Work Programme being developed after successful 1st Meeting
Kildare South Fine Gael TD Martin Heydon has said that the first meeting of the newly established Curragh Forum was a success and work is now ongoing on developing a work programme for the Forum in advance of its second meeting. The Curragh Forum was established by the Department of Defence following recommendations made by Deputy Heydon to Minister for Defence Simon Coveney.
“Following my survey of users of the Curragh Plains, I recommended the establishment of a Curragh Forum to Minister Simon Coveney which he accepted. I have been informed by the Department of Defence that The Curragh Forum had its first meeting on March 8th. It was attended by representatives of key stakeholders who all have a management responsibility for the Curragh Plains. These included representatives from Kildare County Council, Department of Defence, Gardai, and military It is envisaged that other interested groups will get an opportunity to feed their view points into the forum as it develops.
“The first meeting was a successful one. I understand that a draft work programme for the forum is now being established ahead of the second meeting. The forum has the possibility to tackle how existing issues are handled by the state agencies. Issues such as illegal encampments, dumping of rubbish, and protecting the plains can be addressed while also facilitating people’s use of the plains for recreational activity.
“I expect the work programme to provide a number of action points, some of which may involve legislative change. I will continue to use my position as a public representative to work with the officials and members of the Forum to ensure we maximise the potential of Curragh from both a recreational and tourism perspective.”