Response from Derek Nolan TD to recent Irish Times piece

Below is a response from my colleague Derek Nolan TD to an Irish Times piece on the recent Budget: 

"Sir, – The characterisation by columnist Fintan O’Toole of the recent budget as “the fourth regressive budget in a row” simply does not stand up to scrutiny (“The Irish Water debacle: why the State is heading towards being ungovernable”, Opinion & Analysis, November 5th) .

While the default setting of armchair generals like Fintan O’Toole is to criticise and denigrate everything that this Government, and particularly the Labour Party does, surely the general public has a right to expect a contribution that is somewhat more balanced and more factual than what I read.

Mr O’Toole claims that the combined impact of the tax and welfare measures and of water charges would reduce the income of the lowest income households by 1 per cent. Given that the Government has not yet completed the process of determining the precise details around charging for water – how much households will end up paying, how much they will receive in allowances, how it will be dealt with in terms of tax relief, what kind of supports they can expect from the Department of Social Protection, etc – I can only conclude that Mr O’Toole is in possession of some kind of crystal ball and that he knows more about the final outcome of these deliberations than any of the Government Ministers dealing with the matter!

Leaving that to one side, it seems to have conveniently escaped Mr O’Toole’s attention that as a result of this budget, the tax burden on high-earners has been increased, while the burden on lower earners has been reduced!

The facts are that as a result of Budget 2015: the 1 per cent of all earners on over €200,000 will account for 21 per cent of all taxes paid in 2015. This is up from 19 per cent in 2014. The 6 per cent of all earners on over €100,000 will account for 44 per cent of all taxes paid in 2015. This is up from 42 per cent in 2014. The 76 per cent of all earners on under €50,000 will account for 20 per cent of all taxes paid in 2015. This is down from 21 per cent in 2014. The benefit of decreasing income tax for high earners is capped at €70,000. A further 80,000 low-paid workers will be exempt from the universal social charge.

It also must have escaped his notice that as part of Budget 2015, there was a massive increase in investment in social housing. Alan Kelly announced that we would be investing €800 million in housing, so that we can begin delivering 7,500 family homes in 2015 and a total of 40,000 family homes in the coming years – the single biggest social housing announcement in the history of the State.

The social impact of initiatives like this may not be captured by the analytical models that think tanks, research groups and commentators have come to rely on, but in the real world they have a real impact on actual families.

In addition, spending on homelessness will increase by 20 per cent to €55 million, something that as a Labour TD I would warmly welcome.

Ahead of the budget, we said that we would take steps to reduce the pressure on working families, and to that end, we increased child benefit and introduced the new back-to-work family dividend, a scheme that will provide additional financial support to help jobseekers with families return to work. On top of that, all long-term welfare recipients will receive a Christmas bonus of 25 per cent of their weekly payment in light of the costs associated with this period.

While it may not chime with his consistently critical attitude to Labour, Mr O’Toole should out of fairness acknowledge these positive and progressive measures in a budget that took this country another step along the road to both economic and social recovery. – Yours, etc,

DEREK NOLAN, TD

Leinster House,

Dublin 2."

'Recovery Budget' Supports Low and Middle Income Earners

The guiding principle of Budget 2015 is to cement our economic recovery and to restore the living standards for Irish people for the first time in many years.

More money in peoples’ pockets

This budget will ensure people start to see the real benefits of recovery with money in their pockets.

Low and middle income earners in particular will notice an increase in take-home pay as a result of changes to the Universal Social Charge bands, with a further 80,000 low paid workers removed from paying USC altogether. This means a total of 410,000 low-paid workers will pay no USC at all. 

Those on social welfare will see the return of the Christmas bonus, at a 25% rate, and all families will benefit from a €5 per child increase in Child Benefit. 
It’s hugely important to note increases in Child Benefit and the Living Alone Allowance for older people, have been brought about by savings in the Department’s 2014 Budget as more people go off the Live Register and back to work.

Good news for education and public service recruitment

As a teacher, I welcome the protection of class sizes again in Budget 2015 and the announcement that 1,700 new teaching staff will be hired next year. This includes nearly 1,000 teachers, 400 teaching assistants and 300 special needs assistants. This will allow our schools to keep pace with the demographic demands being placed on them over recent years.

Budget 2015 will also bring a targeted end to the public service embargo, with 200 further Garda recruits by the end of the year and the opportunity for each Government department to make their own decisions on recruitment for the first time. 

Measures to tackle the housing crisis

As a public representative, I deal with people who are facing very difficult housing situations. I welcome the €800 million for social housing in 2015, and €2.2 billion in total over the next three years.

These are the kind of measures that are urgently needed to tackle the housing crisis. Overall, this large-scale investment will fund 10,000 housing units by 2018. 

Budget 2015 marks the end of the austerity era. It is balanced and fair and, importantly, is not a return to the boom and bust economics of the past. We must continue to work so this economic the recovery is felt by all in our society.

More information and resources

You can read more about Budget 2015, view resources and infographs here: http://www.budget.gov.ie/Budgets/2015/2015.aspx

#Heart2Heart Campaign

#Heart2Heart Campaign Launch. Photo: Marc O'Sullivan

This Saturday 11^th October marks the 26^th anniversary of National Coming Our Day, an internationally observed civil rights day, which highlights the benefits and opportunities that living openly offers to LGBT people.  

The fantastic LGBT Helpline deal with a lot of people who struggle face coming out. They've had about  23,500 contacts made to our service so far this year, seeking support and information on coming cut.

I was delighted to support the LGBT Helpline's #Heart2Heart campaign launch yesterday. 

You can watch the moving #Heart2Heart campaign here:

If you need support or information call 1890 929 539 or log onto http://www.lgbt.ie 

Primary Health Care Centre Gets Green Light in Finglas

I welcomed Dublin City Council’s decision today to grant planning permission for a new primary health care centre in Finglas. 

Visiting Blanchardstown Primary Care Centre 

The new centre, located on Mellowes Road in Finglas West, will bring together a team of health professionals to meet the needs of the people living in the wider Finglas area. 

The state-of-the-art health facility will have space for 10 GP clinics, and will provide a single point of contact to a whole host of medical services such as nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and nutrition and dietician services. 

I also strongly welcome the inclusion of an adult mental health out-patient service at the facility and confirmation from the HSE that the centre will be the new base for the Finglas Community Mental Health Team. 

Providing more of our healthcare at primary level is a key part of the Government’s health policy and has been Labour Party policy for many years. 

Free access to primary care is a vital building block of a more equitable health service – treating patients in their own community, facilitating early diagnosis and less complicated treatments. It’s good for patients, and good for the healthcare budget. 

The HSE held a series of consultations with the local community and took on board several concerns, particularly from residents who live beside the new centre, before submitting their final planning application. 

Dublin City Council have now approved these plans, albeit with nine clear conditions for construction, which means the centre can proceed to construction after several delays. 

Along with my Labour colleague and Finglas South resident, John Redmond, I supported a primary health centre based in the community from the beginning as I believe it will make a huge difference to people’s health all across Finglas. 

Today’s decision brings a fantastic health facility for all Finglas residents a step closer and I hope it can progress to construction as soon as possible.

Wage Rises for Low and Middle Income Earners

I appeared on the Last Word with Matt Cooper yesterday evening to discuss Labour calls for a conversation on increasing the minimum wage. Discussion starts from 1 min 30 seconds

HELP & ADVICE IS AVAILABLE FOR LEAVING CERT STUDENTS

Northside People feature on Helpline this week

Ahead of tomorrow's Leaving Cert results, I am reminding local students and parents about a free helpline which offers advice and support on the CAO process.  

Run by the National Parents’ Council, this free service is there to help during this difficult and stressful time for students who are receiving their results. It is important that students know that help is available for them, for any query they may have once they receive their Leaving Cert results.  

The phone service will see experienced guidance counsellors ready to handle a huge volume of calls over the next two weeks from students who are wondering about their options. Last year the service dealt with thousands of queries from all over the country.  

With this helpline, students and parents should be reassured that expert advice is just a phone call away. The Freephone number to keep close to hand is 1800 265 165, and will be open from morning to evening for the next few days.

As a local teacher for over a decade, I know it can be a very stressful time for students and parents alike and resources such as the helpline from the National Parents’ Council can provide much-needed support and information.

Plans for old Smurfit Site - Consultation for Local Residents

I've been informed that a public consultation about plans for the old Smurfit site on Botanic Road will take place on:

Date: Tuesday* 29th July 2014

Time: 5-8pm (as a drop in session)

Venue: The Maples House Hotel, 79-81 Iona Road

The consultation is being organised by Westhill, a UK-based property development company who recently purchased part of the old Smurfit site. 

I'm informed this consultation is being held prior to a planning application being lodged by the company in question.

I hope the developer can take on board any concerns residents may have about their plans and work with them to resolve any issues that arise. 

Residents will be able to view detailed plans, drawings and talk to the architectural and planning team on a drop in basis from 5pm to 8pm on the evening of Tuesday 29th. 

Please drop me a line in the meantime if you have any questions about the planning process or your rights as a local resident.

*Edited: Originally had stated Thursday 29th. Correction: consultation is on Tuesday 29th July.

BALLYMUN NEEDS A COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE - LYONS

The HSE and Department of Health need to put the needs of service users of Tús Nua Day Centre first and maintain a community-based service in Ballymun. 

This was the point I raised yesterday (see part of the debate in video above) about the closure of the Tús Nua Day Centre in a debate in Dáil Éireann with Minister of State Alex White.

I met a group of about 15 local people who rely on the Tús Nua service in Ballymun on Monday and they were very fearful about the future of the day centre.

Tús Nua is a safe haven for the 45 users of the services and a place where they can drop in to 4 or 5 times a week to talk to mental health professionals and to come to terms with problems they are experiencing.

Tús Nua helps local people deal with mental health issues through the likes of arts and crafts and cooking classes, as well as practical day-to-day advice around money management. It’s also an important social link to the wider community for a group of vulnerable people who may not otherwise leave their homes or engage with others at all.

I raised the importance of the service in the Dáil on Tuesday and the Minister stated in his response that the centre will not close until the HSE carry out an independent assessment of the needs of those attending the centre and find alternative placements and services for them.

If the HSE is committed to putting the needs of the services users first in the relocation of this service as they say, then they must work with the Social Inclusion Unit in Dublin City Council and other parties to find a more suitable centre in the local area for these people.

As I said when I raised this issue in the Dáil on Tuesday, the people who attend Tús Nua have already overcome adversity to begin engaging with a local service in Ballymun. If they have to move to another venue outside Ballymun, it will see these people put in an even more vulnerable position.

More information

A full transcript of the Dáil Topical Issue Debate and Minister’s response is available here.

Labour delivers new funding to deal with boarded up houses

I warmly welcome new funding of €3.9million to bring a 236 long-term vacant Dublin City Council homes back up to scratch and made available to families on the housing list.

Today’s announcement of a second round of funding means €7.1m will be given to Dublin City Council this year, to bring a total of 371 boarded up houses back into stock.

I speak to people on the housing list at my advice clinics every week who are fed up seeing boarded up houses in our community, at a time when there is a real housing shortage. Some of those houses stay that way for months, which has a knock on effect for the whole area.

Empty council homes also attract anti-social behaviour and illegal dumping, especially when they’re left empty for months on end.

This extra funding to the Council to renovate these void houses will be a great relief to neighbours who live beside these homes, as well as families who are on the housing list.

Nationally, Labour Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan is allocating €15m today for renovation works on 1008 local authority homes.

We need to invest more in social housing to tackle the huge problems there at the moment. My Labour colleagues and I will continue to push for more investment in social housing, and bringing ‘ready to go’ boarded up houses back into stock is a common sense approach as part of this aim.

€504,067 in Sports Capital Grants for Dublin North West

Today's funding of €504,067 in Sports Capital Grants to Dublin North West is a major investment in local sports clubs.

The Sports Capital Programme is the Government’s main way of supporting the development of sports facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment.

This year, there were 11 successful applications from clubs and sporting organisations in Dublin North West.

The largest allocation to the constituency was €200,000 for St. Kevin’s Boys Football Club followed closely by €147,565 for Erin’s Isle GAA Club in Finglas. This will greatly aid their continued development and ensure their success in the future.

It is also positive to note the allocation of €866,468 to Dublin City Council, which will go to amenities in city parks and recreational spaces.

The hard work of local communities and the standard of the applications made by local clubs have clearly paid off with these sports grants.

As a Government TD, I was delighted to have supported so many clubs in their efforts to get funding and the results are good news for clubs and sport in Dublin North West.

The clubs and groups which were allocated funding include:

€3,629 Charleville Lawn Tennis Club
€10,500 Clonliffe Harriers Athletic Club
€147,565 Erin’s Isle GAA Club
€697 Finglas Kempo Karate Club
€40,000 Glasnevin Lawn Tennis Club
€60,779 Home Farm FC
€27,141 McKelvey Celtic FC
€1,846 Sports Across Ireland
€200,000 St. Kevin’s Boys Club
€9,785 Whitehall Colmcille GAA Club
€2,125 Woodlawn Sportslink F.C.

€504,067 Total

More than two thousand clubs applied for funding and over 800 clubs received funding totalling €40.5m, which is a 33% increase in funding since the last round of Sports Capital Grants in 2012.

I have Pride in Labour

With the festivities of Dublin Pride weekend beginning tomorrow, I wrote this short piece about Labour’s role in achieving an Ireland based on equal citizenship regardless of sexuality or gender identity:

Pride for me has always been about people. It’s a human celebration and a statement that our society will only really be equal when all our citizens have the same rights.

As legislators, we work often behind the scenes over many months, to bring about positive change to our society. 

Over the next few months, the Dáil will look at key pieces of legislation for LGBT people, addressing issues around adoption and the modern family unit, equal rights in employment and official recognition of gender identities. 

While there is no doubt that Civil Partnership has been a major advancement for gay and lesbian couples, it falls short of full constitutional equality which is critical for the status, standing and dignity of all lesbian and gay people. 

A referendum on equal marriage in 2015 will allow each and every one of us to vote for equal citizenship and make a statement that we value the rights of gay and lesbian Irish people.

Prior to this referendum, the Children and Family Relationships Bill will address important issues like adoption rights, surrogacy and IVF, and will ensure our laws reflect the blend of Irish families that exist in our society today. 

This Bill will mean the children of lesbian and gay couples will be afforded the same rights as all other children.

As a teacher for 13 years, I recognise the ‘chill effect’ of Section 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act. Under the Act, religious-run educational and medical institutions can effectively discriminate against employees or prospective employees who do not ‘fit in’ with their ethos.  

This is not reflective of modern Ireland and I am very proud to be part of the Labour group of TDs and Senators that published a Bill to protect individuals working in our schools and hospitals against discrimination.

For far too long, the ‘T’ has been left silent in debates on LGBT rights. The Gender Recognition Bill, for the first time, will give our transgender citizens full legal recognition of their gender identity. 

Trans people have not been recognised or even acknowledged in our laws and this Bill is a statement that the State fully respects and recognises each citizen’s gender identity. If not for Labour in Government, I believe this important reform would not be happening and transgender issues would remain in the shadows of our society.

The Labour Party has championed LGBT issues when no one else would, and pushed for greater LGBT rights when it was not popular to do so. 

We were the first party to form an LGBT campaigning group and we have consistently been to the forefront in creating a more inclusive and equal Ireland. 

Labour in Government will continue to be a progressive voice on LGBT issues.

I am proud of this tradition and I’m proud to walk with my Labour friends and colleagues in Dublin this Saturday.

I would like to wish everyone a very happy Pride weekend!

CHANGE IN LAW WILL TACKLE ONLINE BULLYING AND ABUSE

Yesterday I welcomed 30 recommendations from the Internet Content Governance Advisory (ICGA) Group, which include proposals to tackle bullying and abusive messages sent online.

Many parents are concerned about the effects of bullying and harassment of their children online and the wide availability of harmful content.

Changing Legislation

One particular problem from a legal side of things has been that abusive and bullying messages sent through social media websites like Facebook and Twitter were not specifically dealt with under existing legislation.

I welcome the specific recommendation from the ICGA today to amend the Communications Regulation (Amendment) Act 2007 to include ‘electronic communications’ for the first time in terms of sending ‘offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing’ messages.

This will be an added protection for children and young people online.

Local Online Safety Campaign 

In my own area earlier this year, I launched an online safety campaign with local young people. This included conducting surveys with students and hosting a public meeting for parents, youth organisations and students to discuss how we as a country should deal with these issues.

Hosting a Public Meeting in St Kevin's Secondary School in March

I made a submission to the ICGA group following this public meeting meeting specifically around improving education and information for parents and children from a younger age and about encouraging social media companies and service provides to introduce greater protections for young people.

Other recommendations

Some of the other recommendations today will go a long way to addressing those concerns, such as including internet safety and digital literacy in the primary school curriculum, launching the National Council for Child Internet Safety and an awareness campaign for parents giving them more information to ensure their children are safe online.

Minister Pat Rabbitte set up this group due to growing concerns from parents about harassment and bullying of their children at any time of day, on computers, tablets and the smart phones in their pockets.

Minister Pat Rabbitte has now set up an implementation group across several Government Departments to make sure each of the recommendations are brought in as soon as possible.

Parents want their children to feel safe online and these recommendations will go a long way to achieving just that.

More information: 

- The Internet Content Governance Advisory Group’s full report – including 30 recommendations for 5 Government Departments – is available here: http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Broadcasting/ICG/

Equality must be at the heart of allocating Special Educational Resources

The proposals announced this week by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) on allocating teaching resources for students with special educational needs are a profound and positive step. 

The current scheme of allocating learning support to schools in my opinion is wrong, and has always been wrong. A scheme that allocates the same resources to all schools irrespective of the needs of an individual school perpetuates inequality. 

It creates an uneven playing field between parents who can afford to pay for a diagnosis and those who cannot. No child's educational outcome should ever be based on a parents’ ability to pay, but yet this is exactly what the current model allowed.

The new model of allocation of learning support to schools is a seismic shift in special education policy in Ireland, and will ensure that all children regardless of their financial background will have appropriate educational resources to support them to reach their real potential.

This model will ensure that the 11,000 resources teachers in our system will now be allocated on the basis of the individual school; taking into account criteria such as the number of children with complex special educational needs, the percentage of students performing below a certain threshold and the socio-economic context of the school.

Before I was elected to the Dáil, I worked for 13 years as a resource teacher in disadvantaged schools and I know only too well how many students went undiagnosed due to the current model. 

This new model will ensure that children with a special educational need, regardless of their background, will have adequate educational support so that they can reach their full potential.

I want to thank the NCSE for their proposal and I look forward to seeing these proposals being implemented at the earliest stage possible. 

More Information 

The NCSE’s proposed model - Delivering for Students with Special Educational Needs; A better and more Equitable way – is available here.

Responding to Concerns about new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP)

Minister for Housing sets record straight on how payment to replace Rent Supplement will work.

Speaking on a Dáil debate on housing in May

There has been a lot of inaccurate commentary and scaremongering about the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).

In particular, people are saying that anyone who accepts the new HAP payment will not be able to transfer to a Dublin City Council house.

I welcome the Minister for Housing Jan O'Sullivan's statement yesterday that this is not the case. 

The Minister said yesterday: "Opposition claims that recipients of HAP will be excluded from moving to other forms of social housing – such as traditional local authority housing or units provided by Approved Housing Bodies – are misleading and grossly inaccurate.

“The new system will specifically provide a route for HAP tenants to apply for other social housing options. HAP tenants will exercise this option through inclusion on a transfer list that allows tenants avail of a range of housing options. In allocation schemes adopted when HAP is in place, local authorities will make provision to allocate available units to people on the transfer list."

HAP is the most comprehensive reform of social housing support for years. Anyone currently receiving rent supplement or a landlord receiving it will know the current system is not fit for purpose and reform is needed.

What will the Housing Assistance Payment do differently?

• It will ensure that all long-term housing support is accessed through each local authority, rather than the current fractured system that involves the Department of Social Protection making payments, with people joining waiting lists to access the local authority system;
• It will ensure that people can take up employment and still retain housing support;
• It will improve standards of accommodation for tenants, with a more coherent system of inspection under the control of the local authority;
• It will remove the possibility of tenant arrears for landlords and encourage more landlords to accept housing assistance tenants.

I welcome the debate on the best way to support people receiving social housing support. It must be done based on facts and not used to scare a vulnerable group of people who are already worried about finding a long-term place to live.

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Positive news for Ballymun Shopping Centre as Council takes full ownership

Yesterday I welcomed the announcement today from Dublin City Council that it will acquire 100% of Ballymun Shopping Centre from NAMA and its receivers.

Dublin City Council already owned 47% of the Shopping Centre, and this decision today sees them take charge of the rest of the centre. This is excellent news for Ballymun and the wider area.

It makes complete sense for the Council to have control over the entire centre given their role in creating a viable retail heart for Ballymun. 

The Council have put a retail site north of the current centre out to tender so they are best placed to find solutions for the centre as part of the overall development of Ballymun Main Street.  

A new shopping centre has rightly been described as the final piece of the jigsaw for an improved Ballymun and its community. Local residents have waited far too long for the shopping facilities they deserve and today’s news brings that a step closer.

The future of Ballymun Shopping Centre must be looked at as part of a bigger picture of renewal, that includes looking at other vacant retail units around the community.

Ballymun’s role in regional economic development must not be overlooked either. It is ideally placed in north Dublin to take advantage of surrounding growth and new job opportunities. Dublin Airport is north Dublin’s largest employer, and there are continued jobs developments there and in our local university DCU. 

It forms part of the Green Way Cleantech cluster and Fingal County Council also have plans for further development on lands close to IKEA.

All of these stakeholders need to recognise Ballymun as a pivotal spot for business and regional development. 

As someone from the community, I will continue to work with Dublin City Council, the Ballymun 4 Business group and all other stakeholders to give the modern town of Ballymun the shopping facilities it needs and to bring new jobs to the area.

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€3.2M FOR DUBLIN TO BRING 135 BOARDED UP HOUSES BACK INTO STOCK

Finglas - Cabra Candidates Brendan Carr, Cllr John Redmond with John Lyons TD in Finglas

Along with Finglas-Cabra local election candidates Brendan Carr and Cllr John Redmond, I warmly welcomed the funding announcement of €3.2 million to bring 135 long-term vacant Dublin City Council homes back up to scratch and made available to families on the housing list.

Finglas Cllr John Redmond congratulated Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan on this positive scheme for the Finglas area.  

"I’ve lived in Finglas for 41 years with my family and boarded up houses have caused many issues for the local community over the years.

I know from my work with several residents associations that empty Council homes attract anti-social behaviour, especially when they’re left empty for months on end.

I worked to get the Choice Based Lettings scheme off the ground several years ago. This was a pilot in the Finglas area which offered empty homes in low-demand areas to people waiting on the housing list. It has made a big difference to local estates which previously had long-term vacant homes.

Today’s announcement will mean 135 long-term vacant houses will be brought into the housing stock very soon, which will be a great relief to neighbours beside these homes, as well as families who are on the housing list.”

I also stressed the benefits for Dublin and the country as a whole.

"As someone who meets people on the housing list every week, I know how frustrating boarded up houses are when you’re waiting to be housed. Some of those houses stay that way for months which has a knock on to the whole estate.

Overall Labour Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan is allocating €15m to make 932 local authority homes around the country available to families on the housing list. This is much needed for anyone in the area waiting on a housing list.

We need to invest more in social housing to tackle the huge problems at the moment. My Labour colleagues and I will continue to push for more investment in social housing, as well as practical schemes like the one announced today."

Raising the Importance of Dublin Fire Brigade Ambulance Service in Dáil Éireann

Yesterday, I raised a Topical Issue Debate on the Dublin Fire Brigade Emergency Ambulance Service. 

The DFB Ambulance Service is an exemplar service that is replicated by other fire-based emergency medical services around the world. 

In the Dáil, I called on the Minister to ensure any review being carried out is independent and recognises the quality of service provided by Dublin Fire Brigade as a starting point. 

You can watch the debate and my response to the Minister (at 8:14) here:

BALLYMUN RESIDENTS NEED CLARITY ON FUTURE OF SHOPPING CENTRE

Today I called on all stakeholders involved in Ballymun Shopping Centre to bring forward new plans after Tesco announced it would close its store in Ballymun Shopping Centre on 27th April. 

Tesco in Ballymun Shopping Centre

Local residents have known for some time that Tesco will eventually be closing, however, it still comes as a shock now that the date has been announced. 

First of all, it is welcome news that all 52 employees in Tesco will keep their jobs and be reassigned to other stores. This is hugely important for local employment, which has begun to recover in the last two years in line with the rest of the country.

The loss of Tesco to the shopping centre will of course be felt by local residents who rely on a supermarket in the shopping centre. It will also affect other local businesses in the centre who benefit from an anchor tenant like Tesco being there.

Unfortunately, the original plans for the site were stalled and the shopping centre site is now in NAMA. Since being elected, I have been in regular contact with NAMA and BRL in relation to this site and had met with the previous owners, Treasury Holdings, to get the ball rolling again on this project.

Original Plans for Ballymun Town Centre - Treasury Holdings 

I have provided local residents with regular updates on plans for the centre, particularly when a new plan was agreed between BRL, NAMA and Dublin City Council, for a 3 phase redevelopment last year.

These stakeholders now urgently need to come together and push forward with plans for Ballymun Main Street. 

As someone from the community, I will continue to work with all involved to give Ballymun Main Street the shopping facilities it needs and to bring new jobs to the area.

Local Meeting on Online Bullying - next Monday 10th March @ 7.30pm

I am hosting public meeting hosting on cyberbullying at 7.30pm on Monday, 10^th March in St Kevin’s Secondary School, Ballygall Road East, Dublin 11.

I know the issue of online bullying is a growing concern for parents, teachers and of course our young people. It may be an issue you have already engaged with in some way in your own work.

The panel for the discussion will be:

Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte TD; 

Brian O’Neill, Chair of the Internet Content Governance Advisory Group; 

Nigel O’Callaghan, Youth Engagement Officer with ReachOut.com.

The meeting is being held as part of a local online safety campaign and survey I carried out in several schools in the constituency. 

The Internet Content Governance Advisory Group, set up by Minister Rabbitte is also accepting submissions from the public until 18^th March and I will make a submission arising from the discussion at the meeting. 

I very much welcome your input in this regard, even if you are unable to attend on Monday 10^th.

I look forward to talking to you on Monday 10^th March and using the discussions at the meeting to inform my submission on the subject. 

Youth Entrepreneurship Fund a key part of 2014 Action Plan for Jobs

I warmly welcome the inclusion of the Youth Entrepreneurship Fund in the Action Plan for Jobs 2014 and the overall focus on entrepreneurship to create further jobs.

Today’s announcement of the Action Plan for Jobs for 2014 contains 385 actions to be implemented across all Government Departments, including 26 actions in the section on entrepreneurship.

As part of these actions, an additional €3.5 million is being provided to support start-ups and expansions and to fund the Youth Entrepreneurship Fund. 

This new fund will be managed through the new Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), a ‘first stop shop’ service for local start-ups and small businesses.

As Vice Chair of the Oireachtas Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Committee, I helped launch a cross-party report last year, Creating Policies that Work, that specifically recommended the setting up of a €1 million Youth Entrepreneurship Fund on a two-year trial basis.

I brought the Youth Entrepreneurship Fund proposal before the Labour Parliamentary Party who endorsed the proposal this time last year. It’s great news this has been carried forward and included in 2014 Government Action Plan.

Why set up this Fund?

Given that youth unemployment in Ireland is at 24%, a Youth Entrepreneurship Fund serving those under 25 is a signal to our young people that we believe in their talent and are willing to back them. 

Speaking at the Youth Guarantee launch in Digital Skills Academy last year

Those availing of the fund could also be given business mentoring supports as part of country-wide implementation of the Youth Guarantee scheme, which is another key measure in the 2014 Action Plan.  

Many young people have stated their difficulties in accessing start-up credit, due to their age and perceived lack of business experience. 

I was left in no doubt that these barriers are preventing business ideas being realised and potentially costing us jobs that we can ill afford to pass up.

Roll of Committee Work - Leads to Actions

Many of the key recommendations of the Creating Policies that Work, such as a Youth Guarantee; a Youth Entrepreneurship Fund, and the use of Social Clauses in public contracts, were included in the 2013 Action Plan and I am glad the Youth Entrepreneurship Fund and the Youth Guarantee will be rolled out and further expanded in the 2014 plan.

The whole-Government approach of the Action Plan for Jobs is working. 

It was also announced today that 61,000 jobs were created last year, meaning we’ve gone from a situation where 1600 jobs a week were being lost in 2012 to now where over 1200 jobs a week are being created. 

I will continue to work in my capacity as Vice Chair of the Oireachtas Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Committee to ensure we bring forward more ideas to help tackle unemployment in the country.

More information

You can read the full Action Plan for Jobs 2014 here. 

You can read my previous tatements on Youth Entrepreneurship & Action Plan for Jobs here and here.

"Just like my mam, I believe that Irish people are willing to open their hearts and accept change"

Last week in the Dáil, I raised the recent controversy about RTÉ and the reported €85,000 pay-out they made to several individuals following a discussion on The Saturday Night Show about what homophobia is.

As I spoke I thought about a conversation I had with my mam in the kitchen in Ballymun about 10 years ago. I had come out as being gay already at this stage and conversation turned to the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry.

I was a little taken aback with my mam’s attitude to gay marriage. While she had no issues with gay people, or my own identity, she was against same-sex marriage and it made her quite uncomfortable. At that time there weren’t even Civil Partnerships in Ireland, so I imagine her opinions were shared by a lot of people.

Do I think that made my mam a homophobe for thinking this way? Absolutely not!

My mam is a good example of the ‘decent folk’ that make up Irish society. She is the same loveable person that she was 10 years ago. Slowly, however, over time, her opinions have changed about the rights of gay people to marry. I put this down to her willingness to open her heart to what life presents her.

In the years that followed, Civil Partnerships were introduced for gay and lesbian people and I think they’ve changed a lot of people’s opinions on the rights of gay couples.

I have a great memory of all my family, including my mam, going to the Civil Partnership ceremony of my sister’s best friend a couple of years ago. It was a very happy occasion with friends and family celebrating a couple who had been together for well over a decade.

Over the last two weeks there has been a lot of public debate on the rights of gay people to marry in the same manner as straight couples. A lot of different things have been said. I believe this debate has been a good thing. I also think that over the last two weeks many people have come out in support for the right of gay and lesbian people to marry. 

In 2015, the Irish public will vote on a referendum on this issue. Just like my mam, I believe that Irish people are willing to open their hearts and accept change.

And I believe they will open up their hearts like they did this week and vote yes to extend equal rights to their sons and daughters, their brothers and sisters, friends and fellow citizens.  

This blog post appeared as an opinion piece in the The Irish Sun newspaper on Sunday 9th February.

Other media from last week:

You can send the end of my contribution in the Dáil chamber here:

 


I also spoke to Ryan Tubridy on his radio show on Friday reflecting on recent events - you can listen to my interview here as well.