Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support what Senator Tim Lombard and my namesake, Senator Grace O'Sullivan, have said about the gorse fires that have been spreading in west and the south west in recent days.It is a very serious situation. Setting fire to bog is as old as time itself and it is normally done in a very controlled and responsible way. Perhaps it is the weather we have at the moment or people being more irresponsible. We had a long debate here on the Heritage Bill with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Heather Humphreys, where we tried to tweak the envelope for the time it was legal to cut hedges. One man with one match can do an awful lot more damage than all the hedgecutting in the world. This situation has to be taken in hand and monitored. I do not know the legalities or legal history but I do keep an eye on court cases and hearings in my district and I cannot recall reading of too many prosecutions of people acting irresponsibly in this regard. One does not have to be Sherlock Holmes to know who is doing this, who would be likely, or motivated, to do it. I suggest that the Minister come back to the House and discuss with us her plans to deal with this. It is well-nigh catastrophic now. We have seen houses threatened and one burnt. It is a danger to human life and to the emergency service personnel who have to go into these infernos.

I welcome the announcement today by Shannon Airport of the €15 million upgrade of the runway, which commences immediately. This project will create 100 jobs over a 12-month period. A contract has been given under all the proper auspices. It is the longest runway in the country at almost 2 miles. Its enhancement will underpin the great success we have seen in Shannon in the past couple of years. Not so long ago we were debating the future of Shannon Airport. It has increased business by 24% in the past couple of years, which is a huge benefit to tourism in the entire mid-west region, counties Clare, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Galway. Good news stories like this have to be recognised and applauded.