centre and community library, a senior citizens' club, the preparation of meals on wheels and community meetings.

The offices and public and kitchen spaces are tiny and inaccessible to people with disabilities. Staff, voluntary board members and the community are extremely positive about the work being done at the centre, which is why they have been willing to persevere in such inadequate conditions for so long. They know that maintaining the activities of the centre helps greatly to address the many social problems and challenges in the area, but if they do not get approval this year, the project will not be able to proceed.

It is planned to knock on a phased basis the empty adjacent flats and, subsequently, those occupied by the centre and to replace them with a new centre. The flats and back garden areas have been provided by Limerick City Council which is strongly supportive of the project. The local child care committee has also recommended it. As the centre fits perfectly the integrated development model outlined by the Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, who has responsibility for community affairs, there is total frustration and perplexity as to why it has not been funded. I urge the Government to engage in joined-up thinking on this project while there is time.

It has been suggested that value for money issues may be the reason the application has not been successful. As these issues were not raised with the centre, it was not given an opportunity to address them. The centre's representatives are willing to engage with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform on this subject and have requested a meeting about which the Minister may have been approached by a party colleague. I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of including this project under the equal opportunities child care programme capital funding for 2005. On foot of the trouble in Limerick with justice issues, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform suggested that we needed supported community facilities to help people living in areas with difficulties of this sort. I urge the Minister to take the opportunity to provide funding for a facility which will make a significant difference to young children growing up in Ballynanty and put them on a better path than the one some of their older siblings may have taken. This is an opportunity to fulfil what the Minister stated in the media about Limerick providing such facilities for its less well-off communities.

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell)

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter and giving me the opportunity to update the House on the important issue of child care and the project referred to in Limerick. I am glad the Deputy echoed the strong representations made by the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Tim O'Malley, regarding this matter, as she generously acknowledged.

Child care is an important priority for the Government and we have increased funding for this important sector on a number of occasions since we first made commitments to the child care sector in 1998. The equal opportunities child care programme 2000-2006 is a key element of the national development plan and its original funding package of €318 million set in 2000 has increased to €499 million to be spent within the life of the national development plan or before the end of 2007.

The funding package has increased because the Government is aware of the importance of providing child care to support the economy and to support social inclusion through labour market participation. The Government has listened to requests from many groups such as St. Munchin's in Limerick which are seeking to build child care facilities to meet local needs. The Government has responded to those requests by making more capital funding available immediately rather than awaiting a follow-on programme to build on the momentum generated by the EOCP in community groups.

Capital and staffing grant applications for funding under the EOCP from the group in Limerick city are with my Department. Deputies O'Malley and O'Sullivan have approached my Department in regard to them. The group has been approved funding totalling €451,029 to date under the programme for its present centre, and the programme gives it annual support of more than €100,000 towards staffing costs. The group is hoping to build a new centre which will offer a wide range of services, as the Deputy pointed out.

The EOCP is a seven-year development programme which aims to increase the availability and quality of child care to support parents in employment, education and training. The demand for capital grant assistance from groups such as St. Munchin's was such that I considered it important to increase the capital provision for the current programme. Following discussions with my colleagues, particularly the Minister for Finance, additional capital funding of €90 million was made available over the period 2005 to 2009 in this year's budget, of which €50 million is being made available under the current programme and the remaining €40 million will flow under the next phase of the post-2006 EOCP. The total funding available for the programme is €499.3 million and includes an increased provision of €205 million for capital developments.

I announced an allocation of almost €35 million in capital funding to community-based not for profit groups in December 2004. The availability of the additional capital funding will enable me to make further capital grant assistance available over the coming months and years to groups which address significant child care service gaps and where the project proposal represents good value for money. In light of this, St. Munchin's family resource centre has been advised that while its project was not prioritised for immediate funding in December 2004, it is being reconsidered with all the other applications on hand and I hope to make further significant capital commitments during 2005 and thereafter to good projects which link with the aims of the programme in supporting child care needs of parents in employment, education and training, offering value for money and filling a service gap in their local area.

Efforts are being made to achieve a good geographical spread through the appraisal and approvals process. Limerick city and county has been approved almost €16 million under the child care programme with 60 capital grants approved to establish either new or quality enhanced community-based not for profit or private child care facilities. The county has also benefited from 36 staffing grants to community groups that have a focus on disadvantage. This funding to child care providers in Limerick will lead to the creation of more than 1,300 new child care places and to the support of 1,340 existing places. Limerick city and county child care committees also receive annual funding to support their developmental work.

I understand from the Area Development Management review that support allocated to the city and county of Limerick under the EOCP compares positively with other counties in the southern and eastern region. The EOCP is the Government's response to the need to develop a child care infrastructure to support parents in Ireland. There has been significant progress in the creation of a good child care infrastructure and I hope that the Deputy will acknowledge the progress made to date in the city and county of Limerick and will be reassured that every step is being taken to further develop services in the area as expeditiously as possible.

Waste Disposal.

Mr. Gormley

I had hoped my constituency colleague, the Minister, Deputy McDowell, would not leave the House because this matter concerns him.

Mr. Callely

I hope he is not burning waste.

Mr. Gormley

This is an important matter and, when I raised it previously, I also hoped my constituency colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, would be present. He witnessed the burning of waste at the opening of a playground at Whelan O'Rahallaigh House during which an industrial operation took place on Hanover Quay. PVC was burned with the intention of selling the copper wire which remained following the fire.

According to a Government agency, Race Against Waste, this is a serious issue because almost 73% of dioxins emitted to air in Ireland come from uncontrolled, low temperature burning of waste, which makes the back yard burning of waste the greatest source of dioxins released into the environment. The amount of toxins released as a result of such fires depends on the composition of the waste being burned. PVC is the worst product to burn. One might feel it was alarmist if an environmentalist made these claims but they are being made by a State agency.

According to Race Against Waste, the emissions contain dioxins; sulphurins, some of which are carcinogenic; volatile organic compounds which can aggravate respiratory and heart illness and lead to kidney and liver damage; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, which are carcinogens; carbon monoxide; hexachlorobenzine, which has similar properties to dioxins as it is persistent and builds up in humans and the environment and at certain levels of exposure may cause serious health problems such as cancer, kidney and liver damage; nitrogen oxides; microscopic particles; and ash, which may contain mercury, lead and arsenic.

Following these fires, black plumes of smoke pass over Ringsend and flats in the area have been vacated as a result. The people setting the fires are operating with impunity. I have contacted Dublin City Council, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Garda. Gardaí call to the site intermittently and the fires cease for a while. However, they have started again and there is a fire every week. It is a lucrative business but it also poses serious health and environmental problems for the area. That is why I wanted the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to be present and, while he may be aware of the problem, he is ignoring it.

If these fires continue, serious health problems will be experienced by residents in the area. If everything contained in the Race Against Waste document is true, it amounts to criminal negligence on the part of the authorities. They are allowing people to be poisoned and they are allowing this pollution to continue.

I must ask what is the motivation. Apparently it is that if we had incinerators they would solve the problem. In a sense it is a type of blackmail — if we get the incinerator, this will stop. However, what the document does not point out is that in countries that have incinerators, the highest amount of dioxins come from municipal incinerators. However, in places such as Denmark they have a different approach and will not permit this sort of backyard burning. It is unheard of there that anyone would behave in such an irresponsible way and it is stopped.

In this country, however, it is allowed, and I believe it will increase, as does the Government agency. We expect it will increase from 93 grammes of dioxins produced in 2000 to 110 grammes in 2010. Here people burn for commercial interests and because they do not want to pay their waste charges. We must deal with this. The Government must come down hard on this activity because it causes significant health problems. I urge the Minister to do something about this issue, which affects my constituents. It also affects me because I live in the area with my family. The situation is intolerable.

Mr. Callely

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to address this matter on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche. This is a particular issue in the Ringsend area where I witnessed in passing the black cloud of smoke.

The Minister and I share the concerns of the Deputy about the reported growth of the practice of burning waste. Data from the Environmental Protection Agency show that backyard burning of domestic waste is responsible for over 40% of all dioxin emissions in Ireland. It is our view that the best way to tackle this is to develop awareness of the environment and health consequences, while also ensuring that there is a strong and effective regulatory regime in place.

There has been a very successful Race Against Waste campaign and a series of leaflets dealing with different strands of waste management have been published. The feedback to date has been extremely positive and is backed up by exceptional demand. Copies have been forwarded to each Member of the House. One of the leaflets deals specifically with the issue of backyard burning and makes it clear in no uncertain terms the environmental consequences of this waste management approach.

Turning to the current regulatory regime, under the Air Pollution Act 1987 the occupier of any premises, other than a private dwelling, is required to use the best practicable means to limit and, if possible, prevent an emission of a pollutant into the atmosphere from such premises. In addition, the occupier of any premises is prohibited from causing or permitting an emission in such a quantity or manner as to be a nuisance. Deputy Gormley referred to a particular area where there are recurring difficulties and problems. The Act empowers a local authority to serve a notice on the occupier of any premises from which there is an emission and specifies the measures necessary to prevent or limit air pollution.

The Waste Management Act 1996 also places a general duty on the holder of waste not to hold, transport, recover or dispose of waste in a manner that causes or is likely to cause environmental pollution. Local authorities have specific powers under the Act to require measures to be taken to prevent or limit environmental pollution caused by the holding or disposal of waste, and mitigate or remedy the effects on the environment of any such activity. In addition, the Fire Services Act 1981 provides that a fire authority may serve a fire safety notice on the owner or occupier of land on which waste is being stored.

Under the Local Government Act 1994 it is open to a local authority to make by-laws in the interests of the common good of the local community so that any activity may be regulated or controlled. The Minister would urge local authorities to use these powers to tackle this unacceptable and potentially dangerous activity. In this regard, I suggest Deputy Gormley arrange a meeting with the local authority in his area and question it on the aspects of the information I have given him tonight. He should bring these powers to the authority's attention, although it should be fully au fait with them. It should then work out a management plan as to how best to tackle the recurring issue about which he has spoken. The Minister would be happy to hear from the Deputy the progress made in this regard.

I again thank the Deputy for affording me the opportunity to address the House on this matter. I understand the Minister is satisfied that in terms of educational and awareness initiatives we are moving in the right direction. With the substantial legal avenues available to the local authorities, the Minister is confident that the appropriate powers are in place to ensure that this practice will no longer be seen as acceptable nor as something that will be ignored.

If I am thinking of the same group of people being involved in the practice as those about whom the Deputy is so deeply concerned, he will accept that local authorities have had great difficulty in serving the appropriate notices and addressing the issue. If, however, we work out an appropriate plan, we should be able to adequately address the issue of concern.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.30 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 3 February 2005.