I have serious concern regarding a recommendation currently before the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter T.D, which provides for the complete closure of the Equality Authority Office in Roscrea. Following on from a Governmental decision taken some months ago to reduce the number of state agencies it was decided that the Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority would be merged. As a result of this upcoming merger it has now been recommended that the Roscrea offices of the Equality Authority be closed to cut down on administrative costs. These recommendations are currently with Minister Shatter who will have the final decision on whether or not to implement the recommended cuts.

This further blow for Roscrea cannot be allowed to proceed.

This closure would be a devastating blow for the people of Roscrea and for the loyal and dedicated staff of the Equality Authority Office. We are talking of approximately 20 staff, many of whom have been in this unit since it was decentralised and have proven themselves to be capable, diligent and loyal. These staff would be facing chuge upheaval for the second time in a short number of years if this closure proceeds. The recommendation currently with the Minister has acknowledged the contribution made by staff and has stated that appropriate transition arrangements should be put in place for them. This is little consolation for someone who may have a family or ties to the Roscrea area and cannot simply up and move when their office relocates.

The last Government had proposed the expansion of this office which was a mark of the successes achieved there. This Government however has put a stop to its further growth and have now left a serious question mark hanging over the building and a cloud of doubt hanging over the staff.

It took a lot of difficult negotiation and sensitive political intervention to bring the Equality Authority to Roscrea as part of the decentralisation programme. Since this office established in Roscrea it has been hugely successful and beyond complaint. Yet despite this the staff of this unit will now suffer, as will the town of Roscrea itself. While the jobs are not necessary being lost, they are being lost from Tipperary and the closure of this office would no doubt have a negative impact on the local economy of the town by cutting out some of those who would have done business there. Roscrea is a town that has been particularly badly hit over the past year and this closure would be another attack.

The people of Roscrea are reeling from the decisions from the Government over the last year. Over a short period Roscrea has now suffered the loss of beds in the Dean Maxwell Community Nursing Unit, the closure of the Roscrea Courthouse and the relegation of the Sacred Heart School from the construction priority list, now looming large on the horizon is the loss of the Equality Authority office back to Dublin. The people of Roscrea and the surrounding areas must be wondering why the Fine Gael/Labour Government has shown such disregard and a little respect for the welfare and viability of the local community.

I am calling on the Government to clarify their position on whether the public will be asked to bear the cost of water meters. There have been numerous reports over the last few days that the public will be asked to bear the brunt of some of the costs of installing such meters. It is unclear as of yet as to whether homeowners will have to pay for the cost of the actual unit, the installation of that unit, or both, with conflicting reports in the media.

I believe that the confusion over this matter is causing considerable distress and upset and should be clarified as a matter or priority. We have seen various Government members make conflicting statements over the past number of days. Indeed my office has received numerous queries on this matter from concerned constituents who are anxious to know what they will be asked to pay. With metering due to begin late this year the public have a right to know what costs will be imposed on them as soon as is possible to allow them to put plans in place to deal with such.

The imposition of such a cost would be an additional burden that strained families simply cannot bear

To date we have no concrete details on how much these units would cost homeowners. There have been speculative figures thrown about over the weekend with estimates in the region of €300 per unit. The reality is that irrespective of what the final figure is any cost on the homeowner would be hugely damaging and a further burden on families. In meeting with constituents I have seen first-hand the severe financial pressure countless families are under. These families are struggling to cope and keep their heads above water at this difficult time, these families would be choked by paying for water meters. The fact that water charges are to be introduced is a further threat hanging over their heads and that is without taking into account the possibility of having to pay for the actual unit.

I believe that forcing these families to pay a considerable amount to install a meter that would subsequently result in them paying additional charges would be an insult and would show a complete disregard and lack of understanding for the difficult circumstances many people are in at present. Quite simply many people fear that paying for water will put them in an impossible financial position. The public are growing increasingly frustrated with these charges and costs. I believe that if the Government ask the public to pay for these meters then that may be the final straw.

I have serious concerns overs the comments recently made by Education Minister Ruairí Quinn at the INTO Congress last week. In his speech at this event the Minister stated that many in the education sector still do not fully appreciate the gravity of the economic situation we currently find ourselves in and warned that education will have to take its share of the cuts.

 To date the Ministers approach to small schools has been hugely and this this speech spells further bad news for our smaller schools.

Since this government has come to power we have seen the very viability of rural schools put under threat. The comments made by the Minister in the last week seem to indicate that further cuts may be coming down the line. While Minister Quinn has stated that he recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities he is unwilling to take steps to protect this valuable service. He reiterated his stance that small schools will have to change and adapt and will be forced to operate with reduced resources.

It seems that the Minister is not willing to take any steps to protect our rural schools. It is little consolation from him to recognise the importance of small schools while at the same time imposing cuts that will force many to amalgamate and may even result in closures. Budget 2012 altered the staffing schedules for schools with less than 4 teachers, to devastating effect. Any further cuts or changes to staffing by the Minister will no doubt be hugely damaging to our rural schools.

The reality is that these schools serve small, rural and frequently very remote communities and hold a unique position in Irish society. In this constituency alone there are a huge number of schools with four or less teachers and over the years I have seen first-hand the excellent service they provide. In light of their unique and indeed difficult position these schools need support and not thinly veiled threats from the Minister. Any threat to these schools is an attack on the rural way of life. I would be vehemently opposed to any further cuts to rural schools and will continue to petition the Minister on this matter into the future.

I believe that the proposal to close more Garda Stations in 2012 is an outrageous and illogical one. Minister Shatter at the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors Annual Conference questioned the need for the current number of stations across the country. Minister Shatter stated that he has directed the Garda Commissioner to again review the 703 stations across Ireland to determine where further cuts can be made.

I have no doubt that rural stations will be adversely affected by these closures which will amount to another governmental attack on the viability of rural life and rural communities. 

While the exact details of the stations that will be in line to close are not yet available I am concerned that smaller, rural stations that may only be manned by one Garda or may only be open on certain days will be in line for cutbacks. The Government since coming to power have shown a complete lack of regard for rural life and I fear that the approach taken to Garda Stations will show a similar disregard. Since the last General Election we have seen countless attacks on services in rural communities. This is particularly evident in this constituency, hospital beds have been lost, elderly services have been pillaged, rural dwellers face increased charges and taxes, rural schools are under threat and now it seems rural Garda stations will meet a similar fate.

It seems that the Government have no concept of rural life and the needs of a rural community. Rural Garda Stations are an essential support and service to such communities.

While I accept the Minister’s argument that transport and communication has moved on and developed since the foundation of the state, it must be stressed that crime too has moved on, become more complex, and is increasingly difficult to control. I would argue that now more than ever there is a greater need for Garda Stations to remain open and for Gardaí to be clearly evident in all communities. Indeed the AGSI President has himself recognised this, as has an appraisal by the Overseas Security Advisory Council of the US Government. A report undertaken by this Council found that policing in Ireland has been detrimentally impacted by the cuts inflicted on An Garda Síochána.

 The Minister himself only a few short months ago detailed a significant rise in the incidence of burglaries in 2011. Rural areas were particularly badly hit over the winter months with a huge increase in crime and burglary. These are communities where crime rates would previously have been so low as to have almost been non-existent. These communities are now seeing crime become more prevalent and there is considerable unease in these areas. Rural Garda Stations are therefore more important than ever to police these communities and ensure that residents feel safe and that crime is kept low.

An Garda Síochána have already had to shoulder the burden of savage cuts and a lack of new recruits. They are doing a stellar job in continue to police our towns and villages despite the reductions to their numbers. Their reward is to be informed that more stations will be closed.

At present I am making enquiries not alone to Minister Shatter, but also to the Garda Commissioner on this matter. I am very anxious to ensure that all stations in this constituency are protected into the future.

I wish to address the massive deluge of media coverage and political comment relating to me and the report of the Moriarty tribunal. I am greatly troubled by the extent and nature of reckless and irresponsible comment emanating from various political and media sources. I wish to set the record straight.

The Moriarty Tribunal did not make any finding of corruption in relation to the second mobile phone license process; nor did the Moriarty Tribunal find that Esat Digifone was not the deserving winner of the license competition. I was not declared corrupt by the Moriarty Tribunal.  The presumption of innocence no longer exists in Ireland. The most basic rights of fairness, of procedure, and due process have been trampled on mercilessly. Despite never having been charged with or convicted of any crime in Ireland, I have been roundly condemned as a convicted criminal by the media and by various political opportunists. They wish to strip me of all constitutional rights and basic dignity; both as a public representative and as a citizen.

Tribunals issue opinions only. Those opinions have absolutely no weight in law. Those opinions have no status in law. That is because those opinions do not have to be based in evidence. Tribunals do not afford persons the safety and protection of proper legal rules, principles and procedures as found in the Courts. It should be noted that last week, no less an institution as the European Commission recognised that the opinions of Irish Tribunals were not reached in accordance with due process and therefore were of no interest to them.  Yet for me the opinions of the Moriarty Tribunal amount to what is essentially a death sentence on my reputation.

I do not accept Mr. Moriarty’s opinions and I never will. I wanted to challenge Moriarty’s opinions but the reality is that I cannot challenge them and expect to succeed given that those opinions are meaningless in law. For technical reasons the report is as yet untested but I do expect that the Supreme Court will have an opportunity to pronounce on the workings and output of the Moriarty Tribunal.

The Moriarty Tribunal issued an opinion last year that I delivered the second mobile phone license for Esat Digifone. This opinion was completely false. That Tribunal heard evidence on the license process for 10 years. Not a single person in that process from the 17 Civil Servants to the team of Danish Consultants that designed and conducted that competition gave evidence that I interfered in that process in any way. There simply was not one iota of evidence from anyone to say that I even attempted to interfere with the process. But the Tribunal simply ignored all sworn evidence and came up with the opinion that I delivered the license to Esat Digifone.

I received no payment or benefit from Mr. Denis O’Brien in relation to the second mobile phone license. Mr. Moriarty has created a false impression in his report that I was the net beneficiary of approx. €900,000 arising from two property transactions and a loan agreement-This is not a truthful or accurate presentation of the facts. The Tribunal’s report is laden with theories about proposed transactions and intended transactions and reversed transactions. The fact is that absolutely no money accrued to me from the transactions referred to in this report. The trail of documentation both legal and accountancy confirm this as fact.

I believe that recent comments made by various individuals which have sought to criticise the Gardaí for apparently not properly pursuing their inquiries are wholly disingenuous and completely improper. Those crawling over one another to stake a claim to the high moral ground would be well advised to stop attempting to interfere with the independence of the DPP and the Gardaí and also stop seriously prejudicing my right to due process.

I have not been approached by any agency of the State in connection with the opinions of the Moriarty Tribunal. Those baying for blood in the media ought to consider that perhaps those proper legal authorities recognise that the opinions of the Moriarty Tribunal are precisely that; opinions. Those independent authorities may clearly see that actual evidence of any wrongdoing on my part relating to the Moriarty report is practically non-existent and that criminal charges could not possibly be sustained.  The Gardaí and the DPP operate in accordance with due process. They must follow rules. They must proceed in accordance with proper evidence and standards of proof.

I also wish to address the rabid and blatant agenda driven coverage of the Sunday Independent. For three weeks in a row now, this paper has engaged in delivering some of the most bile-infused and personalised coverage ever seen in Irish media. Due to my circumstances I find myself being used as a pawn in an obvious campaign designed to somehow disrupt a potential take-over of Independent group. This is “payback” time of a different sort, but the modus operandi is the very same as applied before the general election in June of 1997.

In contrast the common decency and humanity shown to me by the people of Tipperary/South Offaly has sustained me throughout. I remain eternally grateful for this loyal support and moral encouragement. Lest there be any doubt whatsoever, I will continue to represent my constituents vigorously and to the very best of my ability. My representational rights and entitlements are constitutional and equal to that of any member of Dail Eireann. My mandate to serve as an elected representative is derived from the people of my constituency. I will not tolerate attempts to belittle my constituents by any of the self-appointed beacons of virtue and morality.