Madam, - Minister for the Environment Dick Roche's letter of April 11th contained three points that must be specifically corrected.
Firstly, he pointed out that the legal and practical responsibility for delivering a clean water supply to Galway lies with the local councils (that is, of course, with the non-elected management, as the Government have removed all responsibility in this area from the elected members by the Waste Management Amendment Act, 2001 among other legislation). However, the Minister has utterly failed to explain how the city council was supposed to manage in spite of an embargo on staff or to say why specific requests for extra staff went unheeded.
Despite his abdication of accountability, ultimate legal responsibility lies with the Minister and no one else. Indeed, the Drinking Water Regulations, which became law on January 1st, 2004, allow the Minister to issue recommendations to sanitary authorities in relation to the carrying out of their duties.
We now know that the Minister was fully aware from many sources, both formal and informal, of the deteriorating water quality in Galway and also of the failure of the city council to phase out the old Terryland treatment plant, despite a risk assessment in 2003 that put the management and Minister on notice that the plant was inadequate and a high risk.
Perhaps now the Minister can explain why he failed to make any recommendations in view of the many complaints received and the results of the risk assessment.
Secondly, the Minister has made much of the supposed allocation of funds that were never used. Perhaps he can explain how, year after year, the Committee for Performance Awards has awarded bonuses to management in Galway city and county for reaching agreed objectives and targets - targets and objectives, I might add, which were agreed with the full knowledge of the Minister, as the secretary general of his Department is the chairman of the committee which made the annual awards to management.
Thirdly, city councillors have asked unanimously and repeatedly that free water be made available to the people of Galway who are utterly innocent in this debacle and should not suffer. Yet the Minister, rather than deal with a situation where the city manager has said he cannot and will not comply with the elected councillors' request, has taken to the airwaves and print media to muddy the waters.
His much-heralded arrival in Galway was nothing other than a staged media event, which included a briefing with Fianna Fáil councillors and Ministers at a fund-raising breakfast for one of the party's election candidates. He refused to meet councillors of other parties until compelled to do so by a protest.
In my opinion the Minister has treated the elected members of Galway City Council and the people of Galway whom they represent with utter contempt. In the circumstances outlined, to wash his hand of our contaminated water and play politics with our health is simply scandalous and the Minister should do the decent thing and resign. - Yours, etc,
Cllr CATHERINE CONNOLLY (Independent), Claddagh, Galway.
Madam, - Liam Reid's article on the Galway water crisis pointed to the danger of similar contamination occurring in other parts of the country (Weekend Review, April 14th).
It is a timely warning to voters to demand a categorical assurance from all election candidates calling to doors in the coming weeks that every effort will be made to prevent the further spread of cryptosporidium. - Yours, etc,
MICHAEL CULLEN, Albert Park, Sandycove, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Somebody ought to buy a plaque for Dick Roche's desk with the legend: "The buck stops elsewhere". - Yours, etc,
FRANK E. BANNISTER, Morehampton Terrace, Dublin 4.