Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I understand - and we discussed with Mr. Fitzgerald - the possibility of route B from Derrylea to Maam Cross. In that case, there might be a clear case that the bog would be damaged and compensatory measures would be required. That is very black and white. If I understand correctly, the issue between Oughterard and Bunakill is different. The issue is that were the road to be built properly, it actually would be better for the pearl mussel because unlike the current position where everything that comes off the road - such as bits of tyres, debris from wear and tear and silt - goes straight into drains and rivers, there would be these silt ponds and so on and cleaner waters would be delivered into the rivers.

My understanding is the challenge is to build the road without damage and that so doing is not that difficult. The problem is to build a road and be absolutely sure, no matter what weather circumstances arise, that there would be no damage and to prove that beforehand. My understanding is the European Union has put in a test with an incredibly high standard, when human realities are taken into account, with a view to eliminating the damage. If one followed that test sitting in one's car going home this evening, one would not drive home because one could not pass the test because one could not be sure of arriving home safely. One would do nothing. One would not get up in the morning and nor would one stay in bed because one might die in bed. One just would not move.

My question is very simple. Supposing all reasonable precautions were taken to minimise the risk, supposing the road was built and supposing there was no damage, which would be very likely if all reasonable precautions were taken but one did not adhere to this ridiculous test, what could the European Union do then? I can see a situation where somebody would get killed on that road because of the condition of the road. Then we will have decided that a very minor risk in the short term to the pearl mussel during construction, but not the long term in which we know the situation will be better, was more important than a person's life. That insignificant risk is more important than people's lives because of the impossible test Europe has put in place. I live in Connemara. Give me a choice of a person's life over an insignificant risk to a pearl mussel and I will take a person's life any day of the week. It is time that we start asking ourselves some hard questions.

I have been hearing for years about this grave terror of Europe in court, but as Mr. Fitzgerald said himself, Ireland has never been fined. Although they keep threatening fire and brimstone, it seems to me that they do not act, and even if they were to issue a fine, Mr. Fitzgerald has admitted it would be totally insignificant. We must start deciding the balance between people and the environment, as we were doing for hundreds of years, when we preserved our environment and they destroyed their environment. I think when we did it for ourselves, we were doing fine and the evidence is there all over the country. It is in Connemara in particular, with the amount of SACs we have where the people preserve nature. A lot of the threats to nature we now face in Connemara threaten the pearl mussel much more significantly than the possible risk from a once-off building of a road, including policies followed by the State on the usage of the lake.

I also am told, for example, that what is killing the curlews is not the cutting of hedges but the mink species, which was introduced into Ireland and is running totally amok. They are on the islands where the curlews used to nest and are now destroying it. We always seem to be chasing the wrong problem. We seem not to listen to the people on the ground who have intimate knowledge of nature, who preserve that nature and care for that nature, the lakes, the rivers and the land. It is time that we started making hard decisions as to where the interests of the people lie and taking our chances with Europe. If the road was built, I am sure Mr. Fitzgerald is going to tell me that they could not take any case because no damage would have been caused to the habitat.