SEÁN KENNY TD
KEEPING IN TOUCH Summer 2012 INTRODUCTION It is just over a year since I was re-elected to Dáil Eireann as a Labour Deputy for Dublin North East. My first year back in office has been busy, tackling many local and national issues. This is, without a doubt, an extremely difficult time for many people across Dublin North East and there are many challenges that still face our country. I do believe however, that the Labour Party is taking important steps to address these challenges and more importantly, it is doing so with a sense of fairness and integrity. There will be more difficult decisions that have to be taken by this Government, but there will also be positive and promising initiatives which will lead this country on the road to recovery. I look forward to representing you, the people of Dublin North East for the next year ahead. Yours sincerely,
FISCAL TREATY OUTCOME I welcome the decisive Yes vote for the Stability Treaty. This decision is a necessary step on Ireland’s road to recovery. We now have to build on it. Throughout the referendum campaign, I argued that in Ireland, as in the wider Eurozone, stability is necessary for growth, and that growth is necessary for recovery. The Government has already been working on a plan to stimulate our own economy, and we were among the first member states to make the case for a growth strategy in Europe. That strategy must now be progressed. We must also see progress in the work to secure a more sustainable long-term deal in relation to Ireland’s bank debt. A long-term deal that is workable; that is fair; and that is in the interests of the Irish people. This result will strengthen our hand in our discussions with European institutions and other member states. We will use this decision, not just to ratify the Treaty, but to promote in Europe and in Ireland, the policies and steps which are necessary to create jobs for those who are unemployed; to bring investment into our country; and to generate growth. CONTACT SEAN KENNY TD
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION The Government is now putting place the Constitutional Convention, which should be up and running during the summer months. The idea of a Convention was put forward by put forward by Eamon Gilmore at the Labour Conference in Galway in 2010. The Convention will be made up of 33 elected representatives and 66 citizens who together will firstly examine two issues: whether the voting age should be lowered to 17 and whether the presidential term should be reduced from seven years to five. Other topics for consideration by the Convention that are contained in the Programme for Government are: l Review of the Dáil electoral system; l Reducing the Presidential term to five years and aligning it with the local and European elections; l Giving citizens the right to vote at Irish embassies in Presidential elections; l Provision for same-sex marriage; l Amending the clause on the role of women in the home and encouraging greater participation of women in public life; l Increasing the participation of women in politics; l Removing blasphemy from our Constitution; l Reducing the voting age to 17 This is a very interesting new development in the area of reform and I hope the idea is a success - if it is, it would provide an example for reforming the Constitution over the coming years.
SYRIA VIOLENCE CONDEMNED l Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eamon Gilmore TD utterly
condemned the ongoing violence in Syria, and in particular the appalling massacres at Houla and Al- Qubeir. These atrocities provide further unwelcome testimony of the Syrian regime's utter disdain for human life and the welfare of its own people. l Those responsible for committing such atrocities must know that they will be held to account and will not evade prosecution. l The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to remain critical. Ireland is continuing to work closely with the UN and other international partners to address this situation. l Under the guidance of Minister Joe Costello, Irish Aid has already made available emergency funding of €500,000 to the Red Cross, the UNHCR and the World Food Programme for use both within Syria and to assist those fleeing the violence.
Address: Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 44 Woodbine Road, Raheny, Dublin 5 Phone: 01 848 1806 (Home) 01 618 3744 (Dail) Email: info@seankenny.ie sean.kenny@oir.ie Web: www.seankenny.ie facebook.com/SeanKennyTD
@SeanKennyTD
NATIONAL NEWS PHARMACEUTICAL JOBS IN BALDOYLE IMPROVED FACILITIES FOR In April I welcomed the announcement that 280 new jobs will be created by the pharmaceutical manufacturer Mylan. The hi-tech jobs, which will be CANCER PATIENTS AT based in Gerard Laboratories, in Baldoyle, were a welcome boost to Dublin BEAUMONT HOSPITAL North East and an extremely positive development for the life sciences sector in Ireland. These jobs are a further sign that Ireland is attractive as a location for investment. Mylan is a key member of the Irish pharmaceutical sector, providing high quality generic pharmaceuticals and over the counter medicines around the world. At a time when unemployment is at very high levels, this announcement shows that Dublin North East is able to entice investment and the creation of jobs along with that investment. Jobs and investment are the only way that our economy will ever properly recover. I think that this announcement is further proves the Government's commitment to creating new jobs. It also shows that Ireland has the skilled workforce needed to bring in major employers like this and I will continue to work to ensure that Dublin North East is able to benefit from investments made by companies in Ireland.
I welcomed the opening this month of improved facilities for the treatment of cancer patients attending Beaumont Hospital. These facilities are an investment of about €750,000. The reconfiguration and refurbishment of space within the hospital reflects the growing demand for chemotherapy treatments provided on a day case basis as well as treatment of patients with illnesses like leukaemia. Beaumont, as a designated cancer centre, has had significant investment in a state-of-the-art mammography unit, a rapid access prostate unit and cancer services, a new radiotherapy oncology facility.
PROMISSORY NOTES In March, I welcomed the announcement by Finance Minister Michael Noonan that the Government had been successful in renegotiating the arrangements around the payment on the promissory note on Anglo Irish Bank debt. The opposition thought that we would never be able to do this, but we have proved them wrong once again. The development highlights the progress that this Government has made in stabilising the economic situation in the last year or so - it is this that has given us leverage to negotiate things like promissory notes with the Troika, who are dominating our economic decision making at the moment. I have every confidence that we will now be able to succeed in a longer term reengineering of the promissory note payments and I know that work is continuing in that regard.
The improved facilities comprise movement of the Day Oncology Ward into larger, refurbished premises and renovation of its former facilities to provide larger, better spaces to enable cancer treatment services to improve. The new facilities have been designed to enhance the environment for patients, especially in respect of privacy, light and space.
NEW STUDENT GRANT AWARDING AUTHORITY AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF POSITIVE PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM The new central online system for student grants is now live. Student Universal Support Ireland or SUSI will be accepting all new grant applications and giving out payments to students starting college in the coming academic year or those beginning new courses. Up until last year, students applied to their local authority or VEC for their grants. Some 66 grant awarding authorities were involved, all using a variety of application, assessment and payment processes. SUSI replaces all of these with a centralised, easy to use, on-line system of application. SUSI is run by the City of Dublin VEC which was chosen to operate the student grant scheme in an independent selection process. Now that the system is up and running I would call on students who will be starting college in the autumn or those who are beginning new courses to apply on-line as soon as they can. Leaving Cert students will be finishing up their exams in the next ten days and those who are likely to qualify for a student grant can then set their minds to making an online application through www.studentfinance.ie. The process is quick and easy, you do not have to have decided on your college course before applying and you will be informed much quicker on the outcome of your application. Once an application has been submitted online, eligible students will receive a preliminary approval which will be confirmed when they submit any necessary supporting documentation and acceptance of a college place. This not alone means that students will get payments in a timely manner, but it will help them and their parents to make more informed choices about going to college. If parents or students have any queries in relation to the application process or the student grant scheme they should contact the “SUSI Support Desk” by telephone at 0761 08 7874 or email support@susi.cdvec.ie.
SEÁN KENNY TD KEEPING IN TOUCH SUMMER 2012
LOCAL NEWS HOWTH OLYMPIC TORCH CEREMONY 6TH JUNE 2012
MALAHIDE GARDA STATION Seán Kenny TD was recently informed by the Coolock Garda Superintendent that Malahide Garda Station is closed to the public from 9pm each night until 7am in the morning. During this period all telephone calls to the station will be diverted to Coolock Garda Station. Also during this period the members attached to Malahide will continue to carry out direct high visibility patrolling. The SubDistrict of Malahide is currently policed with core units which operate on a 24/7 basis. Community Police Units which operate from 7am to 2am Monday to Wednesday and 7am to 4am Thursday to Saturday. In addition there is a Detective Unit and a Street Crime Unit engaged in plain clothes patrolling. The superintendent stressed that during the hours of closure to the public, the working Garda members in Malahide will still use the station for various operational functions, however the rationale for the reduced hours is to release more resources for patrolling the communities of Malahide Sub-District, including Portmarnock, during times the public would not reasonably require the station to be open.
Photograph by Tony Murray
Sean Kenny TD, attended the Olympic Torch morning ceremony in Howth on the 6th June, and was delighted that local student Cillian Kirwin from St Fintan’s High School in Sutton had the honour of running with the Olympic Flame into Howth where Cillian was greeted by President Michael D Higgins, Lord Sebastian Coe of the London Olympics, Sir Craig Reedie International Olympic Committee representing Jacques Rogge, as well as Pat Hickey President Olympic Council of Ireland and the Mayor of Fingal, Labour Cllr Gerry McGuire. President Higgins told the large crowd from the area that the flame’s arrival in Howth symbolised the growing closeness of the relationship between the UK and Ireland. It was a great event and everyone present felt fortunate to be able to witness it.
MAHON REPORT Sean Kenny TD spoke in the Dail debate on the Mahon Report in March last. He endorsed the recommendations in Chapter 18 of the Report and supported the statement that political corruption diverts public resources to the benefit of the few to the detriment of the many, and that corruption in public office is a fundamental breach of public trust and is inherently incompatible with the democratic nature of the state and that anticorruption measures must focus on ensuring transparency and accountability in public life. Seán said in the Dail “these developerdriven land rezonings eventually led to the property bubble a decade later the consequences of which we are living with today”. He complimented the courageous stand taken by Labour Councillor Bernie Malone in opposing the land rezonings in 1993 in Baldoyle, Cloghran, and Drumnigh, which were strongly criticised by Mahon.
Portmarnock Beach
LOCATION OF NORTH DUBLIN SEWAGE TREATMENT PLAN Seán Kenny TD has publicly opposed the location of the North Dublin Sewage Treatment Plant at Clonshaugh, as one of the three site options proposed for consideration by Fingal County Council. The proposal to route the outfall from the Clonshaugh site to the sea north of Ireland’s Eye through a pipeline under Baldoyle Estuary is of grave concern from an environmental viewpoint. It is believed that this will be strongly opposed by the National Parks & Wildlife Service. On the other side of Baldoyle Estuary the pipeline would go through the Portmarnock Dunes and the popular Portmarnock Velvet Strand Blue Flag Beach. Seán Kenny has written to the Fingal County Manager strongly conveying his opposition to the proposed Clonshaugh Sewage Treatment site.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN YOUR AREA? For regular updates on meetings of Dublin City Council North Central Area Committee, and meetings of Fingal County Council Howth-Malahide Area Committee see www.seankenny.ie/news
SEÁN KENNY TD KEEPING IN TOUCH SUMMER 2012
BROADBAND IN SCHOOLS I was very pleased that Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte T.D. and the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn T.D. announced that all second level schools are to get high speed (100Mbps) broadband. The national roll-out will be completed over three stages with 200 schools being connected by September 2012, a further 200 being connected next year and the remaining 250 schools being connected in 2014. Despite our current economic difficulties, this significant investment in our current and future generation of school-children is money well spent and it shows that the Labour Party is working in Government.
TALL SHIPS IN DUBLIN BAY ON 23RD TO 26TH AUGUST 2012 Dublin City will welcome back the Tall Ships to Dublin Bay on 23rd to 26th August 2012 with a four day action packed festival of fun and celebration. This will be the biggest Festival in Ireland in 2012 with over 100 ships arriving. There will be opportunities to jump on board the ships, free street entertainment, live music, parades, funfairs, treasure hunts, heritage walks, markets, water sport activities and much more. Crew Parade - Up to 3,000 crew from all over the world will parade through the city for a prize giving event. Parade of Sail - Watch the ships set sail on their journey home.
Deputy Sean Kenny speaking on Mahon Report in April 2012
President Michael D Higgins is sworn in to office by Chief Justice Susan Denham at Dublin Castle on November 11th, 2011
Seán Kenny Debates Priory Hall with Dublin City Council and Construction Industry Federation on RTE Primetime
USEFUL CONTACTS/WEBSITES JobBridge - National Internship Programme Ph: 1800 303 515, www.jobbridge.ie Springboard - Training Courses www.bluebrick.ie
Better Energy: Warmer Homes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Ph:1800 250 204, www.seai.ie
Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) Citizens Information Ph: 0761 07 2000 Mon - Fri, 9am - 8pm Ph: 0761 07 4000, www.citizensinformation.ie www.mabs.ie
YOUR LABOUR TEAM WORKING FOR YOU
Seán Kenny TD CONTACT SEAN KENNY TD
Cllr. Peter Coyle
Cllr. Cian O’Callaghan
EMER COSTELLO MEP
Phone: 01 846 0327 Mobile: 087 283 7160 Email: coyle-peter@clubi.ie
Mobile: 086 286 6631 Email: cian.ocallaghan@votelabour.ie
086 383 1805 emercostelloMEP@gmail.com
Address: Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 44 Woodbine Road, Raheny, Dublin 5 Phone: 01 848 1806 (Home) 01 618 3744 (Dail) Email: info@seankenny.ie sean.kenny@oir.ie Web: www.seankenny.ie
facebook.com/SeanKennyTD @SeanKennyTD 0612