Calls for cut in powers of An Taisce

The Minister of State for Europe, Mr Dick Roche, has described An Taisce as "an unelected body, answerable to nobody", and called for the organisation's special prescribed status to be revoked.

Mr Roche said the organisation as currently constituted had "no place in planning legislation". He said it was non-democratic and accused it of wielding "power without responsibility" and being "partial, not impartial".

The Minister's call for the removal of An Taisce's statutory recognition follows a decision by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, to end his Department's annual grant of about €70,000 to the organisation to assist with its planning work.

It also comes after criticism of An Taisce from the Irish Rural Dwellers' Association, largely over An Taisce's opposition to one-off house-building in the countryside.

Much of An Taisce's objections to one-off houses have been made on allegations of damage to the natural environment.

However, following the cut in funding from the Department last December, An Taisce's natural environment officer, Ms Shirley Clerkin, was let go.

At a special meeting this weekend, however, the organisation decided unanimously to reinstate the position, which it now intends to fund through its own efforts.

Before Saturday's meeting, the national chairwoman of An Taisce Ms Stephanie Bourke, resigned.

Speaking to The Irish Times yesterday, Mr Roche stressed his remarks had nothing to do with any internal difficulties in An Taisce. He said his antipathy to the organisation was partly due to the body's "appalling and abusive correspondence" with an individual seeking planning permission for a one-off house in the Minister's Wicklow constituency.

Mr Roche said An Taisce deserved to be reconstituted.

He also accused the body of failing to protect Powerscourt House from commercial and holiday-home development.

Mr Roche said the restoration of Powerscourt had resulted in "an office block and a shopping mall", and while the owners were entitled to seek that, An Taisce would raise hell if "any farmer in Co Wicklow had tried the same. The issues is fairness, there should be no special cases."

However, the president and acting chairman of An Taisce, Mr Frank Corcoran, said he was surprised by Mr Roche's allegations.

An Taisce and a private citizen were "the only ones" which appealed to Bord Pleanála against the proposed commercial and holiday home development at Powerscourt.

"It is actions which get things done, not just words."

Mr Corcoran said it was not for him to ascribe motives to the withdrawal of funding by the Department of the Environment.

A spokesman for the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, said the Minister would make no comment on the possible removal of An Taisce's prescribed role.