Green Party/Comhaontas Glass Newsroom

New rail line will ease congestion and offer a greener alternative to commuters

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:28:17 GMT

Minister for Sustainable Transport Ciaran Cuffe has welcomed the opening of a new section of rail line at Dunboyne, Co. Meath, connecting commuters to Dublin city centre, for the first time in over 60 years.

Minister Cuffe said: �This first phase of the Navan rail line offers a real alternative to people living in Dunboyne but working in Dublin city and surrounds. Commuters can now choose rail, and reach the city centre in only half an hour.

�The park and ride facilities at the M3 Parkway, which can accommodate 1200 cars, and the 300 spaces at Dunboyne, will see thousands of car journeys removed from the roads. As well as easing traffic congestion in the city, this will go some way to reducing carbon emissions along the commuter route.�

Minister Cuffe said he looked forward to the completion of the full rail line which will connect Navan to Dublin; planning permission for the line is due to be submitted to An Bord Plean�la in May 2011. Today�s new rail line opening follows the opening of the Ennis to Athenry line on the Western Rail Corridor earlier this year and the Cork to Midleton line last year.

Harland & Wolff to help develop offshore wind

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:26:48 GMT

The Green Party has welcomed the announcement that Harland & Wolff has been awarded a multi million pound contract to design and build two platforms for an offshore wind development.

Green Party MLA Brian Wilson said: �I am delighted that Harland & Wolff have been awarded this contract. Harland & Wolff has been one of the few good news stories during this recession and that is clearly due to their foresight in entering the ever expanding green economy as well as their expertise and facilities, which are unique.

"This is an example of the Green New Deal in action. It is not enough to say that we are focussing on the economy; we must go further and focus our energy and investment on the new technologies that are required to help us move to a low carbon economy which is not reliant on imported fossil fuels but is instead based on sustainable forms of energy, transport and food production. A success story like this should not be an isolated incident - it should be a common occurrence."

In recent decades, H&W has been involved in building offshore and marine projects for the oil, gas and shipbuilding industries. The offshore wind substations will be located off the coast of North Wales.

Cuffe launches National Organic Week

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:32:37 GMT

Green Party Horticulture Minister Ciar�n Cuffe has launched National Organic Week, which takes place this year from the 13-19 September. Now in its sixth year, the week-long campaign aims to raise consumer awareness of organic food and increase the consumption of locally produced organic food.

The Green TD for D�n Laoghaire said at the launch: �National Organic Week is a great opportunity to raise consumers� awareness of organic food and increase the consumption of locally produced organic food. There are over 70 events nationwide, including organic farm walks, cookery demonstrations, picnics, complimentary in-store sampling and allotment tours.

�Given the challenges posed by climate change and the increasingly limited availability of oil, we must make our food production systems more resilient and organic farming methods offer such a resilience. Organic week provides the ideal opportunity to get together with family and friends to cook and taste local in-season organic produce� he added.

Event highlights during National Organic Week 2010 include Darina Allen's cookery demonstration promoting good value organic meat cuts in the Nano Nagle Centre, Ballygriffin, Co. Cork on Wednesday 15th; Peter and Jenny Young, Castlefarm Shop, Athy, Co. Kildare will host a farm walk and vegetable harvesting day on Saturday 18th September, while Peter Ward from Country Chioce, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary is organising the annual Blas an Fhomhair organic lunch on Sunday 19th September. Teagasc will also hold its National Organic Conference entitled 'Challenges and Opportunities for Organic Producers' in Birr, Co. Offaly on Thursday 16th September.

For a full listing of National Organic Week events visit http://bit.ly/OrganicWk

O�Leary's Belfast Airport claims are exaggerated and misleading

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:26:33 GMT

The Green Party has described claims that one thousand jobs will go at George Best Belfast City Airport due to the pull out of Ryanair as "misleading" and �ludicrous�.

Brian Wilson, Green Party MLA for North Down, stated; "The decision by Ryanair to pull out of Belfast City Airport highlights the need for a strategy for air travel in Northern Ireland.

"Mr O�Leary�s claims are misleading and highly exaggerated. They are concerned solely with the profitability of Ryanair and take no account of the economic, social and environmental impact on Northern Ireland as a whole.

"Mr O�Leary admits that the flights Ryanair operated from the City Airport were profitable so there will be no shortage of airlines willing to step in to take Ryanair�s place.

"If his concern is to provide new routes for the people of Belfast then Mr O�Leary could easily do so at the International Airport where the runway is sufficient to meet his requirements, there is spare capacity and where there isn�t the same level of impact on local residents.

"When this story broke the claim was that fifty jobs would be lost. Within twenty four hours it had risen to one thousand. This is a ludicrous figure which bears no resemblance to reality. Ryanair has only one plane based in Belfast and as a �no frills� airline they use the minimum number of staff possible. While the loss of any number of jobs is a major concern Ryanair have a promised to redeploy the staff elsewhere.

"There will be no economic benefit for the Northern Ireland economy if the extension of the runway is granted. Any new jobs at the City Airport will be matched by a loss of jobs at the International Airport with no net benefit for Northern Ireland PLC. The real cost however will be the impact on the lives of people in East and South Belfast and North Down,� he said.

Green Party pays tribute to Mick Lally

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:26:20 GMT

Green Party Leader John Gormley has extended his condolences to the family and friends of actor, Mick Lally, who sadly passed away today.

The Environment Minister said: �Mick Lally represented a very real part of Irish culture. He had an amazing ability to connect with the audience and to tell a story, whether on stage or on television. As a passionate Irish speaker, he was often to be heard singing a sean n�s song or telling a folk tale.

�The much-loved television series, Glenroe, brought Mick into all Irish homes. But his work ranged far beyond this, onto the stage and onto the big screen. He was a true artist and his death at such a young age leaves a huge void.

�He will be sadly missed by generations of fans, and I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to his wife Peggy and his three children, Saileog, Darach and Maghnus.

"Ar dheis De go raibh a anam croga, dhilis."