Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 28 Mar 2006

Vol. 617 No. 1

Adjournment Debate.

Job Losses.

Dr. Cowley

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise an important matter on the Adjournment, namely the jobs crisis in Ballina, County Mayo, where the unemployment rate at 11% is twice the national average, and where 1,000 jobs have been lost in the past nine years, with the closure of Asahi, Heneghans, Oasis and other factories, as well as the loss of spin-off industries.

The fact that the IDA still has no site, premises or business park to market, sell or exhibit to potential investors is a terrible scandal and a mark of the its failure to deliver. We have lost 1,340 jobs in the past nine years and have created only 400 in replacement, a net loss of nearly 1,000 jobs. We have been dealt a mortal blow and the IDA seems incapable of delivering what we need.

There has not been one week in the Dáil in recent times when I have not brought up the neglect of the Ballina and north Mayo area and the need for infrastructure in the BMW region. The Government has failed miserably to act. No town can sustain the loss of 1,000 jobs in nine years. Something must be done. The IDA and Enterprise Ireland must work harder for north Mayo. Ballina is now an unemployment blackspot and needs urgent attention from Government. The time for talk is long past — we need action. Neither the Government nor the IDA has any excuse.

Having had discussions with the IDA and with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I am as convinced as they that the problems boil down to a lack of infrastructure. The IDA has told me it has great difficulty securing jobs in north Mayo. It states that manufacturers want to go to an area such as Dublin, yet Dublin still receives IDA grants despite already being overpopulated. We need those jobs in Mayo but our people must leave the area to get employment.

The IDA also states that manufacturers need larger centres with the scale, infrastructure and services capable of sustaining their investment. That is why we need roads and rail links such as the western rail corridor. We need broadband and technology parks — all the things that will give us a level playing field and balanced regional development. The west is not a competitive area because we do not have such infrastructure. Industrialists and the IDA complain bitterly that, for example, the poor state of the N5 militates against an industrialist settling in Mayo. We have long been promised the 27-acre industrial park on the Sligo road to Ballina and we can do very little without it. It needs to be fast tracked and I ask the Minister personally to intervene. We need the N26 Ballina-Bohola bypass and the Government must put pressure on the NRA to ensure this essential infrastructure is delivered. I again ask the Minister to intervene.

The fundamental problem is the failure of Government to provide balanced regional development and the necessary infrastructure. With €3.9 billion NDP underspend, is it any wonder we are not a competitive area for industry to locate? A surplus of €2 billion has already been generated in the first two months of 2006. Why can this money not be put toward providing us with the infrastructure we need? The national development plan has not been fulfilled and the national spatial strategy has not been implemented. Ballina is a hub town which is crying out for support from Government. The time for talking has passed and now is the time for action.

The numbers on the live register in Ballina exceed those for the whole county of Roscommon, which speaks for itself. People talk about development for Mayo and the Government has paid much lip service recently on the need to develop Mayo and the work it is doing. As an example, it wants to bring ashore gas from the Corrib field but when did the Government last see the state of the Castlebar to Belmullet road? It is a dangerous dirt track, yet in one spot where peat is brought from one end of a bog to another there is a virtual highway built for Shell. I wish the Government would give the same commitment to the people of Mayo as to Shell. It is a pity that the commitment and generosity shown to Shell does not spill over for the long-suffering people of Ballina and north Mayo. I ask the Minister personally to intervene to ensure that the IDA and Enterprise Ireland work harder to ensure that the Ballina technology park becomes a reality, that adequate broadband technology is rolled out and that the NRA will fast track the N26 Ballina-Bohola bypass to give us a future. It is our right as citizens. At a time when the Government is boasting about full employment, it is a clear indication of their lack of commitment to Ballina that a town should have such a high unemployment rate. I urge action now.

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

As I said on the Adjournment some weeks ago, I am very concerned that Oasis in Ballina has decided to reduce its workforce to approximately 12 people within a period of two months. I am very conscious of the effect these job losses will have on the workers involved and their families, as weIl as the community in the surrounding area. I wish to assure the people concerned that the State agencies will provide every support they can.

The priority will be to find alternative employment for those involved at the earliest possible opportunity. The industrial development agencies will be making every effort to secure alternative investment and employment for Ballina and north Mayo. A central goal for the agencies is the achievement of balanced regional development. The national spatial strategy provides a framework for achievement of this goal through the prioritisation of development and investment in the gateway and hub locations.

IDA Ireland recognises the need to provide high-value employment opportunities in Mayo, including Ballina, which provide sustainable long-term jobs. On this basis, IDA Ireland seeks to attract foreign direct investment into the linked hub of Ballina and Castlebar, as well as a small number of additional locations throughout County Mayo. The agency is actively promoting Ballina for new foreign investment, as well as working with the existing base of overseas companies in Ballina to encourage them to grow and expand. Since January 2003, there have been five first-time site visits to Ballina. IDA Ireland's sectoral emphasis is on attracting new knowledge-intensive projects in the medical technologies, life sciences, information communications and technology and international services sectors.

The agency is investing significantly in the provision of planned and focused property solutions. Specifically, IDA Ireland is developing world-class business and technology parks at a number of towns throughout County Mayo. The goal is to ensure that these locations have the appropriate property solutions, tailored to specific key sectoral targets, to attract inward investments. This also means undertaking long-term planning with the local authority so that the area is seen by investors as having the appropriate locational solutions, such as property, infrastructure, business and lifestyle services etc. for key strategic investments of national importance. IDA has been in discussions with Mayo County Council regarding the acquisition of a site in local authority ownership in Ballina and the agency informs me that it is awaiting contract documentation and copy of unburdened title from the council.

The activity of Enterprise Ireland is focused on the creation of new jobs through supporting entrepreneurs setting up new high potential start-up companies, the retention and creation of new jobs in existing companies and in enhancing the innovation capability of Irish companies at a national and regional level. Enterprise Ireland provides preferential funding for companies with detailed export plans which are expanding or establishing a business in County Mayo. Enterprise Ireland has approved funding support of almost €1 million to client companies in the Ballina-Killala area in the period 2003 to 2005. A new Enterprise Ireland-supported high potential start-up company, Heatsolve Limited, commenced operations in Ballina last year. Enterprise Ireland has committed funding of over €750,000 to IRD North Mayo-West Sligo Limited for the development of enterprise space in Ballina, which centre the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, officially opened during his visit to Ballina last January. According to provisional figures from the Forfás employment survey 2005, the total number of people employed in Enterprise lreland client companies in County Mayo in 2005 was 3,054, an increase of 468 on the number employed ten years earlier. In the past 12 months a number of new businesses have been set up in the Castlebar area, all in the retail sector, creating approximately 150-200 jobs.

The role of FÁS is of particular importance in assisting those who are to lose their jobs. FÁS made contact with the company immediately after the closure was announced and the agency has indicated that the full range of its services will be made available to employees if they wish to avail of them. Specifically FÁS provides a range of programmes to assist jobseekers to improve their skills and obtain employment. These include specific skills training in a range of areas. Bridging foundation training is provided for those requiring additional assistance while the one step up programme, introduced last year, provides placement and career guidance services. There are special programmes for the long-term unemployed and a variety of courses available through FÁS e-coIlege. FÁS labour market activities provide experience and development through programmes such as community employment and job initiative schemes, job clubs, workplace and special services for those with disabilities or for early school leavers.

In addition, FÁS provides integrated redundancy support services and is working to extend these to all workers made redundant. The process typically involves agreement with the company on responsibilities and actions, intensive interviews with affected workers, preparation of a skills analysis report based on identified workers' needs and local opportunities and referral of redundant workers to jobs, training courses or other options, including customised courses where necessary. On-going support is provided to keep redundant workers in touch with the labour market. Progress is being made in prioritising expenditure under the national development plan in the BMW region and the indications are that the under-spend on a number of key infrastructure measures under both the economic and social infrastructure operation programme and the BMW regional operational programme is being addressed.

Evidence suggests good progress is being made in achieving the objectives of the current national development plan in the west region. Data published by the CSO indicates that the levels of total income per person in the west region increased from €14,420 to €18,487 between the years 1999 and 2002. This is an increase from 89.1% to 90.3% of the average State level over those years.

I am confident that the State development agencies will strengthen their marketing and promotion efforts in Ballina and north Mayo and will make every effort to secure alternative employment for the area. This will be done in partnership with other key players to maximise the flow of potential investors for the area and to convert these into investment and job opportunities for both Ballina and County Mayo in general.

Irish Sugar.

Mr. Sherlock

I wish to speak on the imminent closure of the Irish Sugar plant in Mallow, County Cork. The issue is important to me not only because I represent 300 full-time and part-time workers whose jobs are to be lost but because I was an employee at the factory for 18 years. The Mallow plant has been in operation for generations, yet the closure is part of an emerging pattern in the Irish employment market whereby the Government is giving up on traditional industries that have sustained communities for many years.

Mere sentiment and nostalgia are not my motivation in calling on the Minister for Agriculture and Food to account for her role in the closure of the plant. Rather, the Government failed the employees of Irish Sugar and the people of Mallow by failing to argue the case for the Irish sugar industry at the meeting of the EU Agriculture Ministers in Brussels last December, when the future of the EU sugar regime was decided. Since that meeting and before and after the announcement of the closure of the plant there has been a conspiracy of silence on the Minister's negotiating position in Brussels. The Minister for Agriculture and Food agreed to cut the price of Irish sugar by 36% but the Finnish Government, representing a country with a similar demographic structure to Ireland, was able to retain the beet industry, guarantee a higher price and arrange a special deal with Brussels.

It appears Ireland negotiated for an enhanced compensation package without considering the viability of the industry. If the Finns could retain the industry in their country, why could the Irish not do likewise? The Minister has failed to answer this and has offered no explanation for the negotiating stance adopted at the meeting. From December the closure of the plant appeared inevitable and the outcome of the EU Agriculture Council allowed Greencore to blame the closure on the Irish Government when it made the announcement a few weeks ago. After the announcement and the platitudes and crocodile tears that followed, the emphasis has been on providing for growers, Greencore and contractors during the restructuring phase rather than on saving the jobs. Very little has been done for employees.

The Taoiseach and the Government have a duty to account for the Government's position last December that led to the demise of the industry. Some 3,700 beet growers, mainly in the Mallow area, believe the issue was badly handled by the Government. Greencore seems more obsessed with its own shareholders than concerned with the soon to be redundant workforce. I hope to receive an explanation for the sake of the workers but given the way the matter has been handled to date I expect more evasion.

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mary Coughlan)

The political agreement on reform of the EU sugar regime reached by the Council of Agriculture Ministers in November 2005 was the culmination of protracted and difficult negotiations. For some time past there was general acceptance that reform of the EU sugar regime, which had remained largely unchanged for almost 40 years, was inevitable. It became acutely urgent last year due mainly to international pressures arising from the WTO panel finding on the complaint from Brazil, Thailand and Australia on subsidised sugar exports, as well as obligations under the everything but arms, EBA, agreement. To comply with these obligations, the EU had no option but to curb production substantially.

Impact studies by the EU Commission had shown that in four member states, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Ireland, sugar production was likely to be drastically reduced or phased out as a consequence of reform. However, most member states are affected in varying degrees and already factory closures have been announced in 11 member states and more are expected.

Throughout the negotiations my primary objective was to seek to have the Commission's reform proposals modified to ensure the continuation of an efficient sugar processing sector in Ireland. I had several meetings with the Commissioner in that regard and Ireland played an active role in a group of 11 member states who had common cause in seeking to modify the proposals. The group remained steadfast in its opposition to the reform proposals from the time they were first mooted in July 2004 right up to the final Council meeting in November 2005. During the course of the negotiations I also engaged regularly with Irish stakeholders and had full support for my negotiating stance.

When it became evident at the final Council meeting that there was not sufficient political support to adapt the proposals to the extent necessary, I focused my efforts on securing the best possible compensation package for Irish stakeholders. I also succeeded in having the reform arrangements phased in in a manner that opened up the possibility of sugar processing being continued in Ireland for a further two campaigns. Unfortunately, the recent deterioration in the sugar market was the decisive factor for Greencore and on 15 March the company announced its decision to cease sugar production. I learnt of the company's decision the same day.

The success of my negotiating strategy in these difficult negotiations was reflected in the final compensation package worth over €310 million,which was higher than the most optimistic expectations. There are three elements to the package, including compensation to beet growers of up to 64% of the reduction in the minimum price for beet. This compensation will be incorporated in the existing single payment scheme and is worth approximately €123 million to Irish beet growers over the next seven years.

Compensation by way of a restructuring fund covering the economic, social and environmental costs of restructuring of the sugar industry involves factory closure and renunciation of quota. In Ireland's case this will be worth up to €145 million. The fund is subject to the submission of a detailed restructuring plan for the industry following consultations between the processor and the beet growers. The reform agreement provides that at least 10% of the restructuring fund shall be reserved for sugar beet growers and machinery contractors. That proportion may be increased by member states after consultation with interested parties provided that an economically sound balance between the elements of the restructuring plan is secured.

The reform agreement provides for the introduction of aid for diversification measures where sugar beet production completely ceases. This aid, worth almost €44 million to Irish growers, would be drawn down in the framework of a national restructuring programme to be elaborated when the Commission's implementing regulation has been adopted.

The decision taken by Greencore marks the end of an era and is obviously difficult for everyone concerned including workers, beet growers and all those who have depended on the sector in one way or another over the years. The compensation arrangements will be finalised when the Commission's implementing regulations are adopted in the coming months and I will endeavour to ensure that they are implemented in a fair and equitable manner in accordance with the regulations.

National Flag.

Mr. McEllistrim

I call on the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, to give every primary school a tricolour and a flagpole to mark the 90th anniversary of the Easter 1916 Rising. Not every primary school has a tricolour and I urge Deputy Hanafin to present each national school with a flag. Fianna Fáil's founder and Ireland's former Taoiseach and President, Mr. Éamon de Valera, gave the tricolour constitutional status in 1937 but the flag's history stretches back to the 1916 Rising, when it was flown from the General Post Office in Dublin, and before. Although the flag was not the actual flag of the 1916 Rising, which was a green flag with a harp and the words "Irish Republic", the tricolour became the emblem of Irish nationalism and, later, our official flag. The 90th anniversary of the 1916 Rising is a unique opportunity to give each of our primary schools a tricolour to celebrate our shared history and the achievement of our forefathers.

The tricolour is a deeply symbolic flag. Its colours capture our nation's past and the prospect of a lasting peace forged by the Good Friday Agreement. Our younger generation should be constantly reminded of Ireland's national identity and take pride in our history. As convener of the Joint Committee on Education and Science I believe civic education should be a staple of the primary school curriculum where children can learn how politics and people have shaped our country. I ask the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, to present a tricolour and flagpole to each principal so that it can fly above primary schools countrywide.

The Irish tricolour is intended to symbolise the inclusion and hopeful union of the people of different traditions on the island of Ireland. It was flown during the 1916 Rising and, capturing the national imagination as the banner of the new revolutionary Ireland, the tricolour came to be acclaimed throughout the country as the national flag. It continued to be used officially during the period 1923 to 1937 when its position as national flag was formally confirmed by our new Constitution, Article 7 of which states: "The national flag is the tricolour of green, white and orange."

The national flag is flown on St. Patrick's Day, our national holiday, on Easter Sunday and Monday in commemoration of the 1916 Rising and the national day of commemoration on the Sunday closest to 11 July. It would give an opportunity for school children to learn about the history of the flag, the guidelines for its use, its design, significance and the display placing and precedents of the flag, hoisting and lowering the flag, saluting and learning to respect it and to learn about the special occasions on which the national flag is flown. A booklet on the national flag should be sent to each national school and it should be included in the curriculum. The European flag, a blue flag with gold stars, was given to each national school in Ireland, so why not our own national flag?

It is important to honour and have respect for the flag. As Irish people it is part of our identity, and is our symbol and our national flag. We should teach school children about it. It is more important than ever with peace in Northern Ireland. As a former teacher I believe it would be great to have the flag in all schools. The Irish flag is a symbol of our nation and instils pride in our people. Every Irish person's heart swelled with pride when the Irish flag was raised at the last Olympics.

Our children need to learn its history and the meaning of its three colours — green, white and orange. As schools are now multicultural it is even more important that Irish people learn about their own flag. We must retain our Irishness as well as embracing other cultures. Symbols form an important part of learning and are particularly relevant for young children. Children need to know their history and one's national flag is part of this history. Knowledge is power and informed children can inform others about their flag whereas uninformed children cannot. Schools are State buildings and if they had the flag they could raise it or fly it at half mast to show solidarity with the rest of the country in times of joy as well as times of sadness or national disaster. While the 1916 commemoration takes place in Dublin, every parish, if its school had the flag, could take part in the ceremony by having the flag at its school on that day. It would help to add a local element to the national commemoration ceremony.

Mary Coughlan

Ar son an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta, tá mé buíoch as seans cur in iúl don Teach cad atá á dhéanamh ag an Rialtas agus go mórmhór ag an Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta faoi Cháisc i mbliana.

It is the Government's intention to mark, in the most inclusive manner possible, both the achievements and deep wounds associated with our transition to political independence. We will honour the 1916 leaders and in particular the seven signatories of the Proclamation of Independence, a visionary document which became the charter for Irish freedom. We should and will also honour both the statesmen who founded the Free State, as well as those who stood by the Republic, recognising that they were all patriots, who shared the same ultimate objective of full national freedom by one route or the other. We will also recall the suffering and loss of that time and emphasise the imperative of building a just and peaceful future for everyone on this island.

A number of events to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Rising are planned. One of these is the restoration of the military parade at the GPO by Óglaigh na hÉireann, the Defence Forces, which has been in abeyance since the early 1970s. The parade will reflect the evolved role of the Defence Forces and include significant representation of their peacekeeping service abroad with the United Nations.

The military parade is just one part of this year's commemorations. A number of other events for Easter week and throughout the year are being planned. On the education side, one of the initiatives will include a special supplement for schools in The Irish Times, including a map of the 1916 locations around Dublin sponsored by the Department of Education and Science. The Department also operates an annual Easter week 1916 commemoration scholarship scheme. The Easter week scholarships reward students for their exceptional performance in the leaving certificate examination and provides support to these students to continue their studies in higher education and in so doing to develop their potential and embrace their talent. These are highly prestigious and coveted awards, each of which is given in the name of one of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation of Independence. The emphasis in the Department of Education and Science’s plans to commemorate the Rising will be on providing educational material to schools and encouraging debate and reflection on the events of Easter week on that period of our history. There are no plans to provide a tricolour or flagpole to all schools, rather the focus will be on sending out educational materials.

On educational initiatives by other State bodies, the Deputy may be interested to know that the National Museum will hold a special exhibition. The National Library is also preparing interactive web resources of various aspects of the Rising including a display of its extensive range of photos from 1916. I would like to stress, as the Taoiseach has on several occasions, that in our reflections on 1916 we will be sensitive also to other traditions that share this island. We want the 90th anniversary of the Rising to be seen in a broad and inclusive context. The Taoiseach has said that he believes the only way to build a shared future is by understanding our shared past, not just the past of political leaders but of the ordinary men and women who shaped this island. To that end, commemorating 1916 is not intended to bolster a particular reading of history, but rather to advance a greater understanding of the period as a whole.

In 1966, the then Taoiseach, Mr. Seán Lemass, spoke of the contribution and highly motivated purpose of so many heroic young Irish people who gave their lives in the First World War. We cannot ignore that essential part of our history. We must be conscious of the trauma caused by the Great War throughout the length and breadth of this island. In July 2006, we will commemorate the Irish who fell at the Somme 90 years ago. Five thousand men of the 36th Ulster Division fell in the first two days of the battle in July 1916. They fought alongside 200,000 Irishmen from every county and their bravery was no less than that shown by the insurgents of Easter Week.

The loss to war of Irish people, whether they are Catholic, Protestant, Nationalist or Unionist, or whether they are lost on the streets of Dublin or the fields of Flanders, is a tragedy for us all. There are no hierarchies of sacrifice, suffering or loss, only grieving families and lost potential. We will be mindful of this and of the need to be inclusive when we commemorate both the Easter Rising and the Battle of the Somme this year.

Departmental Programmes.

Mr. Stanton

I thank the office of the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me raise this issue and the Minister for attending to respond.

Yesterday, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, visited Youghal in Cork. I am not sure if the Minister for Agriculture and Food has ever been there but, if she has, she will know it is a lovely town. Unfortunately, as with her own county, it has been devastated in recent times by the loss of traditional manufacturing employment, so much so that it has been designated under the RAPID programme. I will not elaborate on what this means as I am sure the Minister knows the town has disadvantaged status. As such, it should be afforded special recognition under many programmes.

To this end, it is puzzling why one of the largest primary schools in the town has not been given special status under the DEIS initiative variables. Bunscoil Mhuire, O'Brien's Place, has 462 pupils. Of these, 127, or more than a quarter, are from families in which the main income earner is unemployed. One hundred and fifty-three live with families with medical cards, 141 live in local authority accommodation, 159 live with lone-parent families, and the parent or guardian of at least 102 left school before taking the junior, intermediate or group certificate examination or their equivalent. Under the variables of the DEIS programme, the school scores very highly.

I ask that the review of the application be considered very seriously. When the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment visited Youghal yesterday, reference was made to the high level of unemployment in the town. The Minister for Agriculture and Food will know that one way out of unemployment and poverty is education. The town is outside the area to which the NEPS applies. The service stops within six or seven miles of the town and this is another reason the school is disadvantaged.

I am a little concerned because I understand the review will take quite a number of months and it may be next May or June, during the holidays, when the results are made known. If the answer is "No", it will be very difficult for those involved and there may be no means of appeal. I ask the Department to consider this matter seriously. It is very important for the future of the 462 pupils in the school.

Class sizes in the school are quite high, ranging from a maximum of 34 to 24. Most of the classes have numbers of pupils in the high 20s or 30s. When one considers the difficulties that exist and the lack of supports and services in the school, one will realise the pressures the teachers are under and the problems that will be generated for the future. Now is the time to put in place services and supports to prevent these problems and help the students achieve their potential.

I ask the Department, through the Minister, to do everything possible, as soon as possible, to make the necessary resources available under what I believe is quite a good programme, the DEIS programme.

Mary Coughlan

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the House on developments regarding Bunscoil Mhuire. The school support programme under DEIS, the new action plan for educational inclusion, will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The new action plan is being introduced on a phased basis, starting during the current school year. It will involve an additional annual investment of €40 million on full implementation. In addition, supports will continue to be provided for schools where the level of disadvantage is more dispersed.

As one may already be aware, the process of identifying primary and second level schools for participation in the new school support programme has now been completed. This process was managed by the Educational Research Centre on behalf of the Department of Education and Science and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and the inspectorate. In the primary sector, the identification process was based on a survey of all mainstream primary schools. An excellent response rate of more than 97% was achieved from this survey.

As a result of the identification process, 840 schools have been invited to participate in the new school support programme. These comprise 640 primary schools — 320 urban/town schools and 320 rural schools — and 200 second level schools. Letters of invitation were issued to all 840 schools in late February with a request to complete and return an acceptance form by 10 March 2006.

The school to which the Deputy refers is not among the primary schools selected for participation in the school support programme and is not participating in any of the pre-existing schemes for addressing concentrated disadvantage. However, in addition to the provision being made under the new school support programme for schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage, financial support will also continue to be provided for other primary schools where the level of disadvantage is most dispersed. This support will be based on the results of the new identification process and the arrangements which will apply in this regard will be notified to schools early in the autumn.

A review mechanism has been put in place to address the concerns of schools that did not qualify for inclusion in the school support programme but regard themselves as having a level of disadvantage of a scale sufficient to warrant their inclusion in the programme. This mechanism will operate under the direction of an independent person, charged with ensuring that all relevant identification processes and procedures are properly followed in the case of schools applying for a review. The school to which the Deputy refers has requested a review and a review form was issued to the school on 6 March 2006. The closing date for receipt of review applications is Friday, 31 March 2006. I hope this clarifies the position on the school to which the Deputy referred.

The Dáil adjourned at 11.10 p.m. until10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 29 March 2006.