Cuffe comments ’not worthy of comment’ – McDonnell

Cuffe comments not worthy of comment – McDonnell


Michael Duffy

MEDIATION between the Green Party and Mayo county councillors to resolve the impasse on the Mayo County Development Plan seemed further away than ever this week with one of the parties sitting Dáil deputies expressing his ‘personal support’ for Minister John Gormley’s intervention.
Deputy Ciarán Cuffe (pictured) pulled no punches while addressing the first meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Local Government since it was addressed by five Mayo county councillors on November 4.
Deputy Cuffe made his comments last Tuesday and said, on balance, he supported the Minister’s intervention.
“I remain concerned about the significant representation on the Council of individuals whose main business is the buying and selling of lands. The e-mail address provided for one member of the County Council on the Council’s website is based at an auctioneering firm. There needs to be a much clearer distinction between one’s day-to-day job and one’s obligations and duties as an elected representative,” said Deputy Cuffe, who was asked to withdraw his remarks by FG deputy Phil Hogan.
“If he has allegations to make about these matters, the law of the land, in the form of the corruption acts, will be well able to cope with that. Enough spurious arguments have been spewed out over recent years,” said Deputy Hogan. However, Mr Cuffe said he was happy to let the remarks stand.
A full debate again took place on the issue and it is set to be raised again today (Tuesday) when the joint committee meets again to finalise submissions which will then be drafted into a report, which may make certain recommendations in order to bring the matter to a close.
Cllr Al McDonnell, one of the councillors who addressed the Joint Oireachtas Committee, and an auctioneer by profession, said he would not even dignify Deputy Cuffe’s remarks with a reply.
“I will not be commenting on Deputy Cuffe’s remarks as they are not worthy of comment. They come from a man who represents the Green Party on the committee and he did not even wait for the whole debate [Deputy Cuffe confirmed at last week’s meeting that he waited for 45 minutes as he was ‘detained at two meetings that followed on from each other’].
“We will not lose focus on the issue at hand and I am still very hopeful that the Committee will make certain recommendations in their report. The Chairman of the Committee, Deputy Sean Fleming, was very fair in his dealings with us and a large majority of the members of the committee was sympathetic to our cause.”

A full transcript of last week’s debate of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment and Local Government can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/ 5a6eh7