Council’s China visit report two years late

ALTHOUGH more than two years have elapsed since a delegation from Limerick County Council made a historic visit to China, the much vaunted China Report on the visit has yet to surface.

The visit by six councillors, the county manager and a senior official cost in the region of €32,000.

The flights bill alone came to €24,000.

The declared stated purpose of the visit was to strengthen links which had been established in 2002 with the Jiading District of Shanghai.

But amazingly most of the delegation’s time was spent in the tourist hotspot of Hong Kong where they holed up for several days in a top hotel.

This, we were told had more to do with getting flight connections rather than wasting the taxpayers money idling around Hong Kong.

The Shanghai Eight as they became known included, county manager, Ned Gleeson, senior official, Jimmy Feane and councillors Michael Collins (FF), John Gallahue (FF), Kevin Sheahan (FF), Brigid Teefy (PD), Mary Jackman (FG) and Mary Harty (FG).

Their historic and exhausting itinerary commenced at Shannon on October 19, 2004.

One of the emissaries proclaimed in the departure lounge at Shannon: “It is important to build new links with China. A number of local business and cultural links will be pursued.”

The Shanghai Eight flew back to Shannon on October 24 laden with gifts from the East for loved ones.

Since then the council has waited with bated breath for the China Report.

This is believed to be a ground breaking document in the role of county councillors in fostering relations with the East. Limerick County Council has declared such matters should not rest in the exclusive domain of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

However, two years down the line the China Report has still not surfaced.

One source at County Hall in Dooradoyle said there may have been translation problems in some of the documentation brought back by the Shanghai Eight.

Reports that a waiter at a Chinese restaurant had been calling regularly to County Hall-not delivering Number 24s with fried rice-could not be confirmed.

When contacted yesterday about the time table for the launch of the China Report no comment was forthcoming on what has become Limerick County Council’s Chinese puzzle.