22nd October 2003

PRESS RELEASE

GREEN PARTY CALLS ON MINISTER TO COMMENT ON ILLEGAL DUMPING

The Green Party has called on the Minister for the Environment, Martin Cullen TD,  to comment on reports that a County Council official was bribed in order to allow a waste contractor unrestricted access to a landfill site.

Reports in the Wicklow Times suggest that an employee of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council was given €25,000 in return for allowing a company “A Alert Waste” access to the Ballyogan landfill site.

Local Green Party TD Ciarán Cuffe has written to Minister Cullen and to the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Manager Derek Brady seeking clarification on the issue. He has also called on Mr. Brady to put into the public domain any information that he has in regard to illegal and unauthorised dumping.

"We want the facts on the issue", stated Ciarán Cuffe TD. "Serious allegations have been made against the actions of officials of  Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, and the public have a right to know what is happening."

Green Party Leader, Trevor Sargent TD, also raised the issue in Dáil this morning.

In addition Councillor Deirdre de Burca (Wicklow County Council) raised concerns that waste from Dún Laoghaire Rathdown may be ending up in Wicklow.  “The recent revelations in today’s edition of the Wicklow Times concerning the extent to which council staff from both Dun Laoghaire Rathdown and Wicklow County Councils have been ‘compromised’ by illegal waste operations over the last few years are very disturbing.  According to the report Wicklow County Council has confirmed that an official is under investigation as a result of information supplied.  I am calling on Eddie Sheehy, Wicklow County Manager, to make an immediate statement on the matter.  The issue of illegal dumping in Wicklow must not be allowed to keep being ‘kicked to touch’.  The people of Wicklow deserve effective action now.”