I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this matter for the Adjournment and the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government for his attendance.
I request that the Minister establish an inquiry into what happened in Derrybrien and its consequences. It is an environmental disaster for the area in terms of water pollution and the enormous fish kill which occurred. Many of the planning conditions laid down as a requirement before any development would take place, initially by Galway County Council and on appeal by An Bord Pleanála, have gone unheeded. It is unprecedented that development would start on a site without adherence to the pre-planning conditions.
What will it mean if we are to follow the same pattern with similar situations in the future? The development charges being imposed at local authority level now on every individual house will be collected. I seek an urgent inquiry into why in this instance, the bond demanded, or the combination of alternatives to the bond which amounted, as suggested by Galway County Council, to €100,000, was not adhered to by the developers on this site. No Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government can allow that go unquestioned. I ask the Minister of State to ensure the developers adhere to that bond so that the people of Derrybrien can see that some agency will take responsibility.
Nobody has yet taken responsibility for the disaster that occurred at Derrybrien. The neglect of the on site developers is the first instance of lack of responsibility. The report of the archaeologist who investigated the site initially is a damning indictment. It states:
Excavation on the eastern half of the site was discontinued as the jelly like movement of the ground under the weight of the machine rendered further digging unsafe. Excavation on the western half of the site was attempted but the area was covered in dense ranks of fir trees which made it impossible for the machine to reach the testing sites. The work was abandoned altogether.
That report goes back as far as June 2002. That simple paragraph by way of assessment of the site was never noted. The developers who ignored it were negligent in the extreme. The consultants appointed in the recent past by both Galway County Council and Hibernian Wind Energy are about to report. The reports will not satisfy the people of Derrybrien and Gort. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government should not be satisfied with what has happened.
As the relevant local authority, Galway County Council faces expenses in excess of €100,000 to repair the damage done to local roads, the environment and a river. It had to augment the water supply at Gort at short notice. Nobody has indicated how the council will be reimbursed. I want the Minister of State to indicate who will reimburse the council for the work it carried out on site. I compliment the local area engineers and the other Galway County Council personnel, who worked so hard when nobody else would help. The developers walked away from the site for 14 days after the mud slide on 16 October. They returned when somebody pointed out their responsibilities to them, but they have not yet accepted that they may have been responsible for what happened.
I ask the Minister of State to establish an inquiry into all aspects of this matter. Who will pay Galway County Council? Who will carry out the remedial action that is necessary to rehabilitate the fish life in the River Owendalulleegh and in Lough Cutra? Who will guarantee the safety of the Gort water supply on an ongoing basis? Who will take responsibility for the safety of the people of Derrybrien? I do not think the Minister of State can answer these questions. If I am right, he should accede to my request, on behalf of the people of Derrybrien, for an inquiry into the matters outlined.