GREEN PARTY leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley is to meet Fianna Fáil backbenchers this afternoon to clear up what his spokesman called “misinformation” concerning new Green legislation.
The meeting with members of the environmental policy group of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party is to take place in Leinster House at 3.30pm and any TD from the main Government party is eligible to attend.
The leader of the Fianna Fáil group is Limerick West TD John Cregan. Another member, Cork South Central TD Michael McGrath, said current Bills on dog breeding and local government planning would be on the agenda.
He said there were “significant issues” with the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 as its remit extended beyond so-called “puppy farms” to persons involved in breeding dogs for hunting.
Mr McGrath added that there was no single “burning issue” with the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009 but Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow-Kilkenny Bobby Aylward said at the weekend that the Bill implied “all of us involved in local government are gangsters”. Mr Aylward said yesterday he would not vote for the dog breeding legislation in its current form.
A spokesman for Mr Gormley said the Minister and his officials would point out that the two Bills were “very limited” in their application.
Mr McGrath said Green proposals to ban stag hunting would not be discussed at the meeting because the legislation was not yet published. However, Independent TDs Jackie Healy-Rae and Michael Lowry, both of whom support the Government, have indicated concerns.
Mr Healy-Rae said "hunting should be left as it is". He said he had "never heard a word about" the inclusion of the stag hunting ban in the renewed programme for government until contacted by The Irish Timesyesterday.
Asked if he would vote against the measure, Mr Healy-Rae declined to answer but said he would discuss the matter “in Dublin” this afternoon at a meeting with the Taoiseach’s adviser Gerry Steadman and Chief Whip John Curran.
A spokesman for Mr Lowry said he was unhappy that greyhounds were included in the terms of the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill.