The issue of illegal dumping has been raised with me during the election campaign. As far as I am concerned illegal dumping across our countryside, roads and rivers is both environmental and economic treason and must be treated as such. During my term as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment I introduced the anti dumping initiative and to date …
Childcare staff need to be paid properly
We need to pay childcare staff properly without pushing up fees for parents. I believe a solution needs to be found that will ensure childcare staff are paid a living wage without pushing up fees for parents. This is a sector that is experiencing real difficulties. We saw what happened in December when providers faced a hike in insurance premiums …
Supplementary Postal Votes must be in within 2 days of Dail being dissolved
If you are in a nursing home and wish to vote you must get this form signed by a doctor and submitted to the County Council withi 2 days of the Dail being dissolved: Application for Inclusion in the Supplement to the Special Voters List – SVS1 If you are at home but you are unable to get to a …
Confidence vote on Housing Minister
This no-confidence motion was a political stunt by the Social Democrats to garner support in last weeks by-elections. If they had been serious about the housing crisis they would not have tried to undermine the national broadband plan which would help to make vacant homes in towns, villages and rural areas attractive to families who can work remotely thus bringing …
New bingo laws
On foot on numerous representations that I have received regarding possible changes to the running of bingo by community groups across the Country, I have been engaging directly with Minister of State, David Stanton. Below I’m attaching a briefing note which he provided to me. He has also stated that while a community group/charity who are running their own bingo …
Female Genital Mutilation
Female genital mutilation, FGM, is a barbaric practice perpetrated on young girls. While the practice is concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, it is a universal problem which continues to persist among immigrant populations living here in Europe. As someone who was deeply involved in progressing the law to criminalise Female Genital Mutilation in Ireland …
Government should offer families €10,000 to leave Dublin
The first thing we need to do is to look to our existing 1.75m houses across the country and see how we can ensure that as many of these as possible are occupied, particularly those in the towns & villages across Ireland. In fact it would pay the Government to offer a family €10,000 to leave Dublin, to relocate to …
Submission to Government on job creation in the Midlands
Today I presented Government Ministers Bruton, Maddigan & Donohoe with the following submission on job creation in the Midlands, on foot of the ESB decision to close Lough Ree & West Offaly power stations. Submission to Government on Midlands
Local biomass key to survival of power stations – Naughten
Earlier this week in Dáil Éireann I raised with Minister Richard Bruton the need to develop a domestic biomass industry for the midlands in order to support the two power stations in Shannonbridge & Lanesboro as well as job numbers in our area. Disappointingly we see the result of the failure to make such a move with yesterday’s ESB …
Credit Unions should not be treated as banks
Today at the Finance Committee when I failed to move my amendment (see below) to the Finance Bill seeking a freeze on the introduction of an increased Central Bank levy on credit unions, I pointed out to the Minister for Finance that the Central Bank must recognise that credit unions are not for profit, community based and volunteer led organisations. …