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A PROSECUTION be- ing taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) against a Shannon- based = pharmaceutical plant has been adjourned to October for the service of a Book of Evidence.

The | German-owned Schwarz Pharma firm is accused of nine separate breaches of its Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licence.

State solicitor Martin Linnane told Shannon District Court that the Book of Evidence is not yet ready and the case can, on consent, be ad- journed to the October Ota Mae te te

Initially, the prosecu- tion against the company was being taken by the Environmental — Protec- tion Agency (EPA). How- ever, after Judge Joseph Mangan heard an outline of the evidence against the company in March, he deemed the case too serious to be heard in the

district court.

As a result, the prose- cution is now being taken by the DPP and the mat- ter will be heard in the Circuit Court, where the company faces fines of up to €10 million.

At the company’s ini- tial court appearance in March, the court was told Schwarz Pharma would be pleading guilty to the nine alleged breaches.

The court was told that air emissions from the plant in August 2004, oyale-NeenbarS suspected cancer-causing substanc- es, were found to be 36 times the legal limit.

The company is also facing two __ separate charges of breaching air emission limits in rela- tion to an organic solvent that can affect the central nervous system and cause irritation and headaches.

The company is also accused of filing mis- leading reports with the EPA between November 21, 2003 and August 24,

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Six days after the dis- trict court appearance in March, Schwarz Pharma decided on a voluntary basis to suspend certain production ROCA ers which could give rise to emissions exceeding the levels in its Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) granted by the Environ- mental Protection Agen- OVA @ 8) 0 ¥P

The partial shutdown lasted for six weeks be- fore the company recom- menced production in April. To-date, this year, the company has spent €6 million on enhanced environmental controls.

This includes €3 mil- lion on putting in place liquid scrubbers on its pharmaceutical plant and an additional €3 million Spent on a new waste wa- ter treatment plant.

The company currently has an application with the EPA for an updated Integrated Pollution Con- trol (IPC) and a decision is due later this month.

after Shannon town councillors called for a superintendent to be based in the town. Ennis-based Supt John Kerin currently has responsibility

for Shannon.

A letter circulated to councillors from the Department of Justice stated that local Garda management in Clare did “not believe that the necessity exists for the creation of a fifth district headquarters station” in the Clare division. It added that local management was satisfied that the existing available resources at Shannon (53 gardai) were adequate to meet the present policing needs of the town.

Chief Supt Quinn said, “Shannon now has a population equivalent to other areas served by a superintendent and that is where the argument comes from. However other factors come into play and the situation is unlikely to change at the moment.

‘When it comes to making decisions like that, statistics and logistics would influence that decision. It has been raised and examined and con- sidered. We have an inspector – Tom Kennedy – who has responsibility for Shannon, which we don’t have in any of the other stations,” said Chief Supt Quinn.

He accepted that there were anxieties about the lack of a superintend- ent in Shannon. But he said, “It wouldn’t necessarily improve the service there.”

However, Cllr Gerry Flynn said it was “absolutely ludicrous” that the second biggest town in the county did not have a superintendent based in the area and so operated as a sub-district, rather than a district.

Cllr Tony McMahon agreed, “We need to be upgraded to a district sta- tus. We don’t have a courthouse here. We don’t have anything”’.

Cllr Greg Duff said, “Because of increased US military travelling through Shannon in the past six months, the airport is a priority and because of the commitment to the airport, we need more people.” If there was an air-rage incident at Shannon Airport, six gardai would be sent in to deal with it, he said.

Cllr Patricia McCarthy said the town had lost quality gardai who left the town when they saw no opportunities for promotion.

‘Kilrush had a long history of gardai staying for a while and the prob- lems there got out of control,” she said.

THE success of the book, ‘Name your place’— the brainchild of Club na Sionna — which was printed last year has prompted an updated second edition to be published.

6,000 copies of the book, which is based on placenames (logain- mneacha) were printed last year and an additional 15,000 copies of the second edition will be printed shortly.

Club na Sionna, which incorpo- rates Conradh na Gaeilge and Glor na nGael in Shannon, 1s responsible for the publication.

A large group of people from the Shannon area were involved in the publication of the book, with La- bhras O Donghaile and his wife Sorcha to the fore.

The book is bilingual — the in- troduction in written mainly in English, while the logainmneacha (placenames) are explained in Eng-

lish, throughout the book.

“We have been involved in pla- cenames since 1973,’ said Sean O Nuanain, chairman of Club na Sionna. “People are very interested in placenames, household names and names of businesses and office blocks,” he added.

“There was a great demand, among builders, councillors and es- tate agents. The second edition will include a wider number of business names,” added Mr O Nuanain.

It will be available shortly at branches of Glor na nGael, County Councils, estate agents, tidy towns committees, gaelscoileanna and all Irish organisations throughout Ire- land.

Meanwhile, the Ciorcal Com- hra meets every week at the Wolfe Tones’ clubhouse between 8.45 and 9.45pm. Everyone is being encour- aged to get involved and use the cu- pla focail. The theme is ‘Don’t lose it — use it.’

A CLARE County Council demand that a 5,000 year old bog oak tree that forms part of a sculpture be cut by one metre, was described as “impractical and crazy’, this week.

The criticism came from the Kilballyowen Development Association, which has defiantly refused to reduce the height of the tree to three neo b Rene

The sculptor of the piece, rural-rights cam- paigner, Jim Connolly said this week: “The tree can’t be reduced. I have never heard the likes of it in my life. I hope the Council accept the sense of what I had to say.”

The tree is to be complimented by two three- quarter size bronze figures of Diarmuid and

Grainne. It forms part of a twin-memorial ded- icated to the memory of five west Clare men, who lost their lives just off Loop Head in 1862, and ties with west Clare. The men were all pi- lots who helped navigate ships up the Shannon estuary in the 19th century.

Kilballyowen association chairman, John Bonfil explained this week: “The pilots went out in a currach to a ship that was about to come up the estuary. It was a case of whoever got to the ship first, would get the bounty in steering the ship Unfortunately, they all lost their lives.”

A song, “The Five Pilots” had been written in their memory.

In response to the association’s planning

proposal for the monument, the council raised concerns over the height of the proposed struc- tures on the boat house site and the Diarmuid and Grainne site. The Council stated: “Please reduce height of both structures to three as well.”

In the initial documents lodged with the Council, no mention was made by the appli- cants of the age of the tree. It formed part of the Diarmuid and Grainne display, which was initially on show at Shannon Airport. It was removed due to major renovations at Shannon, according to Mr Connolly.

In May, the applicants lodged a photomon- tage of the memorial, stating that the Diarmuid and Grainne display was 5 metres. In August,

they stated that the memorial was now 4 metres high and refused to go lower.

Mr Bonfil said this week: ““We are confident that the proposed memorial will get planning permission. It is a community-based project. It is a positive for the community.

“We have received €20,000 for the two me- morials through Leader and also a contribution from the Foynes Harbour Authority. We hope to unveil the memorials at the 3rd annual Loop Head Gathering Festival next July.

“Both the Shannon Airport Authority, who commissioned the sculpture, and Jim Con- nolly the sculpture who created the piece, have agreed to donate the work to the community in Kilbaha to form part of the proposed develop- ment of the area,” he said

RESIDENTS in the Ballybeg area of Ennis have claimed that conten- tious plans for a 120-residential unit proposed by McCarthy Bros will lead to a devaluation of property in iW elom-N Kore

In the next number of days, Clare County Council is expected to rule on the plan by the Ennis construc- tion firm to develop 120 homes at Ballybeg on the western side of Ennis near the main Ennis-Kilrush IWXey- (ee

The development comprises of 40 three-bedroom homes, 47 two- bedroom homes, 5 four-bedroomed homes and 28 apartments.

However, in an objection, backed by a petition from Ballybeg resi- dents, they claim that they are con- cerned that “with an estate of this size, it may have a negative effect on

the value of our property.”

The residents state: “The exist- ing residential housing on the Bal- lybeg Road, consists of low-density Owner-occupied detached family dwellings. The proposed high-den- sity development consisting of apartments and two and three bed- room semi-detached houses would alter the character of the area very significantly.

“The type of development pro- posed would suggest that many of the units will be rental properties and that in general the occupiers will most likely be transitory and car-reliant. It is obvious that such a development would not be in-keep- ing with, or appropriate to, the exist- ing adjoining and surrounding resi- dential houses in the area.

“The availability of an adequate water supply to the proposed devel-

Opment is seriously open to ques- tion. The houses on the Ballybeg Road are already subjected to an in- adequate flow of water.

“Should flow 120 houses be grant- ed, this will do nothing for the water pressure in the existing houses. We request that a hydrological report be completed for this proposed devel- Opment and we are furnished with the information as to how this will affect our already inconsistent water supply.

“The environmental impact of this proposed development would be to destroy an area of natural karst and wildlife — amongst others, a wild goat herd of 38, foxes, hedgehogs and a number of protected floral species.

The residents claim “that the pro- posed development will add noth- ing to the overall atmosphere and

well being of this area. The density of this proposed site is not in keep- ing with the ‘established planning and development practices’ of this area.

“We further raise the question, what potential impacts would a phase two of this type of housing have on the area. We feel that such a development, if allowed, would be used as a precedent and other such developments would quickly follow.

“We, the residents of Ballybeg, are of the opinion that this development should be refused in its entirety.”

On traffic safety, the residents state that “the sightlines for an exit from the proposed development on to the Ballybeg Road is in a danger- ous hollow and will remain totally inadequate and a danger to traffic already on the road and to the traffic emerging onto the road.”

A CLARE county councillor has suggested that TV consumer ana- lyst Eddie Hobbs should carry out a “Rip Off Clare” investigation.

Councillor Christy Curtin (Ind) was speaking at yesterday’s monthly Clare County Council Meeting, on hearing a report of the council’s draft financial re- port.

A reduction in the amount of waste going into the county’s JE NeTeNCUUMAY SOU uciUllambemr:MenKejomti mets county council’s coffers.

This, coupled with a reduc- tion of €208,000 in Government funds, is likely to put financial pressure of the council over the coming year.

Following the presentation of the report covering the first six months of the year, councillors agreed to write to the Environ- ment Minister, to request he re- think the current funding system for local authorities.

Members of the council will also outline their concerns about the effect the overall reduction will have on the local authority.

The financial report showed that 48 per cent, or €45 million of the annual budget was used in the county from January to June, keeping the budget on target for the end of the year.

“Maintaining this position will be challenging,’ the report warned. The reduction in funds from the Government “will nega-

tively impact Local Government Funds receipts in the second half of the year.”

The members of the council are claiming that the rates they are collecting from industries, such as the ESB in Moneypoint, are being off set by the reduction from the Department.

Cllr Patricia McCarthy (Ind) asked where else the council was to get the money from, if the Minster didn’t provide it.

“On one hand, he is telling us to look after the ratepayers and not to be too hard on them and on the other hand, he is cutting our funding because we have a few big ratepayers in the county,” she said.

Cllr Madeleine Taylor-Quinn

(FG) said the on going monitor- ing of the landfill at Inagh needed constant attention.

‘Are we going to ask ratepayers of Clare to make up deficit by the Minister?” she asked.

She said that €10 million in rates were going to the govern- ment every year from Money- point, yet funding was not avail- able to upgrade the roads for the increased traffic to the planned JON) owe sKevie

The County Manager assured the councillors that the financial situation “should be okay for this year’. But he said it was the ex- ecutive’s duty to flag stormy seas ahead.

IFA National Livestock Committee Chairman John Bryan said factories are having to pay €2.52/kg for beef.

“Tighter supplies and an increase in demand means €2.52/kg has been paid by all the main factory outlets this week.”

Mr. Bryan said most factories are quot- ing €2.46/kg for R grades and €2.35/kg for O grades. However, they are having to pay €2.52/kg to get supplies.

The IFA livestock leader said heavy continental steers along with beef heif- ers are extremely scarce with prices of

up to €2.30/kg paid to secure supplies.

‘Following the recent visit to Egypt by the Department of Agriculture and Bord Bia, the stage 1s now set for an immed1- ate resumption of the beef trade. Posi- tive changes to the age limit, testing and veterinary inspections, opens the way for a resumption of trade. It is essen- tial the factories proceed immediately as Ramadan commences early this year on October 4th” he said.

According to the IFA livestock leader the EU market for beef has also im- proved as the end of the holiday season approaches. “Beef prices in the UK have stabilised and prices in all the ma-

jor markets across Europe are up, with most well above the €3.00/kg mark for prime cattle,’ he added.

In France, R3 grade steers are mak- ing €3.41/kg incl. VAT, R3 bulls are making €3.11/kg and R3 heifers are at €3.60/kg.

In Italy, R3 bulls are making €3.43/kg and heifers are at €3.85/kg. Young bulls in Germany are making €3.06/kg. In Spain, R3 bulls are making €3.06/kg and heifers are making €3.16/kg.

Mr. Bryan said the market for cow beef has also improved with prices of €2.10/kg to €2.24/kg being paid.

AA Ireland has rolled out a new state-of- the art technology across its patrol force to assist with diagnosing car faults even quicker at the roadside for its 270,000 members.

With a total of 110,000 breakdowns to attend to per year, the technology should further improve AA Ireland’s 80 per cent roadside repair rate and reinforce its ‘Go- not-Tow’ policy.

The €75 million investment by the AA in the UK and Ireland means that AA Ire- land’s patrols will be kitted out with diag- nostic equipment in specially re-enforced

laptops.

Designed by the AA, the VIXEN (Ve- hicle Inspection crossed with Electronic Notebook) notebook enables patrols to diagnose vehicle faults quicker at the roadside.

The system uses CRYPTON vehicle service information combined with a knowledge database of experience learned in the field by AA patrols, allowing AA staff to collate and share knowledge.

“VIXEN represents years of research and development for the AA,” explains public affairs manager Conor Faughnan.

“This major investment is a revolution-

ary step in the diagnosis of automotive faults and is the greatest single leap in patrol communications since the adop- tion of the two-way radio in the 1940s. It is, quite simply, the future of roadside assistance.”

As technology has advanced cars are now increasingly reliant on computerised ‘brains’ — the Electronic Control Module or ECU — to regulate their ignition, trans- mission, anti-lock brakes and other vital systems.

A plug-in device allows the AA Patrol to interrogate this electronic ‘brain’ to discover what the problem is using the VIXEN system.

FARM ADVISORY

HOUSEHOLDERS in Newmarket- on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge have accused Eircom of failing to deliver on its promise to provide broadband in the area.

In correspondence with Clare County Council earlier this year, E1r- com confirmed that both areas would be digitally enabled between April and June. It would mean that broad- band should be available in these areas within a three-and-a-half kilo- metre radius of the local exchange, at

a cost of €39.99 every month, along with an installation fee of €199 plus VAT.

However, local Councillor Pat Mc- Mahon says this promise has not been delivered upon.

‘I have made enquiries and while Eircom said they would send out a technician, this does not appear to have been the case. A lot of houses are still waiting for broadband. Sec- ond and third level students need broadband a lot and have been wait- ing for too long,” said Cllr McMa- tee

He pointed out that some people living in the Newmarket-on-Fergus and Sixmilebridge areas are consid- ering changing to other service pro- viders, given their concern over the broadband issue.

“Broadband is all over the world at this stage. It is a basic necessity, yet hundreds of houses in our area are without it,” said Cllr McMahon.

However, a spokesman for Eircom disputes this and says local concerns are being catered for, with issues ad- dressed within ten working days. He

said an exchange did come on line in these areas at the end of July and the lines have been upgraded.

“Technicians do not necessarily have to go to a customer’s house to enable broadband. It is important to note that a number of factors have to be taken into account. For example, if a telephone line is a carrier line, it may prevent a customer from getting broadband,” said spokesman Paul Bradley.

“It is not guaranteed to put an ex- change in place which would cater for everybody. Broadband is availa-

ble within a three-and-a-half kilome- tre radius of an exchange.” he added.

He has advice for customers who have concerns. “Each person should get on to us individually with their OKs (up sltvesl alone

Eircom says a national programme for the roll-out of broadband serv- ices has been ongoing for a number of years, with responsibility lying within the remit of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.