February 8th2010
OFFICIALS from the ESB strongly defended the company’s role during the recent flooding in Cork when they were questioned by members of the Oireachtas Environment Committee this week.
The Committee visited the Inniscarra Dam as part of a two-day fact finding visit to Cork to establish why the flooding on November 19th and 20th was so severe, causing an estimated €100 million in damage in the city and county.
The ESB have been criticised for not providing effective warnings on the night of November 19th when huge quantities of water were released from the Inniscarra Dam, about nine miles upstream from Cork city on the River Lee, effectively leading to the worst flooding ever seen in Cork.
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February 8th2010
LABOUR Clonakilty councillor Aidan Pendlebury has called the ongoing delay in the processing of third level maintenance grants “unacceptable and dangerous”.
Cllr Pendlebury said, “This delay is leaving thousands of students financially crippled and under an unnecessary cloud of uncertainty.
“The grants system has never functioned efficiently, with lengthy waiting times and a complicated application process being the norm. However, this year has gone beyond a farce.
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February 8th2010
Michael Creed
FINE Gael agriculture spokesperson and Cork TD Michael Creed has described as “short-sighted” the government decision to suspend entries to REPS 4 for farmers about to complete REPS 3.
Speaking on a parliamentary question Deputy Creed said, “The Government decision to suspend entry into REPS 4 from REPS 3 will leave 32,465 farmers nationally out in the cold in the coming year. The effect of this in the rural economy will be devastating with an average payment of €6,500 being denied to farmers.
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February 8th2010
SOCIALIST Party councillor Mick Barry this morning criticised Government cutbacks for the fact that waiting lists for free legal aid have doubled to 2,200 persons in the space of just two years.
There are currently 300 applicants who have been waiting for seven months to avail of the service at Cork city’s South Mall offices.
This is despite the fact that a 2005 High Court ruling stated that no one should be forced to wait more than 4 months to secure access to a solicitor or a barrister at the Legal Aid Board.
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February 8th2010
DEPUTY Ned O’Keeffe has been appointed chairman of the Joint Administration Committee.
In his role as Chairman, Deputy O’Keeffe will be responsible for managing the work of the committee which deals with the services provided to the members of the Oireachtas such as secretarial facilities, library and research services, legal advice, the management of the Oireachtas premises in Leinster House and communicating the work of the Oireachtas.
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