Minutes of Meeting between Monaghan County Council and the Oireachtas Members for Cavan/Monaghan held in the Council Chamber, Mtek Building, Monaghan on Monday 23rd January, 2017 at 11.00 a.m.

Chair: Cllr P.J. O’Hanlon,

Present: Cllrs. Aughey, Bennett, Campbell, Carthy, Conlon, Connolly, Coyle, Crowe, Gilliland, Keelan, Maxwell, McElvaney, McPhillips, B. McKenna, McNally, P. Treanor and S. Treanor.

Mr. P. Clifford, Director of Service, Mr. A. Hughes, Senior Planner and Ms. C. Thornton, Meetings Administrator.

Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Deputy , Deputy Brendan Smyth, Senator Robbie Gallagher and Senator .

Apologies: Cllr C. McPhillips, Minister Heather Humphreys, T.D., and Senator Joe O’Reilly.

(An email from Minister Humphreys was circulated at the meeting outlining the reason why she was unable to attend.)

The Cathaoirleach welcomed Deputies Smith, Ó Caoláin and Smyth, and Senators Gallagher and Wilson and thanked them for attending the meeting. He explained that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss what the Oireachtas members could do as a group to ensure the undergrounding of the powerlines for the 400kV Interconnector.

The Cathaoirleach asked the Meetings Administrator to read the motions passed at the Special Council meeting held on the 9th January 2017 – as follows:

(1) Cllr. Seamus Coyle proposed, Cllr McNally seconded and it was agreed,

That Monaghan County Council requests the members of Dail Eireann for the Constituency of Cavan/Monaghan, the Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, the Gaeltacht Arts and Heritage, Heather Humphreys, T.D., Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin T.D, Niamh Smith T.D and Brendan Smith T.D, the members for the Constituencies of Meath East and Meath West, Also Senators Robbie Gallagher, Joe O’Reilly and Diarmuid Wilson to place before their respective houses of the Oireachtas, motions directing the Taoiseach and Minister for Communications, Environment and Natural Resources Denis Naughten T.D to make as Government policy the undergrounding of the North – South 400KV interconnector and to direct EirGrid to underground the interconnector across Counties Monaghan, Cavan, and Meath.

This Council also requests the parties to the Northern Ireland Assembly to make policy and direction to SONI in N.I to underground the interconnector in Northern Ireland.

(2) Cllr. Seamus Coyle proposed, Cllr McNally seconded and it was agreed,

That Monaghan County Council requests the Joint Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to fully investigate Eirgrid’s financial expenditure for at least the past 10 years; the misuse of expenditure of electricity consumers money on lavish P.R campaigns, sponsorship, the failed North South Interconnector application of 2010 and all the Eirgrids expenditure as a semi-state company.

(3) Cllr. Noel Keelan proposed, Cllr Pat Treanor seconded and it was agreed,

That Monaghan County Council calls on Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten T.D to direct Eirgrid to pursue an undergrounding alternative to the current proposed overhead 400KV pylon supported North South Interconnector, (as requested by the majority of landowners, community groups and elected representatives).

We also call on our local Minister Heather Humphreys T.D to use her position in government to seek her cabinet colleagues support for the complete undergrounding of this proposed project, given her current remit in Regional and Rural Affairs.

(4) Cllr. Noel Keelan proposed, Cllr Pat Treanor seconded and it was agreed,

That Monaghan County Council invites our T.D’s and Senators for this constituency to a meeting with the members as soon as possible.

(5) Cllr. Hugh McElvaney proposed, Cllr Brian McKenna seconded and it was agreed,

That this Council writes to interested parties i.e. Monaghan Anti Pylon Committee, the NEPP in Meath, Meath County Council, Cavan County Council and the SEAT group in Northern Ireland, to suggest that they merge and work together under one umbrella in order to ensure that Eirgrid undergrounds the power lines.

(6) Cllr. Raymond Aughey proposed, Cllr Brian McKenna seconded and it was agreed,

To call on each member of this Council to indicate that they are totally opposed to this project of overgrounding the power lines and will only support the undergrounding of this project.

The Cathaoirleach then invited the Oireachtas members to make any comments at this stage.

Each Oireachtas member then expressed their support for the Council’s proposals and for the undergrounding of the powerlines for the 400kV Interconnector. They confirmed that they would work together on a cross party basis and with their colleagues in Meath to ensure that they would get a meeting with Minister Naughten to pursue the undergrounding of the powerlines. The Oireachtas members then responded to questions and comments from the elected members.

All Council members present voiced their support for the undergrounding of the powerlines. They also referred to the great work done by the Monaghan Anti Pylon Committee and the North East Pylon Pressure Group over the past 10 years and also acknowledged the work done by Council officials during that time. They commended the NEPP for a very informative and useful meeting held in Kells on Thursday 19th January. Members expressed concern at the handling of the application and the oral hearing by An Bord Pleanala who appeared to have ignored a lot of the very valid and worrying reasons as to why the powerlines should be undergrounded, eg effects on health, heritage and destruction of the landscape. All members present felt that a meeting with Minister Naughten should be arranged as soon as possible so that they could convey their concerns directly to him.

The following proposals were then put forward:

On the proposal of Cllr Coyle seconded by Cllr McNally it was agreed that Monaghan County Council seeks an immediate meeting with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Mr. Denis Naughten, T.D., to discuss and seek his direction for the under-grounding of the North South 400kV Interconnector and that representatives of Cavan and Meath County Councils be invited to join the delegation.

On the proposal of Cllr Keelan seconded by Cllr P. Treanor it was agreed that the Oireachtas members work together in order to bring forward a motion/legislation in order to direct EirGrid to deliver the North South Interconnector project using the undergrounding option.

That our Oireachtas members work with all parties, including the Government party to deliver this project using the undergrounding option.

On the proposal of Cllr Keelan seconded by Cllr P. Treanor it was agreed that this Council invites the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Heather Humphreys, T.D., to the February meeting of the council. If this date is not suitable the Council will make itself available to meet the Minister in the Chamber at a time of her convenience – this should happen in the coming week.

Email from SEAT Group in Northern Ireland.

An email from this group confirming that the group would be positively disposed to the three anti- pylon committees (MAPC, NEPP and SEAT) merging together under one umbrella to ensure the undergrounding of the pylons. The Group sought a meeting with the Council to determine the benefits of a united group and the Council’s strategy for such a proposal.

It was agreed that the Council would await a response from the Monaghan Anti-Pylon Committee and the North East Pylon Pressure group before taking any further action.

The Cathaoirleach again thanked the Oireachtas members for attending and looked forward to working with them and the elected members to ensure the undergrounding of the powerlines.

The meeting concluded.

Signed: ______

Cathaoirleach Meetings Administrator

Date: ______