Bord Pleanala Oral Hearing (Galway)

galway | crime and justice | news report Saturday March 13, 2004 08:39 by William Finnerty

Bribery "not relevant" - Bord Pleanala Oral Hearing told

A Bord Pleanala Oral Hearing (Reference PL 07.205181) relating to a planned rubbish dump in kilconnell was heard earlier this week in Oranmore, County Galway.

Efforts to have a Euro50,000 bribe offer (to the Anti-Dump Chairman) brought before the hearing were blocked.

Later, an e-mail relating to this problem was sent to Galway Deputy Padraic.McCormack T.D., and the text has been reproduced below.

To: Padraic.McCormack T.D.
Cc: kilconnell Anti-Dump Group Secretary (Annette Gilchrist) ; New Inn Anti-Dump Chairman (Vincent Costello) ; Margot Wallstrom (European Union Environment Commissioner) ; Prime Minister Bertie Ahern ; Minister for Justice (Mr. Michael McDowell) ; Galway County Councillor Michael Mullins ; Bord Pleanala
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 4:10 PM
Subject: Bord Pleanala Oral Hearing (Reference PL 07.205181, March 9 to 11, Oranmore, County Galway)

Dear Deputy McCormack,

I'm very grateful to you for your helpful letter dated March 9th 2004.

Please note that I have also received your letter dated December 19th 2003, and I regret that it has taken me so long to acknowledge it.

Overall, the recent Bord Pleanala meeting in Oranmore went fairly well I thought from the viewpoint of people living in the kilconnell and New Inn areas. Of course it's the Bord Pleanala written result, due to come out in three months time I understand (after the Elections I expect), which counts. Unfortunately, I am one of several (I suspect) inclined to believe the final result was, in all probability, decided long before the hearing took place. Several very poorly explained interventions (accompanied by very sharp truncations) relating to the subject of the €50,000 bribe to the kilconnell Anti-Dump Chairman seem to me to add much credibility to such speculation.

Though I tried hard at one point during the meeting (yesterday morning) to establish whether the "bribery is not relevant to this hearing" type comments from the Bord Pleanala Inspector (Mr Robert Ryan) were simply his own personal view, or, the official view of Bord Pleanala, I am none the wiser at present. As far as I can remember, I did manage (just about) to squeeze in the comment that I found this attitude towards bribery by Bord Pleanala (and/or himself, or whatever the situation is) particularly amazing when it is the case that many millions of Euros of taxpayers money are being spent on tribunals relating to bribes connected with planning applications (one of which taking place at the present time is of course producing frequent references by the media to Prime Minister Ahern T.D., and to Transport Minister Brennan T.D.). I also made a point of trying - in a very public kind of way - to ensure that the stenographer in attendance placed all of my verbal efforts relating to this particular matter on the meeting records.

Like you perhaps, I feel we might be approaching some kind of an important turning point politically, which may eventually be determined in part at least by the June Elections. In an effort to try and clarify things in my own mind, and for what it's worth, I've placed a copy of a letter published recently by the Tuam Herald (from a local law student) at the Internet address a little further down. The page also includes some comments (which are entirely mine) relating to "Future Direction".

I did meet and spoke with Fine Gael Councillor Michael Mullins a few times during the recent three day Bord Pleanala meeting; and, I would like to take this opportunity to state that ANY local politician (regardless of which - if any - political party he/she belongs to), who can be seen to be doing PRACTICAL things (as opposed to mere talk) to help us move in the direction of what I have referred to at the Internet address below as "Healthy Democracy", will receive all of the help and support that I can reasonably provide them with.

The text of the important letter (as I see it) referred to above from local law student Ann Marie Kelly (from Killann, Woodlawn), can be seen at:
http://www.finnachta.com/TuamHeraldLetter26February2004.htm

Yours sincerely,

William (Billy) Finnerty.