Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, come to the House to discuss the expert group that has been established. While we afford a cautious welcome to the individuals that are involved and the move to appropriately and independently examine the case I refer Members to motions on the issue in both Houses, one in particular in the Dáil, where the Minister proclaimed that one cannot change on the whim of a passing fashion. Such was his view on the high voltage lines that are to be overground. Clearly, we are operating in a two-tier Ireland where proximity to a Minister dictates approach to major capital projects; funding in the first instance and it seems, safety, in the second instance. The new body is to examine Grid Link, which affects counties from Cork to Kildare and the Taoiseach's constituency of Mayo to Roscommon. The people of Laois, Cavan, Monaghan and Meath can swing for it because their safety concerns do not apply to the Labour-Fine Gael Government in power. One wonders whether it is because there is no Minister in those locations. In any event, it commands and demands the attention of the Minister. When he is finished explaining himself on Newstalk this morning he might come into one of the Houses of the Oireachtas, namely, the Seanad, to explain why that is the case.

A second and related point is that while welcoming this group and welcoming the intention to examine the matter, we have huge concerns on the lack of a health expert on it. The eminent Catherine McGuinness is chairing it, the economist, Colm McCarthy, the economist, John FitzGerald, Professor Keith Bell, an expert in the specific area of technology, and others with expertise in architecture and landscape. Who is going to advise on health? The Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, has written to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, highlighting health concerns on the issue, yet the chief medical officer has said it is not his responsibility to examine the impact of power lines. We are somewhat in disarray as to the approach that must be taken on the issue. First, all are equal in Ireland but some are more equal than others in the context of the lack of attention to the north east of the country. Second, we are putting an expert group together to consider the aesthetic impact of the lines but there are no concerns about health. That sounds foolish in the extreme. It is almost as foolish as the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, in December simply saying that one cannot change on the whim of a passing fashion.

Deputy McEntee in a contribution on local radio this morning was most concerned about the issue. She appealed to Catherine McGuinness, the chair, to extend her remit to look at the north east. Surely Deputy McEntee and Members of this House know that it is not the eminent former Supreme Court judge, Catherine McGuinness, who decides on the remit, it is the Minister? Let the Government decide whether all the people of Ireland are equal and whether we are to deal with the issue in an appropriate fashion. We will be pressing this to a vote.