Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister will know, many communities are extremely concerned about the huge pylon infrastructure. Their concerns are all very well-grounded in terms of its huge effect on the environment, fears for their health and its impact on people's daily lives. Is the Minister concerned that many of these groups are unconvinced by the commission that he has established? They view it as a way of getting the issue past the local and European elections that will be a huge point of protest and pressure on the Government. Is he aware that people are concerned that EirGrid, which is driving the project, shall play a key role in the investigation and, therefore, will be seen to have an undue influence on the outcome?

The committee shall comprise five members and the Minister has included two noted professors. One of them is noted for a report published some years ago that championed privatisation and public sector cuts of an extreme nature. The second professor has pushed for stealth taxes, property taxes and water taxes to be imposed on householders and other taxpayers for many years. I put it to the Minister that the ideological neo-liberal bent of the two individuals will not give confidence that the report, or the views that influence the report, will be anything except what is driven by the interests of the establishment.

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