SENATOR LORRAINE HIGGINS
KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH LOUGHREA The Labour Party | Autumn 2015
URGING COUNCIL SUPPORT FOR LOUGHREA ‘URBAN BEACH’ PROJECT I have contacted Galway County Council to garner support for the development of Loughrea Lake as an urban beach. Parts of the lake already consist of sand but there is a lot of stone in the area too so I have asked the Council about the possibility of removing the stone from around the lake in order to create an ‘urban beach’. Were this to happen, in addition to the benefits of a new amenity, there is a good chance the beach would be approved for blue flag bathing which would be good news for locals and tourism. Loughrea is well-positioned to deal with an increase in tourist numbers and there is real potential here to create a space that would bring great enjoyment and also increase interest in Loughrea from a tourist perspective. I hope Galway County Council will consider this idea with a view to putting the necessary works in place during the coming months.
TOWN HALL PLANS TAKING SHAPE I was delighted to organise a meeting for the members of the Loughrea Town Hall and Cinema organising committee with Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Alan Kelly in relation to the future plans for the building and the need for community input in its future. This is an important piece of infrastructure for the whole community including the arts, drama, scouts, heritage, various youth groups and must be utilised in a way that facilitates all the great work so many volunteers do. Consequently, it is absolutely imperative that they have an input into the future of this building. This committee have a real plan to use the building as an arts hub and have numerous local groups and businesses supporting their endeavours. Their plans are visionary for the building and indeed their wider touristic ambitions which would do wonders for Loughrea and the surrounding hinterlands.
With Minister Alan Kelly at my office in Loughrea recently
Our meeting with Minister Kelly was very progressive and he has agreed to work with the me and the Committee to ensure the Council are in tandem with this group's ambitions for the building.
STIFFER PENALTIES NEEDED TO STOP RURAL CRIME Only one fifth of sentences for burglary convictions lead to jail terms of five years or more, while almost half of all convictions for robbery attract sentences of three years or less. And to add insult to injury for those affected by the actions of these thugs, many robberies are carried on by repeat offenders. Currently, there is no minimum or mandatory sentence for burglars in Ireland something I have long called for both in the Seanad and on RTE. Criminals are clearly not being deterred from committing burglary Speaking on RTE Prime Time about the need for minimum again and again and I feel it is high time we strive for better standards sentencing for burglars in our criminal justice system and work to ensure that justice is seen to be done for the benefit of both victims and society as a whole. A mandatory sentence to act as a deterrent for would be burglars would be more palatable for the victims and for the thousands of people out there living in fear in rural Ireland. Increased pressures on Gardai at local level, as well as an ever improving road network has only served to give these criminals the confidence to rob, pilfer and maim. The human cost is such that victims and their families are likely be traumatized for the rest of their lives. I have already drafted legislation on cyber crime and it is my intention to draft legislation for minimum sentencing for those terrorising rural Ireland. This is an essential step to ensure people feel safe in their homes.
ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN ESTATES I have requested that the Minister for Justice establish a taskforce for dealing with antisocial behaviour on housing estates. I have received a number of complaints from people in Galway East on this matter which is causing untold stress to residents, many of whom feel helpless in the face of such carry on, but must continue to live in their homes. I think it is profoundly unfair that the bad behaviour of a minority should make life so difficult for the majority of people, who have no problem fulfilling their roles as responsible neighbours. Housing estates by their nature require people to live close together and to share public spaces within the development. Crucial to this arrangement is that all those living in close proximity to others be mindful of their duties as part of a community. This means treating their neighbours and shared spaces with respect. Where this deal is not upheld, residents need greater protections to tackle anti-social elements, be they other homeowners or tenants. It is unacceptable that law-abiding citizens be left helpless in this regard while such behaviour escalates. If individuals cannot live peaceably and respectably in a housing estate, residents should be able to appeal this situation, rather than feeling trapped and intimidated in their own homes. It is imperative the Minister engages with local councils, the gardai and residents committees of estates affected to work together to tackle this problem and I hope to see more stringent policies in place to support residents who find themselves in this situation.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT NEEDED FOR FIRST TIME BUYERS The Central Bank’s ruling requiring a 20% deposit requirement to buy a house has had a major impact on the ability of first time buyers to get their foot on the property ladder and we are already seeing the impact on the market. We need to look at an American-style solution where they have a number of private mortgage insurance companies operating in the market and their function is to bridge the gap when a lender doesn't want to fully finance the purchase of a property. For instance while the bank might finance the property to the tune of 75%, these insurance companies will then step into the fold and indemnify the potential non-payment of 25%. Buyers taking out these policies will pay an annual premium and get their home and the financiers find alternative ways of spreading non-payment risk. Young families and people seeking to get on the property ladder simply want a fair deal. A 20% deposit is all well and good if you are a seriously high-earner but for the vast majority of us this is a bridge too far. This situation needs to be addressed swiftly, otherwise we risk knocking an entire generation of young Irish people off the property ladder before they have had a chance to climb it. I have requested the Government to introduce such measures aimed at tackling prohibitive conditions in the housing market for first time buyers.
LOCAL FARMERS’ GREENWAY FEARS MUST BE ADDRESSED It is clear that the greenway cannot go ahead as planned, given many farmers fears are not being dealt with. The voices of our farming community must be listened to and every effort made to deal with their concerns. I have listened to the concerns of those potentially affected and accept the need for the proposed route to be realigned to accommodate farmers’ wishes and goodwill. Realigning the route, for example along the old Loughrea to Craughwell road, would go some way to addressing these problems. I have raised this with the Minister for Transport Pascal Donohue and it is my hope that the will of the people will be considered and alternative approaches adopted to the benefit of our local communities.
FREE GP CARE FOR UNDER 6s AND OVER 70s The rollout of free GP care for 5214 children aged under 6 from Galway East is good news for local families. Many people worry about the cost of bringing their child to the doctor so free GP care for children under 6 will make a real difference to a family's household budget. We have also ensured that adults aged over 70 will benefit from free GP care. This means that from this summer, up to 300,000 children and older people nationwide who currently have to pay to see their GP will no longer have to. But free GP care is about more than reducing the day-to-day cost of living for families and pensioners. The enhanced primary care services being rolled out mean that the Under 6s will benefit from a new, landmark asthma cycle of care programme and preventative wellness checks. Adults of all ages will benefit from the new diabetes care programme This is the first step in the phased introduction of a universal, free GP service. It marks a shift towards promoting health and wellbeing that will benefit our health system as a whole. It is also an important milestone in achieving our priority of enhancing primary care and keeping people well in their own community.
DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE NEW CYBER BULLYING LEGISLATION TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN Last year I carried out a survey in schools in County Galway and 85% of students felt cyberbullying is a major issue while 80% believed not enough is being done about it. Coupled with my own experience I was aware there was a gap in our legislative armour and I was keen to cover this because I feel a duty as an Oireachtas member to make our online platforms a safe and decent place for the millions of people using them but particularly for children and vulnerable individuals.
Representing the Irish Govenment at the Young Parliamentarians Conference in Brussels recently
I recently drafted and launched new internet safety legislation Harmful and Malicious Electronic Communications Bill 2015 whose purpose is to protect and mitigate harm caused to individuals by all or any digital communications and to provide such individuals with a means of redress for any such offending behaviours directed at them. It is wrong that there are penalties for the victims of abuse and threats online in that their mental health may very well be affected but there are no penalties or deterrents for the instigators of these abuse or threats. I am looking for cross party support for it because it’s too important an issue to play political football with it as it affects every household in the country.
With Minister Brendan Howlin after the announcement of the €27billion Capital Plan. The money is to be invested in schools, roads, transport, connectivity and garda stations and will provide employment to the construction sector and revitalise our towns and villages.
MINISTER MUST INTERVENE TO ALLOW 20 JOBS BE ADVERTISED AND FILLED
WE NEED A REDUCTION IN THE UNIVERSAL SOCIAL CHARGE
14 healthcare and 6 nursing posts affiliated to St Brendan's Home in Loughrea are left unfilled since last February so I have asked for the Minister for Health to intervene to request the HSE to allow for a derogation so Galway jobs be advertised and filled locally. In order to relieve pressure on the county Emergency Departments these posts were allocated to St Brendan's to facilitate step down beds. Agency workers are currently working in these posts but this is coming at a cost to the exchequer and ultimately the taxpayer, for a short period, while the hiring of the full time posts was conducted. This is a simple advertise, conduct interviews and hire procedure so the delay is ludicrous and the matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible. The impact full-time permanent employment would have on 20 families would be immense. The delay with the HSE National Recruitment service is baffling and as a consequence I have asked the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar to intervene to allow a derogation to local management to advertise these posts locally and fill them locally. I hope he will look favourably on it and act without delay.
Over the course of the last year both myself and a number of parliamentary colleagues have been fighting for a reduction in the Universal Social Charge. I feel this is a relic of Ireland’s insolvency and must be reduced so Irish families have more money in their pockets. People have made huge sacrifices over the course of the recession and now that the country is back on solid footing and expected to achieve 3.7% economic growth and be the fastest growing economy of the EU this year, now is the time to reward families for the difficult years they have sustained.
Get in touch…
If you’d like regular updates from Lorraine, visit her website at www.lorrainehiggins.com or connect with her on LinkedIn. You can also follow her on Twitter (@LorHiggins) and Facebook (Lorraine Higgins). She’s very active on social media, posting daily about employment news and local stories from around the constituency. Get in touch to have your say on issues local and national, or send in a query. Lorraine would love to hear from you.
Any reduction cannot be tokenism and must be real to reflect the sacrifices made by each and every one of us. My commitment to you is to fight to have this unfair tax reduced.
CLINICS Following on from the hugely successful CV clinic I held recently I will be holding others, together with a Free Legal Advice Clinic where you can get free advice on various legal matters. Feel free to contact my office on 091 842200 for details of both. I will also be holding my regular Advice Clinics every second Monday.
Tours of the Houses of the Oireachtas The political season is well underway with plenty of action in and around the Dáil and Seanad. As always, Senator Lorraine Higgins would be more than happy to facilitate tours for any interested constituents. If you, your family or friends would like to visit the Houses of the Oireachtas, please do not hesitate to contact her office on 091 842200.
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