Dempsey grants consent for Corrib Offshore Pipeline

mayo | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Tuesday August 02, 2005 18:12 by M. Ní Sheighin

It has been announced that Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey has granted consent for work to begin on the offshore section of the Corrib Gas pipeline.

www.rte.ie/news just now:

"Dempsey permits work on offshore pipeline

02 August 2005 17:06
Shell Ireland has been given persmission to begin work on a 75km offshore pipeline as part of its plan to develop the Corrib gasfield.

The decision by the Minister for Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey, has been welcomed by the company.

But opponents of the project say they are disappointed that permission for the pipeline was granted before an independent safety review is completed.

Last week, Shell acknowledged that a technical breach may have occurred on the controversial Corrib pipeline.

Shell has announced the laying off of some staff arising from protests by residents.

Five landowners remain in jail for refusing to purge their contempt of a High Court order in connection with their protest against the pipeline construction."

How ridiculous is this? Why is he asking them to dismantle the onshore section of the pipeline, pending a review of the Quantitative Risk Assessment, while allowing them to begin work on the offshore section? Does he take the Irish public for fools? The contempt of the executive for ordinary Irish people is evident again.