Roche asked about appointment

A Green Party call for Minister for the Environment Dick Roche to explain the appointment to An Bord Pleanála of a person connected with a proposal to build an incinerator in Poolbeg, Dublin, was ruled out of order in the Dáil yesterday.

The party's finance spokesman, Dan Boyle, said the Minister had appointed to the board of Bord Pleanála a member of the RPS company "intimately involved in the proposal to construct an incinerator for Poolbeg in Dublin".

Mr Boyle also said it was "part of a trend of similarly compromising appointments by the Government, such as the previous appointment as a director of the Environmental Protection Agency of a former member of Indaver, the company seeking to construct two incinerators at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork".

The Cork South Central deputy said Mr Roche should make a statement to the House on the "circumstances whereby he has appointed to the board of An Bord Pleanála a member of the RPS company, intimately involved in the proposal to build an incinerator at Poolbeg, Dublin".

However, the ceann comhairle, Dr Rory O'Hanlon, ruled the issue out of order under standing order 31.