The report on potential uses for the future of the St. Brigid’s campus in Ballinasloe highlights a very clear consensus around the vision for St. Brigid’s . The report follows Minister Denis Naughten’s discussion-based workshop as part of his project ‘Reimagining St. Brigid’s’ and highlights that those who attended – State agencies as well as businesses and community representatives …
Politics rather than solving plastic problems were a bigger priority for Environment Committee
I was disappointed this week that some members of the Environment Committee decided to put politics and the next general election before a genuine attempt to deal with the problem of plastics in our environment. I have been working with the members of the Committee to try to progress the Waste Reduction Bill to the next stage of the legislative …
A&E Overcrowding, a different perspective
It’s time to take a new approach to fixing the overcrowding problem in our emergency departments. Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result. Is this what we are doing within our health service? The more beds we provide in our hospitals, the more that will be filled. I …
Denis Naughten: I cannot accept that the digital world should go uncensored
Irish Independent, News Comment by Denis Naughten, 07/02/2017 Stories linking cyber bullying and suicide are sadly more common, but each story never less depressing or chilling writes Minister for Communications Denis Naughten on Internet Safety Day. The connection between the digital world and mental health is one that I am acutely concerned with particularly as a father of four young …
Fianna Fail & Fine Gael must agree lasting rules for a minority Government
The failure by the two main parties to acknowledge that the election gave no political party a mandate to govern but instead the electorate decided that we all need to work together is very disappointing. The level of anger and distrust shown by them over the last 4 days by both of them is not conducive to agreeing a constructive …
After 50 hours of talks on the formation of a new government with both Fine Gael & Fianna Fail, it is clear that a new Government – if formed – will be a ‘watershed government’.
This new government will either involve both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, which will bring an end to civil war politics, or it will see the establishment of a minority government which, because of its numbers, will be the very first consensus government. Either format will change the political landscape in Ireland for the better and will bring about a …
New Government must do business in a different way
It was clear from today’s round table meeting on a partnership approach to Government, that there is an acknowledgement by all present that the Dáil must find new ways of doing business, if a Government is to be able to operate in this changed political landscape. It is my view that today’s meeting was valuable and allowed independent TD’s and …
Political Partnership Agreement is the only way to secure a stable Government
The General Election last month gave NO political party a mandate to govern and instead the electorate has decided that we all need to work together in the interests of our country. However while many of those I have spoken with, both within political parties and outside, are determined to make up a Government I’m of the belief that there …
Athlone Boundary Review
325 years ago this summer the Orangemen, led by Dutch general Godart de Ginkel, marched from Mullingarto take the Connacht town of Athlone and after a 10 day bombardment they eventually took Athlone Castle. Now we have another set of ‘invaders’ marching from Mullingar. This time they want to take over the economic heart of County Roscommon and we have to …
The case for a new town in the midlands – the Town of Monksland
Last week, I made a submission to the Local Area Plan for the Monksland area.