NEW SPECIAL NEEDS ASSISTANTS ON THE WAY FOR DUBLIN 15 SCHOOLS The Government has approved 610 additional Special Needs Assistant posts for schools across the country, starting in September. Among the primary schools in Dublin 15 receiving new SNA posts are Scoil Bhride, Hansfield Educate Together and Powerstown Educate Together. At secondary level, Riversdale Community College in Corduff, Pobail Scoil Setanta in Ongar and Castleknock Community College are among the schools receiving extra SNAs.
IRELAND’S REMARKABLE RECOVERY
NEW RIGHTS FOR WORKERS Two important new rights for workers have been announced this summer. The first is an increase in the national minimum wage by 50 cents an hour to €9.15, to come into effect when the legislation is passed in the Dáil. The second is the new Collective Bargaining law which will guarantee negotiating rights for groups of workers in every industry. The new law will help workers who seek to better their terms and conditions, and will mean that a collective agreement can be enforced through the Circuit Court, should an employer refuse to respect it. These are valuable rights that will help ensure that all workers share in the recovery this Government is building.
Autumn 2015
JOAN BURTON TD
830,000 BENEFIT FROM FREE TRAVEL PASS When I became Social Protection Minister I grew aware of the worries among many senior citizens and carers that the Free Travel Pass would be abolished or restricted.
Ireland has experienced a truly astonishing turnaround in its economic fortunes over the past year.
I decided this was one benefit that would be protected despite all the false rumours of possible cuts.
These new posts will make a real difference to pupils who most need them. They will be allocated to schools for the new academic year, so the impact will be felt quickly.
I have kept to this and today that commitment remains.
Since coming into Government we’ve overseen a 11.7% rise in the number of SNA posts. We’re delivering on the Labour commitment that every child with an assessed care need will get SNA support.
Today that figure has risen to 830,000.
There are tens of thousands more people at work.
Free travel is a great benefit to pensioners, to people with a disability and to carers.
Emigrants are returning home.
I have protected and expanded the free travel scheme, and I will continue to do so.
The public finances are now stable.
When I took over the number of people who had access to the passes was 700,000.
PORTERSTOWN PARK
Nobody expected this turnaround to happen so quickly, and we should be proud of what has been achieved in a few years.
Fingal County Council has recently drawn up a plan to invest in a major revamp of Porterstown Park. This will include the installation of a cricket pitch, an all-weather running track, soccer pitches, GAA pitches, an extension to the car park on site and toilet facilities.
We can look forward with hope and be confident about our economic future.
The work will be carried out over the next five years, and the completed complex will be a great facility for local residents, and a showcase of the various clubs in the area.
Joan Burton TD
In Government we have got an awful lot right. Locally you can see new schools, new industries, new businesses, new health centres as well as important expansion plans for Connolly Hospital. We are steadily on course to achieve full employment by 2018. That is the key to future prosperity.
Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection Leinster House, Dublin 2 Email: joan.burton@oireachtas.ie www.joanburton.ie @joanburton Phone: 01 618 4006
Had we made the wrong choices, it could have been very different. The recovery now gives us the opportunity to build for the future.
Working with your local Labour Team
We must continue to create good jobs, raise living standards and improve income security for you and your family. And we must continue to improve the quality of life in Dublin West, to make it a great place to live. We could all too easily throw it all away by going back to the bad old ways. The worst thing would be to make the wrong political choices that could undo all that has been achieved.
Joan with James Connolly Heron and Jim Lacey at the launch of Jim's book "The Barony of Castleknock"
Cllr. Mary McCamley Mulhuddart Area
Cllr. Brendan Carr Cabra/Finglas Area
Mobile: 087 6501441 marymccamley@gmail.com
Mobile: 087 207 5921 brendan.carr@dublincity.ie
0612
In this report I ask you to look around you, see how Ireland has recovered and ask how that can be put to best use in the years to come.
SUCCESS IN PREVENTING WELFARE FRAUD Throughout the summer a large number of prosecutions for welfare fraud came before the courts, largely due to the success of the new public services card, which I introduced as Minister. This new card contains vital identification features that show up when someone attempts to make a claim under a false identity, such as in the name of a person who has died or who has left the country. Thanks to this card, and as a result of the court cases and the involvement of serving gardai in the campaign to eliminate abuses, there has been a noticeable decline in such fraud attempts. It is essential that we protect the welfare system for those who genuinely need it.
EXTRA ACCOMMODATION FOR LE CHÉILE
I’m pleased to report that Fingal County Council have granted planning permission for four additional prefab classrooms for Le Cheile Secondary School in Tyrellstown.
Joan with Cllr Mary McCamley at the site of €8 million Corduff Health Centre, due to open in 2016.
Work is expected to commence on the project in early September, and is scheduled to be completed by mid October.
NEW ADOPTION LAW WILL REMEDY A GRAVE INJUSTICE
BURTON ANNOUNCES €3.8M FUNDING TO BUILD SOCIAL HOUSING IN MULHUDDART
I will be holding an information meeting on the new Adoption legislation in Westmanstown Golf Club on Monday 28th September at 8pm.
Construction is to begin on 22 units for Clúid Housing Association at Church Road / Ladyswell Road in Mulhuddart at a cost of over €3.8million, as part of a the latest round of government investment in social housing.
Ireland has a very secretive regime in place for adopted people who want to trace their birth parents. As an adopted person myself I have always felt this to be a grave injustice. It made it impossible for me personally to trace my birth mother while she was still alive.
Across Fingal County, we will build or acquire 69 social housing units, an investment of €12.9million.
All that will change with a new law that will allow an adopted person aged 18 and over obtain his or her birth certificate, and allow the release of important personal information such as medical histories.
It will help those with specific housing needs such as older people, persons with an intellectual or physical disability or homeless people.
People who were placed in informal adoptions or wrongly registered will also be given access to these information and tracing services.
It is part of a wider package of investment in social housing that the Labour Party is bringing forward as a priority, and which is the result of our economic recovery.
The draft law has been published now and will be carefully considered by a committee of TDs and senators before being finalised.
I look forward to seeing construction begin on the Mulhuddart project in the near future.
I believe everyone is entitled as of right to this knowledge. I have campaigned for many years to bring about these new rights for adopted people in Ireland. The new law is a huge step forward and I hope it will be passed and put into effect by the end of the year.
FREE GP CARE FOR CHILDREN AND OLDER PEOPLE I am delighted to confirm that everyone over70 in Dublin West will now be able to visit their GP for free. The registration process for the over 70 GP visit card got underway last month. If you haven’t already done so, you can register online at www.gpvisitcard.ie or pick up a form from your local health office or from the pharmacy. It means that our older citizens won’t have to worry about putting their hand in their pocket when they need to see a doctor. We’ve already rolled out free GP care for children under 6. Thousands of children in Dublin West are already receiving their GP visit cards, and almost every local GP has signed up. This has been a very important priority for the Labour Party in government. By investing in free GP care we’re working to spread the benefit of the recovery to young working families and older people.
Joan with Castleknock Celtic FC and St Brigid GAA club mini-league winners
FUNDING SECURED FOR COOLMINE COMMUNITY SCHOOL ROOF I can confirm that Education Minister, Jan O’Sullivan, is to provide substantial funding for Coolmine Community School to replace the school’s roof. Joan with Cllr Mary McCamley, Mulhuddart, and Cllr
The roof has been in a state of Brendan Carr, Navan Road at Connolly Hospital. serious disrepair for some time and it was inspected by the Department at my urgent request.
The extra funding is being provided under the Emergency Works Scheme. This is in line with our programme of significant investment in schools, to replace prefabs and upgrade buildings so that students and staff can focus on learning, and not on dripping ceilings or creaking plumbing.
Meeting pupils and staff at Powersstown Educate Together National School