KEEPING IN TOUCH Michael McCarthy TD Kinsale News
THANK YOU Firstly, I wish to take this opportunity to thank you, the people of Kinsale, for the courtesy and kindness shown to my canvass team and I throughout the General Election campaign. The level of support we received from the local community was heartening and I will now endeavour to represent your voice in Dáil Eireann where I will do my best to effect positive change in the lives of people in Cork South-West. There are various issues that are of concern to people in the Kinsale area - unemployment, marine, access to healthcare and education, to name but a few. Many people, for the first time in their lives, are genuinely uncertain about the security of their homes, their jobs and the future of their children, and it is my responsibility, as your local TD, to listen to these concerns and help try to ensure that people can enjoy stable and secure lives.
We live in challenging times, however we are not without hope. The new Government, tasked with an overwhelming mandate from the Irish people, are already putting right some of the wrongs imposed on our country by the previous administration. Reform, fairness and jobs are at the centre of Labour Party policy, and I hope to put those same things at the centre of life in areas like Kinsale. I hope you enjoy this newsletter which aims to provide you with a good insight into the work that I have been carrying out on your behalf since my election to Dáil Eireann in February. Please do not hesitate to get in contact if there are any local issues you wish to bring to my attention. Kind regards,
KINSALE COMMUNITY SCHOOL EXTENSION The issue of the planned extension to Kinsale Community School is a long-running one and something which I have championed in my previous role as Senator. Teaching staff there have shown exceptional patience to date in dealing with the situation, which was for too long put on the back burner by the previous Government. It is unacceptable that Kinsale has been denied this crucial extension. The school now has a population of 755, despite being designed to cater for 450 pupils. In my new capacity as a TD, I fully intend to continue pursuing this case and I will leave no stone unturned in securing a result. School Principal Sean o’Broin recently took me on a tour of the school campus, where I observed first-hand the difficulties experienced by staff and students there. A lack of specialist classrooms is obstructing the quality of service that teachers provide, while the schools’ narrow corridors bring their own share of problems. There is also no social area for pupils, and the small size of the gym means competitive games for pupils are ruled out. Following the visit, I submitted a parliamentary question to the Department of Education & Skills seeking an update on the status of the extension. I was informed that the tender process for the appointment of a Design Team on the project is in progress. The first stage of the process to pre-qualify suitable consultants is complete. The next stage of the process, due to commence shortly, will see invitations being issued to the consultants to tender for the selection and appointment of the design team.
Michael McCarthy TD with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore TD