North County News

Alan

Edition 4, Autumn 2012

Farrell TD Working for you in Fingal

www.alanfarrell.ie

North County Newsletter Dear Resident, As the next Dáil Term approaches, this newsletter will bring you up to date on some of the significant changes that have happened in Government over the past few months.

I hope to provide you with an insight into some leading issues for Dublin North and Fingal, as well as across the nation. Many important pieces of legislation were introduced in the previous Dáil term, such as the Personal Insolvency Bill. We have also introduced several pieces of legislation to support small business and entrepreneurs as part of the Action Plan for Jobs, some of which I have outlined in this newsletter.

One of the major issues that will continue to develop in North County Dublin is the implementation of the Pyrite Panel Report.

This is a hugely important issue for many homeowners and I am pleased to see that a resolution is in sight.

If you wish to receive continuous updates via email throughout the year, please email ‘subscribe’ to alan.farrell@oir.ie.

Alan

Weekend Voting Bill I have recently introduced a Bill to the Dáil to provide for the holdings of elections and referenda on Saturdays or Sundays.

Currently, elections and referenda and the resulting counts take place on weekdays which results in a number of problems such as the interruption of our children’s education and the inability of people to return home to vote.

Over 1,162 primary schools and 67 secondary schools were used as polling stations in our most recent referendum. This resulted in the 19 schools in Dublin North alone being closed for the day, interrupting tuition for thousands of pupils and forcing parents to make alternative childcare arrangements. Extra school days are then added to Order of Business – Alan Farrell TD introduces the end of the year.

Bill to the House to legislate for weekend voting Weekday polls also directly impact the delivery of our local services. Many of those who man polling stations and count centres are local authority staff who are seconded from their work to perform electoral duties.

It is regrettable that holding of polls during the week impacts on the work of these teachers and local authority staff. Ultimately, it is the taxpayer who foots the bill.

In addition, holding polls on a Saturday or Sunday would also facilitate more people to vote. Many people from rural areas who are working or studying away from home cannot get to their polling station to vote during the week due to these commitments. Weekend polls would enable these people to get home to engage with the democratic process.

If you wish to receive continuous updates via email throughout the year, please email ‘subscribe’ to alan.farrell@oir.ie

Local retail Jobs Boost for Swords

In good hands – people young and old had something to say

I recently attended the launch of the expansion of the Boots store in The Pavilion Shopping Centre in Swords, on Wednesday 16th August. This expansion brings the welcome news of 12 new jobs for the area and provides some welcome positivity among the local retail industry.

In May 2012, I welcomed An Taoiseach Enda Kenny T.D, alongside Minister James Reilly TD to The Pavilion Shopping Centre in Swords. This is the busiest shopping centre in the constituency was a real opportunity for locals to speak with An Taoiseach.

Jobs boost for Swords – Deputy Alan Farrell, FG Cllr. Anthony Lavin & Mayor Cian O’Callaghan at the launch of the extended Boots store in The Pavilion Shopping Centre.

Alan Farrell TD - Working for you in Fingal

Government response to Pyrite Panel Report The Pyrite Panel issued its report and recommendations to provide a solution for homeowners affected by pyrite in Dublin North.

The report has recommended that all relevant stakeholders across the industry (including the construction industry, banking sector, insurance industry and quarries) should bear the cost of repairing pyrite-affected homes.

It also recommends the establishment of a standardised testing regime.

I would like to set out the steps that we as a Government have taken since the publication of this report in order to fulfil its commitment to

intervene in this matter and find a resolution for homeowners.

Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan T.D. has been holding a series of meetings with key stakeholders such as the Construction Industry Federation, the Irish Concrete Federation, Homebond, the Irish Insurance Federation and the Irish Banking Federation since the report was issued.

A deadline of the end of September 2012 has been set for all the relevant stakeholders to report back to the Minister with their proposals to resolve the problem.

Minister Phil Hogan has announced that the ‘smoky coal ban’ regulations are to be revised in Dublin North in time for the next winter fuel season.

This is the most extensive revision to the smoky coal ban since its introduction more than twenty years ago.

As a result, Dublin North will benefit from cleaner air and a healthier environment for our children.

According to research, since the 1990 ban on smoky coal in Dublin City, there have been 350 fewer deaths each year.

Balbriggan/Skerries Sewerage Scheme

Environment Monies have been granted by Minister for riggan/Skerries Balb the nd expa and ade Phil Hogan to upgr ard in forw step r majo sewer network. The project is a r quality wate oving impr and ork netw ing exist upgrading the in the area. per trip.

oad Smoke Free Portranse R Playgrounds Repair enced in July to Fingal County Council will be adopting a smoke free playground policy in the coming weeks, following a successful pilot in Blanchardstown and a period of public consultation.

Works comm rane Road R126 repair the Port orks on the sewer w following the tion. This is a la al st in k or g tw ne pment followinin lo ve de e e welcom m ti of period on from a longs endured difficult nt de si re which ions. driving condit

VEC awards Patronage of Lusk Secondary School A decision was made recently with regard to the patronage of the secondary school in Lusk which is to be fast tracked by the Department of Education.

I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the VEC for its successful bid for patronage of this new school.

The Minister for Education set up an independent advisory board to ensure that the appointment of this patron would be an objective process.

Patrons were asked to provide evidence of parental demand, as well as their proposals to provide for extending or strengthening diversity of provision in each area.

Earlier this year I wrote to all parents in Lusk with details on

how to officially support to their preferred patron, to ensure that all parents had the opportunity to express their points of view.

I would like to extend my best wishes to the VEC in this new venture, as well as all students and families of Lusk that will benefit from this vital facility for generations to come.

Balbriggan Congratulations to An Foras Pátrúnachta who will be the patron of the new second level school in Balbriggan. However, there was a high level of parental demand identified as part of this process for alternative language provision in these areas. For this reason the Department will be making provision to cater for this demand in the medium term.

Dublin North Constituency to Dublin Fingal Due to a boundary redraw in by the Constituency Commission, the Dublin North constituency will be changed to Dublin Fingal, and will included all of Swords, Po r t m a r n o c k , Balgriffin, St. Margaret’s and Kilsallaghan.

The change will take place after the next General Election, and will mean one extra representative for the Fingal area, as the number of TDs will rise from four to five, taking into account the ever expanding population of the north county.

Clinic Times in Fingal First Monday of each month Donabate Community Centre 7.00 - 7.30pm Lusk Murray’s

7.45 - 8.15pm Rush Rush Community Centre 8.30 - 9.00pm First Thursday of each month Skerries Community Centre Balbriggan Town Hall Swords Senior Citizens Centre

6.30 - 7.00pm 7.15 - 7.45pm 8.00 - 8.30pm

Follow Alan Online!



€55,000 has been allocated to Fingal under the Anti-Litter and Anti-Graffiti Awareness Scheme to promote greater public awareness in relation to litter and graffiti, as well as supporting vital voluntary community groups.

If you wish to receive continuous updates via email throughout the year, please email ‘subscribe’ to alan.farrell@oir.ie

Smoky Coal Ban

otes

th N r o N n i l b u D Graffiti Allocation

In the event of a consensus cannot being reached, Government have made it very clear that it will have no choice but to impose a payment method through legislation.

A helpline has been set-up to provide information on the report. Call 1890 800 800 or email pyriteinformation@environ.ie directly if you have any queries. You can download the report on www.environ.ie/en/PyriteReport.

If you’d like to keep up to date with Alan online, you can follow him on Twitter or Facebook www.facebook.com/alanfarrelltd www.twitter.com/alanfarrell www.alanfarrell.ie

Alan Farrell TD - Working for you in Fingal

@

Action Plan for Jobs –

Action Plan for Jobs –

Dublin North has a large business and self starter community, however access to credit along with the burden of red tape are two of the biggest challenges for the industry across all sectors.

Here are some the 15 schemes that have recently been launched as part of the Jobs Action Plan to help business and start-ups access credit and cutting costs through reducing red tape.

For more information please email my office at alan.farrell@oir.ie.

Foreign Direct Investment

Focus on Self Employed

Micro Enterprise Loan Scheme

New and very small viable businesses can lack the collateral and credit track record to access normal bank credit. To combat this Minister Bruton has announced a €20 million investment fund to lend sums of €25,000 to viable small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Temporary Partial Loan Guarantee Scheme

This will help commercially viable Small Medium Enterprises struggling to get finance. The State will provide 75% guarantee to banks against losses on loans for firms with growth potential. It will support businesses that have insufficient collateral, and those that are operating in sectors with which the banks are not familiar.

Website to cut red tape

The less time employers have to spend on red tape, the more they can spend on growing their business.

Businessregulation.ie provides over 150 separate links to information, guidance and contact details. This includes practical advice on how to start up a business, how to comply with regulations, and sector-specific information.

Progress Report 2012

Private Sector Employment

IDA companies have announced a total of over 5,000 jobs in the first six months of this year, on course to reach a similar number in2011 which saw the best net job increase since 2002.

Enterprise Ireland

Enterprise Ireland’s annual report for 2011 shows that companies it supported it achieved a record €15.2billion in exports for that year, and a stabilisation in job numbers in companies supported by them for the first time after 3 years.

911 new jobs will be created in 53 companies supported by Government through Enterprise Ireland over the next three years in as part of its New High Potential Start-Up Programme.

y

Private sector employment started to has started grow for the first time in several years At the end of March there were 8,700 more people working in accommodation and food services than when we came into office.

Groups representing the tourism sector have attributed this to the Jobs Initiative.

Tourist numbers have increased in the first half of 2012, with almost 3 million visitors in the first half of 2012.

Income Tax

Income tax is €215 million (3.1%) ahead of profile at the half-way point in the year and income tax receipts have been consistently ahead of monthly targets this year.

Exports

Goods exports were up by 7% in May of this year. We are delivering important measures and supports through tax changes and in Enterprise Ireland to allow Irish companies to further increase exports.

Job numbers in sectors Industry +2,000 job on March 2011 Wholesale and Retail + 2,000 on March 2011 ICT + 5,000 on March 2011

Cracking the ‘code’ to our IT future; Alan Farrell TD and Minister Ciaran Cannon join computer coding enthusiasts, aged 7 – 17, demonstrating that Ireland is serious about our IT future.

For more information on CoderDojo visit www.coderdojo.ie

Personal Insolvency Bill will reform debt resolution in Ireland The new Personal Insolvency Bill 2012 will fundamentally reform Ireland’s insolvency laws, to allow a workable solution for those struggling to cope with unmanageable debt by a non-judicial means.

There are various arrangements that the Bill will legislate for, for both secured and unsecured debts, designed to ensure that debtors stay in their homes.

A Personal Insolvency Service will be established to oversee the implementation and will facilitate negotiation for the

applicant with their lender, while the reduction in the discharge of bankruptcy from 12 to 3 years will give banks the necessary incentive to achieve a resolution.

It does not provide for the automatic write-off of negative equity. It is designed to assist those who cannot keep their head above water. The implementation of this legislation is a top priority for the Government and should be in place before the end of the year.

Working toward Personal Insolvency Reform; Alan Farrell T.D. invites Free Legal Advice Centres Ltd. PILA Manager Larry Donnelly, Director General Noeline Blackwell and EO Emer Butler to give a talk to members and staff in Leinster House about their role

Alan Farrell TD - Working for you in Fingal

Action Plan for Jobs; Local Updates

programme developed by The Action Plan for Jobs is a targeted various sectors by 2016. in jobs 000 100, Government to deliver me will be delivered on a While the benefits of this program recent announcements of e som been national basis, there have direct benefit to Dubin North.

Investment in Dublin North g seafood processin Rockabill Shellfish Ltd has received

Balbriggan seafood processing firm from a Government/EU scheme, an investment of just over €109,000 potential while creating much r’s secto the se which will help to reali needed jobs. any is part of a broader national The investment in the Balbriggan comp orted by grants under the EU supp is h whic on, milli 5 investment of €15. stment Scheme.

Inve ness co-funded Seafood Processing Busi

Boost for Balbriggan Enterprise and Training Centre

The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has allocated a Business Development Manager to the Balbriggan Enterprise and Training Centre.

This announcement alone should increase the number of positions forecast from 68 to 82. It will be their specific duty to manage the Enterprise Centre, facilite the graduation of comp anies from the centre once their employment levels take off, manage coop eration with other business and training stakeholders, while collabora ting with other enterprise centres in the area.

Fumbally Exchange Balbriggan

Funding has been awarded by our Dubl in North County Enterprise Boards, Town, and County Council to Fumbally Exchange, an innovation hub for Balbriggan where entrepreneurs and start -ups and a business network in their community can avail of support, space .

Funding for Dublin North Harbours Funding of €400,000 for improvement works in harbours in Fingal has been approved by Government and in conjunction with Fingal County Council, based on their benefit to the infrastructure, but which were ‘shovel ready’ and likely to create much needed employment in local communities.

• Skerries – repair of sheet piling at the Eastern End of the Harbour as well as repairing the existing steps.

• Balbriggan – to provide remedial pointing to south eastern inner wall

• Rush – for the removal of a wreck in the harbour and raising the harbour deck at the outside wall.

• €16,500 was been allocated to Loughshinny to demolish the shed that is currently on the pier and establishing a CIL approved starboard lateral mark.

0612

Your Local Fine Gael Team:

James Reilly TD Minister for Health Tel: 01 890 1300 james.reilly@oireachtas.ie

Cllr Tom O’Leary Balbriggan Ward Tel: 087-2411626 tom.oleary@fingalcoco.ie

Cllr Anthony Lavin Malahide Ward Tel: 087-9931329 anthony.lavin@fingalcoco.ie

Cllr Larry Dunne Balbriggan Town Council Tel: 01 – 8414356 larry.dunne@balbriggan.ie

Get in Touch, Get Involved

Politics in our country is changing and the driving force behind this change is individuals. If you would like to get involved and have your voice heard, please visit www.alanfarrell.ie or contact my office.

Alan Farrell TD Chairperson, Internal Committee for Public Expenditure and Reform

Dáil Éireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 6184008 alan.farrell@oir.ie www.alanfarrell.ie www.twitter.com/alanfarrell

Subscribe for Updates

For regular updates please email ‘subscribe’ to alan.farrell@oir.ie

For more information see www.alanfarrell.ie

Alan Farrell TD - Working for you in Fingal