MCCARTHY MICHAEL SPRING NEWSLETTER 1703_a4 08/03/2012 16:16 Page 1
INCREASE IN TOURISM FIGURES ENCOURAGING I warmly welcome the recent news that Irish tourism figures are up 7% since last year, representing an increase in visitor numbers to 6.26 million. Tourism is a key priority for this Government and its commitment to continue to grow tourism markets both on domestic and international fronts is copper-fastened within the Programme for Government. Positive growth patterns are emerging in most markets within the tourism sector. Visitor trips from mainland Europe, Britain, North America and other long-haul markets are all up, indicating that Ireland is fast regaining a firm foothold in the holiday destination market. This is no coincidence, but the result of a stream of Government-led initiatives which aim to make tourism the engine of Ireland’s economic recovery. These include: l a VAT reduction in tourism-related goods and services, as introduced in the Jobs Initiative in May l the visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama to Ireland last year l the ‘Gathering’ initiative in 2013, which will be Ireland’s biggest ever tourism event, a year-long programme of events.
MICHAEL McCARTHY TD LABOUR IN GOVERNMENT ONE YEAR ON Spring 2012 INTRODUCTION
MAKING HEADLINES!
Michael at a public meeting arranged by the Friends of Bandon Community Hospital
ADVICE CLINICS I hold a number of advice clinics around the constituency each month. For more information about them and when they take place, please contact my constituency office on 0238855705.
West went to the polls and e the people of Cork SouthIt is just over one year sinc moment in our collective l Eireann. It was a landmark elected their new TDs to Dái to represent you in our sen to be one of those cho ed ileg priv was I and ory local hist national parliament. ny rewards. Labour in n many challenges and ma Since then, there have bee n commitments - the ctio ele ented some of its key lem imp e hav ent nm ver Go 330,000 workers from the m wage, the exemption of restoration of the minimu , and a suite of political cap on public sector salaries Universal Social Charge, a ch and Ministers and the isea Tao ions in pay for the uct red as h suc res asu me reform mortgage interest relief for senior Ministers. Increased abolition of State cars for also introduced. These are between 2004 and 2008 was people who bought homes gn trail and therefore I pai ctly with me on the cam dire ed rais re we t tha es the issu e to fruition. am pleased to see them com breadth of Ireland are done. Families the length and Much more remains to be ny cases, emigration and ma in household budgets, and ter tigh h wit e cop to ing try the difficult but necessary y this Government is taking unemployment. That is wh its number one priority economy and get on with steps needed to stabilise the solution to the jobs crisis g ban re is no single big The rk. wo to k bac ple peo getting res introduced via the policies, but pro-job measu built up through years of bad 2 n on Jobs, and Budget 201 Jobs Initiative, the Action Pla t. frui r bea to un beg ady alre in the last 12 months have seen significant job The last month alone has panies such as Eli Lilly, announcements from com and PayPal. Datalogic , Sourcedogg.com experiencing growth, albeit Whilst the economy is now l a long road ahead. This at around 1%, there is stil d to restore our economic Government are determine shamelessly lost by the last sovereignty which was so re al representative, I will spa administration. As your loc are ure fut our and es issu r you no effort in ensuring that policy. at the centre of Government Regards,
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS REFERENDUM TO BE HELD THIS YEAR
YOUR LOCAL LABOUR TEAM - WORKING FOR YOU GET IN CONTACT Market Square, Dunmanway, Co. Cork Phone: 023 8855705 Dáil office: 01 618 3844 Email: michael.mccarthy@oir.ie Web: www.michaelmccarthy.ie Follow Michael on @mmccarthyTD
Michael McCarthy TD
Listen to Michael’s weekly podcast on www.michaelmccarthy.ie
Cllr Gearóid Buckley
Cllr Brendan Leahy
085 2438330 gearoidbuckley@gmail.com
086 6005315 brendanleahyccc@eircom.net
Cllr Tony Cierans
Cllr Tomas O'Brien
087 6387792 tonycierans@eircom.net
087 2784953 tomasobrien@hotmail.com
Mayor Frank Fahy
Cllr Aidan Pendlebury
087 8336882 frankfahy@eircom.net
085 8237231 aidanpendlebury2000@yahoo.co.uk
500 JOBS TO BE CREATED IN KINSALE In recent weeks it was announced that 200 permanent, highly-skilled jobs will be created in Kinsale following Eli Lilly’s decision to invest €330 million in a new state-of-the-art facility. A further 300 construction jobs will be generated during the building phase of the project. This is a highly significant investment by Eli Lilly which will boost confidence in our local business environment and enhance the town’s appeal as an attractive hub for multi-national investment opportunities. I warmly welcome the IDA-supported project.
CONTACT MICHAEL:
Constituency office: Market Square, Dunmanway, Co. Cork Phone: 023 885 5705 Dáil office: 01 618 3844 Email: michael.mccarthy@oir.ie Web: www.michaelmccarthy.ie Follow Michael on
The Government recently confirmed that the referendum on Children’s Rights will take place later this year. The referendum seeks to change the current situation whereby the Constitution does not have an explicit reference to children’s rights, which experts say is working against the welfare of vulnerable young people. I am pictured here with Senator Jillian van Turnhout, children’s rights activist, signing a pledge by the Children's Alliance showing my support for the referendum.
@mmccarthyTD
MCCARTHY MICHAEL SPRING NEWSLETTER 1703_a4 08/03/2012 16:17 Page 3
PROGRESS ON FIBRE OPTIC NETWORKS
MICHAEL APPEARS ON RTE'S 'LEADERS’ QUESTIONS' AND 'THE WEEK IN POLITICS'
Recently I secured confirmation from the Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte that work has begun progressing on the network of fibre optic infrastructure that has been lying dormant in West Cork for many years. These networks - also known as Metropolitan Area Networks, or MANs - provide improved telecommunications services to businesses in rural towns, significantly enhancing their appeal to outside investors or multi-national companies. Speaking in the Dáil, Minister Rabbitte stated that the MAN in Dunmanway is due to go live this month. Minister Rabbitte also said that work on the Kinsale MAN will be completed by the end of this year. As regards the MAN in Skibbereen, Minister Rabbitte said he would happily facilitate local business people to meet and discuss the issue with the project managers to see how they might make optimum use of the existing service.
LABOUR RESTORE THE MINIMUM WAGE Last Summer, the Labour Party honoured its pledge to restore the minimum wage to €8.65. This budgetary decision by the Fianna Fáil-Green Government in the first instance was an appalling attack on the most vulnerable citizens in society and its reversal was a core commitment of Labour's General Election campaign. This was a critical issue as we feel it is vital to protect hardpressed citizens who are trying to make ends meet in difficult circumstances.
MICHAEL RAISES LOCAL ISSUES IN THE DÁIL
BANTRY ATLANTIC CHALLENGE Anticipation in Bantry and West Cork is building around the 2012 Atlantic Challenge which takes place in July. This biennial international event is a major coup for the local area and will attract thousands of visitors to the region. The week-long competition will involve 16 international crews and over 300 competitors, and will see teams go head-to-head in 10 events. This will be a momentous occasion for West Cork and I wish the organising Committee every success in the months of preparation that lie ahead.
SUCCESSFUL FISHERIES TALKS WILL REVITALISE SECTOR The successful outcome of the fisheries talks in Brussels in December will reap major benefits for coastal communities around West Cork. The negotiations, which secured increased fish quotas for Celtic sea herring, tuna, boarfish and haddock, were extremely positive and will revitalise fishing activity around Ireland. The deal is valued at around €250 million and will not only create many new jobs, but it will sustain existing ones too. Such jobs will be created on the boats themselves and also in onshore industries such as fish processing. The measures agreed represent a significant difference from the initial proposals that were put forward, which shows that Ireland can still be an influential voice and secure wins for itself at the European negotiating table.
JOBS BOOST FOR EASYLINK IN CLONAKILTY Clonakilty got a boost of good fortune last year when US firm Easylink announced that they were planning to expand their base in the town. It led to the creation of 20 finance and accounting jobs, which complement Easylink’s existing staff base in their European shared services centre in the West Cork Business and Technology Park. It was a great boost for West Cork and I hope it marks the beginning of a wave of new inward investment into the region.
LABOUR SECURES USC EXEMPTIONS The exemption of 330,000 workers from the Universal Social Charge in Budget 2012 was a major achievement which means many low income families will have extra money in their pockets. Labour campaigned heavily on this issue during the general election campaign and I am delighted it formed an essential part of Budget 2012. Maintaining basic rates of social welfare was a pre-condition of Labour entering Government. To achieve that is a considerable feat given the scale of adjustment (€3.8 billion) required in the Budget. This meant that Carers, Widows, Jobseekers, Pensioners, or anyone in receipt of Illness Benefit, Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance, or a Blind Pension, did not have their core social welfare payments changed.
Michael at the Dunmanway Agricultural Show last year with (left) Andrew Healy from Supervalu and Paul O'Neill, winner of the vintage category at the show
Michael with staff and students of MICC Dunmanway at the recent launch of their school bank project
PUBLIC SECTOR PAY CAP A KEY LABOUR MEASURE Since taking office, a pay cap for the public sector of €200,000 was introduced by the Government. All Secretaries General in the Civil Service are now paid in line with the cap. This action, introduced by Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin, will result in substantial savings for the taxpayer, whilst at the same time ensuring that senior public sector managers show leadership on the issue of pay. It is part of the Government’s broader public service reform agenda where we have already:
Michael and local Labour members at a recent constituency strategy meeting
l l l l l
reduced the pay of the Taoiseach and Ministers changed Ministerial transport arrangements reduced the number of Oireachtas Committees undertaken a Comprehensive Review of all Department spending decreased future Public Service pension costs.
Michael with Labour colleagues Cllrs Tomas O'Brien and Tony Cierans in Kinsale
MCCARTHY MICHAEL SPRING NEWSLETTER 1703_a4 08/03/2012 16:17 Page 3
PROGRESS ON FIBRE OPTIC NETWORKS
MICHAEL APPEARS ON RTE'S 'LEADERS’ QUESTIONS' AND 'THE WEEK IN POLITICS'
Recently I secured confirmation from the Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte that work has begun progressing on the network of fibre optic infrastructure that has been lying dormant in West Cork for many years. These networks - also known as Metropolitan Area Networks, or MANs - provide improved telecommunications services to businesses in rural towns, significantly enhancing their appeal to outside investors or multi-national companies. Speaking in the Dáil, Minister Rabbitte stated that the MAN in Dunmanway is due to go live this month. Minister Rabbitte also said that work on the Kinsale MAN will be completed by the end of this year. As regards the MAN in Skibbereen, Minister Rabbitte said he would happily facilitate local business people to meet and discuss the issue with the project managers to see how they might make optimum use of the existing service.
LABOUR RESTORE THE MINIMUM WAGE Last Summer, the Labour Party honoured its pledge to restore the minimum wage to €8.65. This budgetary decision by the Fianna Fáil-Green Government in the first instance was an appalling attack on the most vulnerable citizens in society and its reversal was a core commitment of Labour's General Election campaign. This was a critical issue as we feel it is vital to protect hardpressed citizens who are trying to make ends meet in difficult circumstances.
MICHAEL RAISES LOCAL ISSUES IN THE DÁIL
BANTRY ATLANTIC CHALLENGE Anticipation in Bantry and West Cork is building around the 2012 Atlantic Challenge which takes place in July. This biennial international event is a major coup for the local area and will attract thousands of visitors to the region. The week-long competition will involve 16 international crews and over 300 competitors, and will see teams go head-to-head in 10 events. This will be a momentous occasion for West Cork and I wish the organising Committee every success in the months of preparation that lie ahead.
SUCCESSFUL FISHERIES TALKS WILL REVITALISE SECTOR The successful outcome of the fisheries talks in Brussels in December will reap major benefits for coastal communities around West Cork. The negotiations, which secured increased fish quotas for Celtic sea herring, tuna, boarfish and haddock, were extremely positive and will revitalise fishing activity around Ireland. The deal is valued at around €250 million and will not only create many new jobs, but it will sustain existing ones too. Such jobs will be created on the boats themselves and also in onshore industries such as fish processing. The measures agreed represent a significant difference from the initial proposals that were put forward, which shows that Ireland can still be an influential voice and secure wins for itself at the European negotiating table.
JOBS BOOST FOR EASYLINK IN CLONAKILTY Clonakilty got a boost of good fortune last year when US firm Easylink announced that they were planning to expand their base in the town. It led to the creation of 20 finance and accounting jobs, which complement Easylink’s existing staff base in their European shared services centre in the West Cork Business and Technology Park. It was a great boost for West Cork and I hope it marks the beginning of a wave of new inward investment into the region.
LABOUR SECURES USC EXEMPTIONS The exemption of 330,000 workers from the Universal Social Charge in Budget 2012 was a major achievement which means many low income families will have extra money in their pockets. Labour campaigned heavily on this issue during the general election campaign and I am delighted it formed an essential part of Budget 2012. Maintaining basic rates of social welfare was a pre-condition of Labour entering Government. To achieve that is a considerable feat given the scale of adjustment (€3.8 billion) required in the Budget. This meant that Carers, Widows, Jobseekers, Pensioners, or anyone in receipt of Illness Benefit, Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance, or a Blind Pension, did not have their core social welfare payments changed.
Michael at the Dunmanway Agricultural Show last year with (left) Andrew Healy from Supervalu and Paul O'Neill, winner of the vintage category at the show
Michael with staff and students of MICC Dunmanway at the recent launch of their school bank project
PUBLIC SECTOR PAY CAP A KEY LABOUR MEASURE Since taking office, a pay cap for the public sector of €200,000 was introduced by the Government. All Secretaries General in the Civil Service are now paid in line with the cap. This action, introduced by Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin, will result in substantial savings for the taxpayer, whilst at the same time ensuring that senior public sector managers show leadership on the issue of pay. It is part of the Government’s broader public service reform agenda where we have already:
Michael and local Labour members at a recent constituency strategy meeting
l l l l l
reduced the pay of the Taoiseach and Ministers changed Ministerial transport arrangements reduced the number of Oireachtas Committees undertaken a Comprehensive Review of all Department spending decreased future Public Service pension costs.
Michael with Labour colleagues Cllrs Tomas O'Brien and Tony Cierans in Kinsale
MCCARTHY MICHAEL SPRING NEWSLETTER 1703_a4 08/03/2012 16:16 Page 1
INCREASE IN TOURISM FIGURES ENCOURAGING I warmly welcome the recent news that Irish tourism figures are up 7% since last year, representing an increase in visitor numbers to 6.26 million. Tourism is a key priority for this Government and its commitment to continue to grow tourism markets both on domestic and international fronts is copper-fastened within the Programme for Government. Positive growth patterns are emerging in most markets within the tourism sector. Visitor trips from mainland Europe, Britain, North America and other long-haul markets are all up, indicating that Ireland is fast regaining a firm foothold in the holiday destination market. This is no coincidence, but the result of a stream of Government-led initiatives which aim to make tourism the engine of Ireland’s economic recovery. These include: l a VAT reduction in tourism-related goods and services, as introduced in the Jobs Initiative in May l the visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama to Ireland last year l the ‘Gathering’ initiative in 2013, which will be Ireland’s biggest ever tourism event, a year-long programme of events.
MICHAEL McCARTHY TD LABOUR IN GOVERNMENT ONE YEAR ON Spring 2012 INTRODUCTION
MAKING HEADLINES!
Michael at a public meeting arranged by the Friends of Bandon Community Hospital
ADVICE CLINICS I hold a number of advice clinics around the constituency each month. For more information about them and when they take place, please contact my constituency office on 0238855705.
West went to the polls and e the people of Cork SouthIt is just over one year sinc moment in our collective l Eireann. It was a landmark elected their new TDs to Dái to represent you in our sen to be one of those cho ed ileg priv was I and ory local hist national parliament. ny rewards. Labour in n many challenges and ma Since then, there have bee n commitments - the ctio ele ented some of its key lem imp e hav ent nm ver Go 330,000 workers from the m wage, the exemption of restoration of the minimu , and a suite of political cap on public sector salaries Universal Social Charge, a ch and Ministers and the isea Tao ions in pay for the uct red as h suc res asu me reform mortgage interest relief for senior Ministers. Increased abolition of State cars for also introduced. These are between 2004 and 2008 was people who bought homes gn trail and therefore I pai ctly with me on the cam dire ed rais re we t tha es the issu e to fruition. am pleased to see them com breadth of Ireland are done. Families the length and Much more remains to be ny cases, emigration and ma in household budgets, and ter tigh h wit e cop to ing try the difficult but necessary y this Government is taking unemployment. That is wh its number one priority economy and get on with steps needed to stabilise the solution to the jobs crisis g ban re is no single big The rk. wo to k bac ple peo getting res introduced via the policies, but pro-job measu built up through years of bad 2 n on Jobs, and Budget 201 Jobs Initiative, the Action Pla t. frui r bea to un beg ady alre in the last 12 months have seen significant job The last month alone has panies such as Eli Lilly, announcements from com and PayPal. Datalogic , Sourcedogg.com experiencing growth, albeit Whilst the economy is now l a long road ahead. This at around 1%, there is stil d to restore our economic Government are determine shamelessly lost by the last sovereignty which was so re al representative, I will spa administration. As your loc are ure fut our and es issu r you no effort in ensuring that policy. at the centre of Government Regards,
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS REFERENDUM TO BE HELD THIS YEAR
YOUR LOCAL LABOUR TEAM - WORKING FOR YOU GET IN CONTACT Market Square, Dunmanway, Co. Cork Phone: 023 8855705 Dáil office: 01 618 3844 Email: michael.mccarthy@oir.ie Web: www.michaelmccarthy.ie Follow Michael on @mmccarthyTD
Michael McCarthy TD
Listen to Michael’s weekly podcast on www.michaelmccarthy.ie
Cllr Gearóid Buckley
Cllr Brendan Leahy
085 2438330 gearoidbuckley@gmail.com
086 6005315 brendanleahyccc@eircom.net
Cllr Tony Cierans
Cllr Tomas O'Brien
087 6387792 tonycierans@eircom.net
087 2784953 tomasobrien@hotmail.com
Mayor Frank Fahy
Cllr Aidan Pendlebury
087 8336882 frankfahy@eircom.net
085 8237231 aidanpendlebury2000@yahoo.co.uk
500 JOBS TO BE CREATED IN KINSALE In recent weeks it was announced that 200 permanent, highly-skilled jobs will be created in Kinsale following Eli Lilly’s decision to invest €330 million in a new state-of-the-art facility. A further 300 construction jobs will be generated during the building phase of the project. This is a highly significant investment by Eli Lilly which will boost confidence in our local business environment and enhance the town’s appeal as an attractive hub for multi-national investment opportunities. I warmly welcome the IDA-supported project.
CONTACT MICHAEL:
Constituency office: Market Square, Dunmanway, Co. Cork Phone: 023 885 5705 Dáil office: 01 618 3844 Email: michael.mccarthy@oir.ie Web: www.michaelmccarthy.ie Follow Michael on
The Government recently confirmed that the referendum on Children’s Rights will take place later this year. The referendum seeks to change the current situation whereby the Constitution does not have an explicit reference to children’s rights, which experts say is working against the welfare of vulnerable young people. I am pictured here with Senator Jillian van Turnhout, children’s rights activist, signing a pledge by the Children's Alliance showing my support for the referendum.
@mmccarthyTD