Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2002 5:03 PM
Subject: European Parliament Petition 809/2001 &
Complaints to the Republic of Ireland Ombudsman.
Dear Mr O'Dwyer,
Thank you for your e-mail (reproduced below) which I find
encouraging in some respects.
Without wishing to be in any way disrespectful to those
involved, the main problem I have with your response is that it
does not appear to have yet registered properly with your office that
I do not (AT THIS STAGE) have the time, the money, or the
inclination, to re-engage in the various courses of action you are
suggesting. Please note that I did try to point this out to
Ms.Flynn in my recent e-mail to her (dated June 28th 2002) which
can now be viewed at the following www page address:
http://www.finnachta.com/Ombudsman_IRL_.htm
As I see it, the present "hugely
comprehensive" situation (as you have described it) with data
of mine now on the Internet is a direct result of the way that the
requests for help I have sent to various people in the past few
years have been handled: which I would describe as extremely poor.
Without exception (to the best of my recollection), I have so far
failed to find ANYBODY in authority here in the Republic of
Ireland who is willing to take ownership of ANY of the main
problems in question: let alone deal with them in any kind of
effective way. It's all "go here", "go
there", "go somewhere else"; or, most popular
of all (as I have found): do nothing at all, and say nothing at
all (in response to the information and requests for help I have
sent to the several people involved).
As far as data of mine on the Internet at the present time is
concerned, it may help you to know that I first began to grow VERY
concerned by the response I got to the set of registered letters I
sent on December 29th 2000 to President
McAleese, Prime Minister Ahern, and the
then Attorney General Mr Michael McDowell.
The letter in question basically concerned the wilful destruction BY
GALWAY COUNTY COUNCIL, by GALWAY COUNTY
COUNCIL I repeat, of a local OFFICIALLY REGISTERED heritage
site known as Site 93 (which was a Children's
Burial Ground). Full details regarding these registered letters
(five in all) can be found at the following www page address:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~williamfinnerty/chaplefinnerty/letters3/dec-29-00.htm
Please note that to date NOTHING -
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (that I know of) - has ever been done about the
above matter. From my viewpoint, it appears that it has been
COMPLETELY IGNORED by all concerned; and, I will take this
opportunity to point out again, as I have pointed out before, that
things are not helped by the fact that a still-born uncle of mine
(buried in December 1898, and the twin brother of my father) may well have been one of those interred
in Site 93. Site 93 was within 200 yards or so of his
birthplace, and it was the cemetery closest to his family
home.
Many people now know what happened regarding the wilful
destruction of Site 93 by Galway County Council: what I and
others would like to know now is WHY it
happened; and, WHY senior politicians appear to
have made no effort whatsoever to try and find out: despite
the fact that they were clearly informed through the registered
letters I sent to them on December 29th 2000 ???
If you are really serious about beginning to deal with the growing
set of difficulties that has very gradually worked its way over
the years into becoming what is now European
Parliament Petition 809/2001, I feel it might prove very
useful if you could start with the problem outlined in the three
paragraphs immediately above.
Provided I can see some tangible signs of meaningful progress
regarding the above mentioned Site 93 matter, I will then provide
you with more information (not on the Internet at present) on what
for me is by far the most serious difficulty of the overall
collection of difficulties I am struggling with at the present
time: which is the one connected with the wholly
flawed (and I believe unlawful) medical treatment being
given to close relatives for parental alcoholism - which is
referred to in the e-mail text dated June 14th 2002 that can now
be seen at www page address:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~williamfinnerty/Galway_CC_Jn-14-2002_.htm
Please note that the particular set of
family problems referred to in the paragraph immediately
above has been a MAJOR source of trouble in my life for approximately
52 years now: well over half a century.
I would like to finish by saying that
I have long ago lost count of the number of requests for help I
have made over the years to the various medical doctors involved
in the treatment of my brother and half-sister.
Sincerely,
Billy Finnerty
"St Albans"
New Inn
Ballinasloe
County Galway.
----- Original Message -----
From: <paddy_o'dwyer@ombudsman.irlgov.ie>
To: <Wfinnerty@eircom.net>
Sent: Tuesday, July 02, 2002 11:12 AM
Subject: Complaints to the Ombudsman.
Dear Mr Finnerty,
Ms. Flynn has referred the file on your complaint to me for
review.
The data which you have provided is hugely comprehensive - perhaps
too much so.
It is difficult to extract the areas in which we can be of
assistance to you.
From my reading the areas where the issues could be examined by
the Ombudsman
are those relating to alleged discharge of sewage to a local river
and the
alleged failure to preserve Woodlawn House and the concerns
expressed at the
possible effect of a new roadway designed to pass through areas
such as Turoe
and Knocknadala and the possibility of a superdump which will have
an adverse
effect on the Turoe Stone. You also complained of the actions of a
County
Council official who raised the matter of the necessity for
planning permission
for a sign which had been erected on the family business premises.
As I have said it is possible that the Ombudsman can be of
assistance to you on
those issues. He would be very willing to do so provided the
conditions exist
which would allow him to carry out an examination.
The first requirement for a valid complaint is that the body under
complaint has
been advised of the problem and that it has been offered the
chance to address
it itself.
I would suggest that you approach the following bodies on the
following
subjects. In the interests of clarity and expediency I would
suggest that you
deal only with the body in question on each issue and that you do
not copy your
correspondence to other bodies not directly involved.
Woodlawn House and the Turoe Stone. These would seem to be matters
to be dealt
with by the Office of Public Works (OPW). Since the redrawing of
responsibilities
under the new government departments, responsibility for the built
heritage has
been removed from the old Department of Arts Heritage Gaeltacht
and the Islands.
The OPW can be reached at 51/52 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2.
Sewage Disposal. This is a matter for the local authority. You
should bring the
matter to the County Council's attention as soon as possible. You
could also
bring the matter to the notice of the Department of the
Environment & Natural
Resources at Custom House Dublin 1.
The concerns expressed about the behaviour of the County Council
official is a
matter which you should bring to the attention of the County
Council at a senior
level as soon as possible.
As I said the Ombudsman will be happy to examine your complaint
once those steps
have been taken and where you do not get a satisfactory reply from
the bodies
involved.
Yours sincerely,
Paddy O'Dwyer,
Investigator.
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