January 2010

The High Court has severely criticised the four Dublin councils for ‘‘massaging’’ key reports into Dublin’s waste sector to influence the outcome of a review.

The court said that RPS, one of the country’s leading engineering firms, changed a number of draft reports to suit the stance of the councils. The report formed the basis for the councils’ subsequent justification to vary the capital’s waste policy.

SHELL EP Ireland has denied rumours this week of lay-offs and said it had suspended construction on the Corrib gas terminal in north Mayo only because of the cold weather.

The company said the decision was taken two days ago due to concerns about the safety of workers travelling to and from the site at Bellanaboy.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL and engineering consultancy firm advising Shell Ireland on the energy giant’s onshore pipeline in Co Mayo increased its Irish operating profits by 28 per cent to €9 million in 2008.

Accounts recently filed by RPS Group Ltd and subsidiaries to the Companies’ Office show that the company increased the size of its business by 4 per cent from €112 million to €117 million to the end of December 2008.

RPS Ltd is part of RPS Plc, which is quoted on the London Stock Exchange.

THE SENIOR garda responsible for policing the Corrib gas project in north Mayo says he believes the force has handled the situation there far better than counterparts in Denmark during the recent climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Tony McNamara, who has just retired as chief superintendent in charge of the Garda Mayo division, also says he believes that lack of adequate dialogue by developers with residents in the early stages of the Corrib gas project caused a “fundamental breakdown in trust”.