McDowell: PDs will not agree to Ringsend incinerator

Tánaiste Michael McDowell, has said the PDs will not take part in any future Government that supports the controversial incinerator planned for his Dublin constituency.

Mr McDowell was speaking as An Bord Pleanála opened an oral hearing into the Ringsend project, which has attracted almost 3,000 objections.

He said the construction of such a large incinerator is in breach of policies agreed between Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats five years ago.

He said the PDs would never agree to the building of the incinerator.

The announcement has been met with scepticism from Green Party chairman and Dublin South East TD John Gormley however, who has accused McDowell of opportunism.

"This latest election promise is a pathetic last gasp effort to regain credibility on the issue," said Gormley. "People should see through this election gimmick.

"Stopping the incinerator was a central plank of Michael McDowell's election campaign in 2002. He told voters that he would be best placed of all the candidates to stop the project as he would be sitting at the cabinet table and could change Government policy.

"Once elected however, Minister McDowell forgot about that promise.

"The record shows that the Government voted down a Green Party motion to stop the incinerator. We have been very clear that in Government this incinerator will not go ahead."