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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 4 Nov 2003

Vol. 573 No. 3

Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 31.

Before coming to the Order of Business, I propose deal with a number of notices under Standing Order 31. I will call Deputies in the order in which they submitted their notices to my office. I call Deputy Connaughton.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the landslide at Derrybrien, County Galway; to ask what action, if any, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has taken to protect property and farm land as a result of the landslide; if he is aware of the negative environmental effects the landslide has on the drinking water destined for Gort town; if he will ensure that work on the wind farm is stopped until the cause of the landslide is determined by an independent body; if he will outline if ESB International has breached the planning laws; and if he is aware of the huge—

Sorry, Deputy, it is not appropriate to go beyond the notice submitted to my office.

I hope you will allow it, a Cheann Comhairle.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to debate the following urgent matter: that this House gets its priorities right. On two occasions recently Government backbenchers threatened an insurrection over the ending of the dual mandate and the introduction of the smoking ban—

They were not serious.

—while apparently not even considering a revolt over hospital bed closures and hundreds of people lying on trolleys in hospital corridors or a mutiny over the thousands of people left homeless throughout this State because of Government inaction.

Who writes this stuff?

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: the fact that while both in the Indecon and the ESRI mid-term review of the national development plan accept that balanced regional development, which is the core objective of that plan, is not being attained, neither document has called for a strategic re-focusing of spending to achieve regional re-balancing and, as such, are letting this Government off the hook in regard to its own stated objective to achieve balanced regional development in the National Development Plan 2000-06.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: the collapse of criminal court proceedings yesterday in a murder case because of the refusal of all key prosecution witnesses to give evidence in the case; the statement that a key witness was attacked and intimidated at a railway station on his way to court; the implications of this breakdown in the justice system for the rise in gangland crime in Dublin and elsewhere, where for some time numerous gangland and drug-related murders have resulted in only a handful of prosecutions; the allegations that Garda personnel numbers are not adequate to provide for normal policing while serious drug-related crime is being investigated; and that additional Garda resources are required to fully investigate the intimidation of witnesses and the subversion of the justice system by organised criminal elements.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to debate the following urgent matter: the unprecedented events yesterday at the Central Criminal Court which have undermined the administration of justice in this State.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: the landslides at Derrybrien, County Galway, which have caused environmental, farmland and infrastructural damage and pose a serious threat to Lough Cultra which is the water source for the town of Gort and the surrounding areas.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: the Economic and Social Research Institute mid-term review of the national development plan; the criticisms of the direction being followed by this plan; the prioritising of particular infrastructure; the use of specific funding mechanisms; and the possibility that despite implied criticism of Government policy, this report may have been more muted than it would otherwise have been.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: arising from the collapse of the murder trial of Liam Keane yesterday, to ask if the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea, will reassure the Dáil that sufficient technical, human and financial resources are being provided to address the disturbing incidents of gangland killings in the State?

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: the sentencing of six anti-waste charge protesters this morning to three weeks in prison along with fine of €1,500 each and the continuing double standard in the legal system which sees people imprisoned for taking part in peaceful political protest while bigger criminals, a number of whom have sat in this Chamber, escape any punishment for corruption, tax dodging or other so-called white collar crimes.

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss the following urgent matter: that again today six more people were incarcerated for peacefully protesting against a double tax for waste removal. This escalating situation demands not only that the Government reconsiders this policy but that the Dáil should have the opportunity to debate the need for the Minister to direct Dublin City Council officials to withdraw their threat sent this week by letter to thousands of non-compliant households and to begin discussions with councillors, trade unions and community representatives to prevent a further escalation of this crisis.

Having considered the matters raised, I do not consider them to be contemplated by Standing Order 31 and therefore I cannot grant leave to move the motions.

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