Category — Media/Press Releases

The mire in which successive Fianna Fáil Government’s policies, particularly in relying on property, have left us can begin to be remedied by putting in place an €11 billion investment programme that will deliver 100,000 jobs over four years, Fine Gael Environment Spokesman, Phil Hogan TD said.

The Fine Gael Environment Spokesman made his comments in Killarney while addressing the AGM of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers.

“What happened in the last five years to the property market will, I believe, in time come to be seen of a textbook case of how not to manage an economy. However, the causes go far deeper with the failure of banking systems and the absolute disaster of overall Government policies leaving Ireland at our most perilous state since the 1930’s.

“The banking industry needs to be restructured with the issue of toxic assets reviewed. However, NAMA is not the way forward. I believe that the current NAMA model will lead to a bonanza for accountants and lawyers, maybe even for some auctioneers as they battle to maximise for their clients the value of assets being bought by NAMA. Fine Gael would rather see a system where the good performing loans are taken out into new banks and the existing banks have the responsibility of cleaning up their own mess.

“The fundamental requirement for the economy is to free up bank balance sheets to get lending flowing again. The Fine Gael plan will do that and will get credit flowing again.

“However, this is nowhere near enough to turn around our economy. We need to regain that spirit of innovation, build competitiveness and renew our infrastructure. And we need a jobs package. Fine Gael has spelled out how to do this in our Rebuilding Ireland document.

“In it we outline an investment of €11 billion over the next four years. And as a by-product of this investment there will be 100,000 jobs created in the short-term across the country. The funding of this investment would be done on a commercial basis so there would be no increase in the National Debt. We estimate that €11bn could be invested from a combination of the National Pension Fund, the European Central bank and a Consumer Bond. It beats an investment in bank shares.

“This upgrade of our infrastructure would increase our competitiveness, reduce our dependence on energy imports and create a cleaner environment. We will establish a new State holding Company – NewERA. The ownership of a wide range of existing and new State companies involved in energy, transport and communications will be vested in NewERA. Among the existing state companies that will be moved under NewERA will be the ESB, Eirgrid, An Post, Bord Gais, Bord na Mona, Coillte and the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANS). Some of these may be sold off as they become less essential to our economic well being nationally. So these could be sold off to fund further investment and development.

“In case you are bothered about bureaucracy, NewERA will be a holding Company and will employ less than 100 people. 100,000 new jobs will turn the tide of despair and hopelessness. €11 billion will create real investment and competitiveness.

“It is in everyone’s interest to get the property market moving again. At its peak, the investment market was worth €3 billion this year we will be lucky to reach €300 million. Through reform, dealing with the problem of oversupply and funding from banks we believe this can begin to happen. At the very least a VAT cut on the 13% rate needs to be implemented as this would, on average, reduce the prices of new houses by 10%.”

 FG Local Govt Plan will drive job creation and abolish quangos

Abolish/merge 95 quangos + freeze rates for 5 years

Fine  Gael Environment Spokesman Phil Hogan TD has  set out his  Party’s  plans  to  reform  Local  Government:  ‘Power to the People –
Bringing Local Government Back to the People’. This latest Fine Gael policy is another ambitious plan to completely shake up Government structures, and follows  similar  proposals  for  the  Oireachtas, healthcare and education reform.

The  Fine  Gael plan will see Local Government become the primary driver of business  support  and development at local level. It will involve 95 State bodies  being  merged  or abolished, saving millions of euros for taxpayers every year, and freezing local business rates for the next five years.

“Local  Government  must  play  an integral role in dragging Ireland out of recession  and  in  driving  job  creation. However, Local Government is in limbo,  if  not  in  crisis.  Local  Government has lacked a strong primary mission  for  decades  with  power and services being devolved to unelected ‘quangos’. Fine Gael will change all that. Our plan, ‘Power to the People’, will see:

Local  Government  become  the primary driver of business support and development  at  local level. This will involve ending the wide-scale  duplication  of  services  among  unelected  bodies and bringing them  under  one  roof in Local Authorities to create a one-stop-shop. Fine  Gael-controlled  Councils  will  freeze  local business rates for the next 5 years;  Ninety-five   quangos   merged   or  abolished:  53  bodies  will  be  amalgamated  into  Local Government with the complete abolition of 42  more. This will result in an administrative saving to the taxpayer of over €70 million a year;  In  planning,  separate  transport  and  education  plans  need to be  included  in  the planning process and in County and City Development Plans;  Fine  Gael will support a directly-elected Lord Mayor for Dublin City   for   a  term  of  five  years  from  2014  provided  that  relevant, significant powers for the Mayor have been decided;   Simple  reforms  in  the  structure  of  Local  Government to improve   services  to both the public and elected representatives, including a  special  customer service unit which will be uniform across all local  authorities based on best practice.

“We want to see savings and efficiencies rather than new taxes and charges . We  need  to  restore  trust,  services  and  responsibility  back to Local Government.  Putting  Local  Government  back  into  a  central role in the community  will  result in greater community cohesion, better services, and more  employment opportunities, all the while saving millions of taxpayers’ hard-earned millons.

Urgent need for Credit Institutions Amendment Bill.

Speaking  in the Seanad, Fine Gael Senator Paul Coghlan welcomed the Tanaiste’s announcement of her intention to bring forward legislation to amend the Companies Act, increasing the powers of the Director of Corporate Enforcement but said the measures do not go far enough.

“While I welcome the Minister’s stated intention to introduce legislation to enhance the powers of the Director of Corporate Enforcement with regard to transparency, loans to Directors and powers to enforce compliance, these measures do not go far enough as they do not give leave to the Director to investigate Building Societies and Credit Unions.

“The suggestion has been made that this loophole will be closed in the future however we should not have to wait another day on this matter in light of the recent disturbing allegations in relation to Anglo Irish Bank, Irish Life and Permanent and Irish Nationwide, which is a Building Society not a company.

“There is no excuse for such a large section of the financial sector to be excluded from investigation when such a prima facie case exists. As the Government is aware our Private Members Bill, The Credit Institutions Amendment Bill, provides for the removal of this anomalous situation and I would urge the Government to accept it forthwith.”

Ballygarvan School boost

The long running campaign for a new primary school in Ballygarvan received a boost when a proposal from Cllr Deirdre Forde formally recommended disposal of 0.245 acres if land to Cork Diocesan Trustees. This land is required as part of the process to develop a new school, as the number of pupils has risen from 145 to 265 in the past decade and space is limited. Cllr Forde who has two nephews attending the school, said disposal was of immense importance.

Crosshaven
Cork County council are preparing a tourism strategy document, covering an area from Kinsale to Youghal. Crosshaven and the harbour are central to this. The provision of an integrated tourist product including development of the forts for access to the public along with the marketing of this facility will be central to the growth of Crosshaven. The increase in the population of Crosshaven, its proximity to Cork city and with the planned reintroduction of the Cork–Swansea ferry would given this area a huge economic boost.

Carrigaline Citizens Information Centre

The Carrigaline Citizens Information Centre is situated in the portacabin in the Owenabue Car Park on the Main Street of Carrigaline. The information centre is open Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 1.30pm and the telephone number for enquiries is 021 4376793.
This is a free confidential information advice and advocacy service.

Ringaskiddy still waiting for traffic calming

€10,000 has been allocated for traffic calming 3 years ago but there is no allocation from the National Roads Authority for 2009. A lot of industrial traffic uses the road and the main road through Ringaskiddy is wide and difficult to cross. With plans for a playground, traffic calming is needed in the area more than ever.

N28 Project

Following the decision by government to postpone the upgrade of the Cork to Ringaskiddy road, in favour of the major inter-urban routes, this project has slipped further down the scale. The decision has huge consequences for the entire region and in particular for the future viability for Cork Harbour and the industries based there.

Road in Passage Estate

The roads serving St Marys and St Josephs Terraces in Rockenham, are in dire need of resurfacing. The pedestrian crossing is also in need of upgrading with more markings and signs as it is a hazard. The matters have been referred to the Area Engineer for investigation.

Derelict property on Rochestown Road

Cllr Forde welcomed the action by Council to make secure a derelict property in a prominent position on Rochestown Road.

Home Energy Saving scheme

I am pleased to inform you that the scheme is now open for Homeowner applications. Full details about the scheme, including the application form may be found on the website at www.sei.ie/hes. You can also apply online.

Graffiti – immediate removal is the only solution

“Concerned people and community groups are desperate to help themselves but often do not know what they can do and how easy it can be. I worked with residents groups in the past doing graffiti clean ups and they were very successful and additionally they actually built community spirit too” Tom Solan, client services manager Safe Graffiti Removal Ltd, a former Graffiti Officer with London Borough Council, LBC.

The solution is DIY Graffiti Removal by the provision of graffiti removal kits. This acknowledges the fact that the Council, although supportive of community efforts, cannot do everything. The way forward is encouraging local interest groups to take ownership in the community.

Some prevention methods that help deter graffiti vandals from using walls:

Attractive To Vandals Not So Attractive To Vandals
Smooth Surface Rough Surface
Light-Coloured Surface Dark-Colored
Regular paint Anti-graffiti shield
Patched and dirty Clean and freshly painted surfaces

Tips to make it harder for vandals to get close enough to your walls to write on them:

Use Clinging plants such as ivy, on vulnerable walls. This breaks up the writing space and makes it harder for the paint to reach the wall.
Plant bushes in front of walls (make sure no windows or doors are too close!). This will make it harder for vandals to get close to the wall.
Erect fences between your business and public property. This helps people know where the boundaries are, and also makes it harder for graffiti vandals to get close enough to your wallsResearch has shown that the most effective way to prevent graffiti is prompt removal.

Studies show that removal within 24 to 48 hours result in a nearly zero rate of re-occurrence.

Safe Graffiti Removal is presently supplying graffiti removal kits to county council, local authorities, residents associations, schools. For further information, go to www.safegraffitiremoval.ie

I am pleaesd to say that Fine  Gael  TD  Fergus  O’Dowd  has written to the Chairman of the Irish Stock  Exchange and the Financial Regulator to ask whether they have any knowledge  of  allegations  concerning share  dealings in AIB shares at Goodbody’s,  as  made  by  former  AIB  auditor  Eugene  McErleane.
The  allegations  were made by Mr McErleane in the Oireachtas Regulatory Affairs  Committee,  who  also  told  the  Committee  that the Financial Regulator knew about overcharging by AIB in 2001.
Deputy  O’Dowd, a member of the Oireachtas Regulatory Affairs Committee, has  asked  the  Stock Exchange Chairman and Financial Regulator whether they have  knowledge  of any reports or documentation on these matters,  and if so, whether they would be willing to publish the material. The  Deputy  also  called on  the Chairman and Regulator to specify any actions taken on foot of any such material.

FF Govt Used Retrospective Law to take Money off OAPs, it can do the same for €1m Bonus Banker

The last Fianna Fail Government introduced retrospective legislation to legalise nursing home fees for thousands of elderly people in long stay care institutions and should, according to Fine Gael Leader Enda KennyT.D., adopt a similar retrospective approach to force the return of the €1m bonus paid to Irish Nationwide boss Michael Fingleton.

The Fine Gael Leader went on to point out that an amendment (see note below) proposed by Richard Bruton to the bank guarantee legislation in October last, which was rejected by the Government, could have prevented the payment of this bonus payment and could now be implemented retrospectively to achieve the same outcome.

“After huffing and puffing for thirty six hours about the Irish Nationwide bonus payment of €1m the Government have reverted to type and responded with a whimper to the outrage caused by this obscene payment.
Commissioning a report, in a month’s time, to deal with this very immediate issue is a pathetic yet unsurprising response from this Government.  It has been said many times before but the truth remains that this Government are always one report away from taking action on any issues of substance.

“The core of this affair is that a €1m bonus was paid by a Bank after it had to be bailed out by the taxpayer.  At a time when we were told that banks had to try to rebuild confidence and capital reserves Irish Nationwide were depleting both with this payment. It is not right and it is not fair that when thousands of families are facing sky high rates for personal debt, enormous fees to switch from fixed to variable rate mortgages and live in fear of losing their home that a select few at the top of Irish banking act as if they exist in a vacuum.

“Instead of being paralysed by events the Government should remember the speed and decisiveness they showed when retrospectively making nursing home fees legal.  When it came to legalising nursing home fees the Government had no problem acting.  I’m now challenging them to act with the same speed and adopt the Fine Gael amendment from last October and retrospectively give themselves the power to block this obscene bonus payment.  Rather than kick the matter to touch they have the opportunity to act decisively and deal with the matter in a swift and decisive fashion.”

Further to numerous representations by me over the past four years and more recently in relation to a revised road widening scheme for above I now wish to advise Council are currently re examing the proposal.  In the earlier scheme (for which we received Part 8 planning) there were cycle tracks throughout.  The redesigned scheme will reduce or eliminating these cycle tracks.  The amount of Compulsary Purchase Orders and therefore the cost of the proposal will  be reduced given the current economic climate.

• It is intended to develop the section between Maryborough Hill and Mount Oval. 
• Construction would take approx 2/3 years depending on finance and other matters.
• Traffic Study of Douglas/Rochestown will commence shortly.
• Development plans for lower Clarke’s Hill will be postponed pending results of Study
• Council hope to publish Part 8 for revised scheme in early Summer 2009.
• When Part 8 is adopted Council  will improve facilities for the bus in the area.
• There is a Department of Transport grant of 100,000 towards the proposal for 2009

However, I have to advise that within the past two weeks Council was informed that it is not allowed to embark on any new non national road projects until a review by the Government of its existing financial commitments is completed, having regard to the current difficult economic situation.  This embargo even applies to projects which have already been approved for funding such as the 400,000 traffic calming scheme on the Rochestown Road, the proposed western relief road for Carrigaline and the Green Routes serving Douglas and Carrigaline. 

The fact that this proposal was first mooted in 2005 and hasn’t moved forward is highly regrettable and deeply unsatisfactory and points to inefficiencies in the system at local level..  Residential planning continued to be granted in the area. Development charges continued to be gathered.  Delayed action, coupled with the current crisis in funding, may mean that this project is once again at a snails pace. 

Be assured that I will continue to voice concerns and highlight the urgent necessity for progress on the matter.

No Fair Deal for farmers

Fine Gael called on the  Government to amend the Fair Deal nursing home scheme after it emerged that entire farm holdings could be confiscated by the State as payment for nursing home care.This is a monumental oversight by the Government and it must be amended immediately. This scheme, which places a 5% charge over a maximum three  year period on the family home, has no limitation clause concerning what other assets can be absorbed by the State. So an asset like a family farm can be levied at 5% per year for as long as a person remains in private nursing home care. Over time this could lead to the value of an entire farm holding being owed to the State. This anomaly will cause major concerns for elderly farmers who may have considered using the ‘Fair Deal’ package as a way to access nursing home  care, as well as sufferers of debilitating illnesses who may be confined to nursing homes at a young age.

The Minister for Agriculture must act now and ensure that farmers are  not  unfairly  exposed  to what  is clearly a drafting error on the Government’s behalf.

 One third of penalty points issued given to drivers without a driving licence

 FG calls for uninsured vehicles to be impounded

 As  Gardaí  prepare a motoring crackdown for St Patrick’s Day, Fine Gael has revealed that one third of  drivers who receive penalty points for breaking the law do not have a valid driving licence, including almost every single driver stopped for having no insurance.

 According to official Road Safety Authority (RSA) figures, a staggering  188,581  of  the  total  of  608,324 current penalty points could not be  enforced.  Almost  100%  of  all  penalty  points  for  driving without  insurance  were  issued to drivers without a valid driving licence. Most worrying  of  all  is  the  fact  that a quarter of drivers who received  penalty  points  for  their  role in a fatal or serious accident did not have  a  valid licence. These shocking figures confirm that thousands of  motorists are driving around without a driving licence.

 Other  RSA  figures  reveal a clear link between unlicensed drivers and  the most serious offences, including driving without insurance and fatal  accidents. 

 Current powers are simply too weak to clamp down on the growing problem  of  unlicensed  drivers.  For  a  start, Gardaí should get new powers to  impound  uninsured  vehicles,  with  the vehicles only being returned on proof of insurance.

 Fine Gael will also put down amendments to the Road Traffic & Transport  Bill  when  it  comes  before  the  Dáil in a few weeks’ time. We cannot  tolerate  a  situation where a third of all penalty points are literally  not  worth the paper they are written on, because the driving licence in question does not even exist.