Seanad report An investigation should be made of the alleged offering of financial inducements to resolve the serious problem associated with the recent landslide at Derrybrien in Co Galway, Mr Ulick Burke (FG) said.
"It is most regrettable that any agency would suggest dangling a carrot in financial terms in front of any resident in a period when they are under stress and in trauma. It is the bottom of the can as I would see it. Wherever that emanated from it has to be tracked down, identified and absolutely rejected as a method of resolving this particular serious problem."
Mr Burke was speaking on his motion urging that the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources intervene with ESB International and Hibernian Wind Energy, which are developing a wind farm at Derrybrien, so as to assure local residents that no further danger would occur as a result of the development works on site.
The ignoring of these people's fears had led to the recent catastrophe, he said. It was very serious that before the major landslide, an earlier slippage had been recorded but no one had passed any remark on it. It should have been reported and appropriate action taken.
The Minister of State at the Department, Mr John Browne, said it was too early to determine the implications for the construction and commissioning programme or to determine whether any modifications would be required to the wind farm specifications.
Decisions on these items must await the completion of the investigations under way, he said.