John Gormley

– Minister must investigate unused funds and call off FF attack dogs

Green Party Chairman and Health spokesperson John Gormley TD today accused Environment Minister Dick Roche of engaging in spin and smear and called on him to concentrate on solving the problems of water contamination in Galway and elsewhere.

Deputy Gormley said: “The Minister’s implication that Mayor Niall Ó Brolcháin had access to €21.5m is absolutely absurd. What the people of Galway need now are practical solutions, not ridiculous accusations, and a full investigation of what occurred. Any such investigation will quickly reveal that Mayor Ó Brolcháin has for years been striving – often on his own – to improve the safety of water on behalf of the people of Galway.

“The Mayor has a thick file containing the representations he has made to city officials and the Government over the years on the urgency of upgrading Galway’s water treatment facilities – the very issue which has led to this dangerous outbreak of cryptosporidium.

“The €21.5m allocated by the Government for capital investment in Galway’s water treatment facilities was available only to city officials, and was beyond the budgetary control of elected councillors. The Mayor would dearly love to have been able to use these funds for their proper purpose, but the reality, under the current political system, is that elected local authorities simply do not have sufficient powers. The disaster in Galway adds a great deal of impetus to our calls for political reform in order to give local authorities and directly elected mayors the powers they need to properly serve their communities.

“The Minister should launch an independent investigation into why council officials did not make use of funds available for capital investment in the city’s water treatment facilities sooner.

“While Niall Ó Brolcháin was striving to protect public health, the Fianna Fail members of Galway City Council either did nothing or mocked him, in one case accusing him of scare-mongering. The Minister should call off the attack dogs, and silence his two-faced colleagues on Galway City Council. I am convinced they will be considerably quieter when the truth of their own inaction emerges from this crisis.”

Deputy Gormley meanwhile praised the efforts of the Deputy Mayor of Clare, Cllr Brian Meaney, who has been actively trying to improve water quality in Clare since he was elected to the county council, and who now faces a potential cryptosporidium crisis in his own county.

“Cryptosporidium is already in the water supply in Ennis and it may only be a matter of time before levels surge and an outbreak occurs. A lack of infrastructure and a failure to update an antiquated water supply, which also leaks millions of litres of water a day, has led to this situation. The Government needs to listen to Cllr Meaney and take action in Clare before it is too late.” Deputy Gormley warned.

The Green Party today reiterated its total opposition to the Government’s ‘co-location’ plans to build private hospitals on public land.

Green Party Health spokesperson John Gormley TD said: “I stated quite clearly at our party conference last month that the Green Party, in Government, is strongly opposed to the building of private hospitals on public land and would end any tax breaks that might aid the privatisation of our health service. If in Government with like-minded parties, it is clear that these building projects will very quickly run into difficulties. While we would honour contracts previously signed it would be hugely devious and dishonest of the outgoing Government to rush through these contracts in its final hours.

“The Progressive Democrats and their ideologically flexible allies in Fianna Fail are intent on entrenching inequality. We do not agree on the promotion of a two-tiered health system where treatment is given on the basis of ability to pay rather than medical need. Fianna Fail, in the past, has committed itself to equal access of all patients. This latest move by the PDs runs in the face of that. If Fianna Fail continues to support the PDs in these moves then it can no longer say it is committed to social justice,” Deputy Gormley concluded.

Green Party Health spokesperson John Gormley TD said that Ireland has been exposed as the ’sickman of Europe’ when it comes to alcohol abuse, following today’s report showing Ireland has the highest number of binge drinkers in the EU.

Deputy Gormely said: “While many Irish people and their children will be enjoying the planned festivities and events over the holiday weekend, a significant number will be binge drinking and ending up in our hospitals and courts. This is not a new phenomenon and after dozens of reports and a high level task force on the issue, the Government has had plenty of opportunity to tackle the problem.

“Since 2004, most of the recommendations of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol have been languishing in the filing cabinets of the Government. What has been the reaction of Fianna Fáil and the PDs to the growing problem of alcohol abuse in Ireland?; surrender to the drinks industry, the shelving of the Alcohol Products Bill and the withdrawl of the Groceries Order, which allows off-licences to sell alcohol at below cost.

“With the news that one supermarket is offering ‘buy 12 cans, get 12 free’, it is obvious that calls for the responsible selling of alcohol have fallen on deaf ears. Self-regulation in the in the off-licence sector is not working. The Government must now step in and urgently implement all the recommendations of the Task Force. The Green Party will make this a priority in Government and will not put the interests of the alcohol industry and retailers ahead of the those of society.”

Green Party Chairman and TD for Dublin South East John Gormley has welcomed the announcement that an oral hearing into the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg will go ahead, but has cautioned that a hearing so close to a General Election could turn into a political circus.

Deputy Gormley said: “I’m delighted that we’re finally going to have an oral hearing on the planned incinerator as it will give the local community the chance to put forward the compelling case against the proposal. However, I am concerned about the timing, as the General Election is likely to be held within weeks of the hearing.

“The proximity of the election will encourage all of the candidates in Dublin South East to try and outdo each other in making grandiose statements of opposition to the incinerator, rather than focussing on the planning and environmental case against the proposal. In particular, we can expect the candidates from Fianna Fáil and the PDs to assert their total opposition to an incinerator at Poolbeg, while simultaneously campaigning for the re-election of the Government which is responsible for the proposal in the first place.

“These candidates have done absolutely nothing to reverse the Government policy which has landed the people of Dublin South East with the proposed incinerator, but they will take the opportunity afforded by the oral hearing to paint themselves as the project’s greatest opponents.

“I hope to be proved wrong, but I’m concerned that the very important issues raised in the submissions made to An Bord Pleanála may be overshadowed by electioneering. I trust that the Board’s inspector will not allow him or herself to be sidetracked, but the intense atmosphere of a General Election campaign may not be the best context for a hearing of this importance,” concluded Deputy Gormley.

The Green Party today said that it would stop the fluoridation of Irish water supplies if elected to Government. Health spokesperson John Gormley TD said that water fluoridation had reached its sell-by date and that the latest international research meant that fluoridation was no longer tenable.

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Deputy Gormley said: “The latest advice from the American Dental Association tells parents to avoid using fluoridated water when bottle feeding babies because of the dangers of fluorosis - the staining and pitting of teeth which can result from overexposure to fluoride. This advice should be heeded. The balance of international evidence proves that water fluoridation should be stopped immediately.

“There has been a huge increase in fluorosis in Ireland in the last decade. And as it is wholly impractical for mothers to source non-fluoridated water, it is prudent to stop water fluoridation immediately. There have been no increases in incidences of tooth decay in countries that stopped fluoridating their water supplies. We are satisfied that such a move in Ireland would not lead to increased dental caries. In fact, countries throughout Europe which do not fluoridate have better dental health than Ireland. It is now proven that fluoride does not need to be ingested to prevent dental caries, as had been previously thought. This means that fluoridated toothpaste is more that adequate to deal with dental decay.

(more…)

Green Party Chairman launches campaign in Dublin South East

Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD today launched his general election campaign in Dublin South East with a plea to party activists and voters to ensure that Fianna Fáil and the PDs are ousted from government.

“I know from speaking to delegates at our Convention last weekend that they want Fianna Fáil and the PDs out of government,” said Deputy Gormley. “There is an unquenchable thirst for change in the party.

“Bertie Ahern can’t quite decide whether he’s St Paul or St Augustine. Last year we had his Pauline conversion to socialism, but when it comes to the environment it’s a case of ‘make me green, but not yet Lord’.

“All his plans for the future are in the future. Yes, he’s going to tax SUVs – but after the election. He’s going to introduce smart metering – after the election. At least Bertie now knows what smart metering is. He has the lingo now. He can just about talk the talk. But where’s the action?

“At the last election Fianna Fáil said they had a lot done, but more to do. In relation to the environment they have nothing done and a hell of a lot to do. Look at Dick Roche’s attitude to the higher insulation standards agreed by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown council. Look at the poor recycling facilities in Dublin South East. Then there’s the problem of the sewage treatment plant, the litter in the canal and the proposed incinerator, which Minister McDowell falsely claimed had collapsed. Look at the failure to deal with graffiti and the poor bus services.”

– Tánaiste’s rushed laws may have omitted to criminalise the soliciting of minors

Reacting to news that laws prohibiting the solicitation of minors for sex may have been repealed as a result of fast-tracked legislation introduced last year, Green Party Chairman and TD for Dublin South East John Gormley said: “In the Dáil I previously referred to Minister McDowell as a binge legislator. He is somebody who piles up the legislation then rushes through it. Like all binges this can only end in a sorry mess.

“The mess in this case is the ill-thought-out Criminal Law Sexual Offences Bill that was fast-tracked through the Dáil last summer. These emergency laws apparently forgot to criminalise the soliciting, or ‘grooming’, of a minor for sexual purposes. In these times with stories about internet grooming and child abuse so alarmingly frequent, such an omission would be a national scandal.

“McDowell’s knee-jerk and populist approach to law-making is unsustainable and one of the main reasons why the country so badly needs a change of government.

“The Tánaiste is now living off his notoriety and nothing more. This latest example of incompetence will persuade even more people that he is unfit for government.”

– Not the first time electioneering PDs have predicted incinerator’s demise

Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD has called on the Tánaiste Michael McDowell to clarify the source of his claim that the plans for an incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin have been abandoned. The Tánaiste’s comments in today’s Evening Herald have caused considerable confusion as Dublin City Council maintains that the project remains on track.

Deputy Gormley said: “Michael McDowell owes it to the local community to clarify where he is getting the information that allows him to confidently announce the collapse of this project, even though as far as Dublin City Council is concerned it’s all systems go,” said Deputy Gormley.

“It’s worth remembering that this is not the first time that the PDs have predicted the demise of the incinerator. In May 2005 Cllr Wendy Hederman released a statement entitled ‘City Council Blocks Incinerator’, and in July 2005 Michael McDowell told the Southside People newspaper that the incinerator would not go ahead ‘as planned.’

“It is irresponsible of Michael McDowell to give local people false hope. He needs to be challenged immediately by the media to back up his statements. His latest statement is a panic reaction to voter hostility on this issue in the forthcoming election.”

– McDowell’s ‘victory for local democracy’ statement is utterly hypocritical

Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD welcomed the collapse of the Government’s plans today to build a massive incinerator in Poolbeg in Dublin. The TD for Dublin South East, who has opposed the incinerator since the outset, said the Government parties had tried to force through the project against the wishes of the local community.

“This is great news for local residents who have campaigned vigorously, alongside the Green Party, on this issue. On two occasions the Green Party has used its private members time in Dáil Éireann to force a vote on the hugely unwelcome incinerator. On both occasions the PDs and Fianna Fail voted down our motions, which would have prevented this project from going ahead.

“We hope now that the proposal is dead in the water, and that it will not be resurrected after the election. Opinion polls in the area have indicated very clearly that the Government parties are suffering as a result of their support for the proposed incinerator.

“One has to ask the question, as to how this information was leaked to Michael McDowell, the Tánaiste. It was, after all, McDowell who stated that the current proposal would not be taken under fast-track legislation but rather under the existing legislation. Enquires from this office showed that no official representation had been made on this matter, but was rather pursued on a nod and a wink basis.

“Our genuine fear is that this politically sensitive issue will be shelved very conveniently until after the election and then fast-tracked. The Green Party will continue to be vigilant on this issue,” concluded Deputy Gormley.

“From information just received, it would now appear that neither Bord Pleanála nor Dublin City Council were in the loop in relation to this decision. The fact that Minister McDowell has made this announcement would suggest that this is a Government decision which, under the circumstances, must be viewed with a degree of scepticism.

“Michael McDowell’s statement that this is a victory for local democracy is utterly hypocritical, given that this Government removed from councillors the power to make a waste management plan for Dublin city. Again we repeat our concern that this is motivated by political considerations and poor opinion poll ratings in Dublin South East for Government parties and in particular the Tánaiste, and that a U-Turn on the issue is possible after the election, if the PDs and Fianna Fail get back in.

– McDowell’s party has more failures than successes to reflect on

The Green Party today ridiculed the Progressive Democrats’ claim that it has delivered on its election promises and highlighted some of PDs’ more serious failures in its ten years in Government.

Speaking on the eve of the PDs’ national conference, Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD said: “Not only have the PDs failed to deliver on their promises, they have managed to deliver on things which they did not promise, such as the privatisation of the health service. They have absolutely no mandate for this ill-conceived proposal.

“The major plank of the Progressive Democrats’ campaign at the first election was that a single party government was undesirable and they would keep an eye on Fianna Fáil. The PDs have not only kept an eye on them – they are now indistinguishable from the bigger party. Who would have thought that Michael McDowell would seek the end of tribunals investigating corruption? The last five years have been particularly damaging for the PDs and it is unlikely that they can recover at this stage.”

The Green Party has identified the following promises made by the PDs, which have not been delivered on: (more…)