The Irish environment needs protection from Dick Roche, not more empty promises

The Green Party has questioned Fianna Fáil's death-bed conversion to green issues, and responded with scepticism to the government party's environment policy, which was launched today.

Green Party General Election Candidate, Deirdre de Burca stated: "Fianna Fáil have had ten years to put in place strong environmental policies and they have manifestly failed to do so. The publication of this document, when we are just weeks away from a general election, is nothing more than a shallow attempt to gloss over the party's huge failings in this area.

"The Irish environment needs protection from Dick Roche, not more empty promises. It will in no way benefit from a raft of last-minute pledges, which will be forgotten, like so many of Fianna Fáil's previous pre-election assurances, within weeks of the election.

"This is the party that has left the water in many of our towns and cities unfit for human consumption.

"This is the party that is wasting €270m of taxpayers' money purchasing carbon credits from abroad, rather than investing in emissions reduction initiatives at home.

"This is the party that has plans for a necklace of incinerators around the country.

"This is the party that is steam-rolling plans for a motorway through the Hill of Tara complex.

"Ultimately, this is an issue of trust. Do the Irish people trust Minister Dick Roche and his colleagues to continue to manage Ireland's environmental concerns when their record to date has been so appalling? Or do the Irish people trust the Greens, who have had a proven record on these issues for over 25 years? In a matter of weeks voters will a have a choice on this issue," concluded Cllr de Burca.