SEÁN KENNY TD KEEPING IN TOUCH Spring 2015
Dublin Bay North Constituency
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT BANK WILL PROVIDE VITAL SUPPORT FOR SMES – JOAN BURTON Tánaiste speaking at the launch of the SBCI strategy 19th February 2015 I am very pleased today to be here at the launch of this extremely important new product initiative from the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland. Job creation has been at the centre of this Government’s mission since the start. Since the Government was formed we have sought to support the creation of new jobs, to attract investment into Ireland so as to create new jobs, and to support the retention of existing jobs. I have always known, and I acknowledge here again today, that we will be judged by the Irish people on our record in relation to jobs. That is as it Tánaiste Joan Burton TD should be. In recent years IDA Ireland has been spectacularly successful in attracting Foreign Direct Investment into this country. We need look no further than the Docklands to see the success of this strategy. But, I am very conscious that any jobs strategy must look beyond FDI. SMEs are and will always be the lifeblood of our economy. They exist in every town and many villages in Ireland. They are not only an essential part of our economy. They sustain local communities. They are an essential part of regional development. Without SMEs many of our towns and villages would become little more than dormitories feeding workers into the cities. I am determined, and the Government is determined, that this will not happen. Finance has always been a challenge for SMEs. They have often found it difficult to raise capital and even when such finance was available, it was often provided with onerous terms attached. Too many firms have had to depend on expensive and often unreliable overdraft facilities. This problem has been exacerbated in recent years by the financial crash and the fact that many foreign lenders have left the Irish market. As a result of the initiative which we are announcing today, many more SMEs will be able to access finance. They will be able to do so more cheaply than heretofore and on better terms. Our initial commitment is to make €400 million available but that is only the start. Some of the capital will be made available to the SBCI by The European Investment Bank and a portion by KfW. A further portion will come from the ISIF. This makes good on a Labour Party commitment agreed by Government to make some of the funds previously held by the National Pension Reserve Fund available to support Irish business. This availability of this funding comes at a vital time in the recovery of the Irish economy. All of the economic indicators of recent weeks have been encouraging - tax returns are up; unemployment is down; retail sales are much improved. Business confidence is rapidly returning. Our role as Government is to ensure that business men and women, including those in the social sector, get the support they need. An essential part of that support is access to finance on reasonable terms. Today’s initiative is one more important step in making sure that that support is made available.
CONTACT SEÁN KENNY TD
Address: Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 Email: info@seankenny.ie sean.kenny@oir.ie Phone: 01 618 3744 (Dáil) Mobile: 086 812 6340 Web: www.seankenny.ie facebook.com/SeanKennyTD
@SeanKennyTD
youtube.com/user/SeanKennyTD
Member of Oireachtas Committees: Transport & Communications; Justice, Defence & Equality; Public Service Oversight & Petitions
DELIVERING FOR IRELAND 1. TAX CUTS AND USC CUTS FROM JANUARY 1ST
2. GETTING IRELAND BACK TO WORK
The cuts which took effect in January are the first step in easing the burden on low and middle income workers.
The unemployment rate has fallen from a crisis high of15.1% to 10.6%, and almost 125,000 people left the live register in 2014 to take up work, the vast majority for full time employment.
3. FASTEST GROWING ECONOMY IN THE EUROZONE Just a year after exiting the Troika Bailout programme, Ireland now has the fastest growing economy in the entire Eurozone. This fast economic growth is creating jobs and income for the citizens of our country.
4. SORTING OUT THE IRISH WATER FIASCO Labour Minister Alan Kelly has helped provide certainty on water charges. Families will pay no more than €3.08 per week in water charges, and single people will pay no more than €1.16 per week.
5. REVERSED THE CUT IN THE MINIMUM WAGE & ESTABLISHED LOW PAY COMMISSION One of the first things Labour did was to reverse the cut in the minimum wage which Fianna Fáil introduced. Under Labour leadership, the Government has also set up a Low Wage Commission to work towards better pay for those on low wages.
6. BUILDING SCHOOLS & HOSPITALS Since 2012, despite being in serious financial difficulty, the Government has commenced or completed 319 new schools and major extensions. It has also opened 37 new primary healthcare centres and is working on a further 33.
7. PROVIDED OVER €70 MILLION TO SPORTS CLUBS AROUND THE COUNTRY Since 2012, the Government has given over €70 million in grants to Sports Clubs around Ireland.
8. RE-STARTED RECRUITMENT INTO THE PUBLIC SERVICE, INCLUDING GARDAÍ The Government has ended the recruitment moratorium, and has re-started public sector recruitment, including recruiting several hundred new Gardaí.
THE NEXT STEPS... The last few years have been very difficult for people across Ireland. Now that the economy has been stabilised and the Government's finances are getting in reasonable shape, it is very important that those that have struggled the most in recent years get the most benefit. I am arguing for further reductions in the USC from the bottom up, and that eventually it should be phased out for low and middle income workers.
SEÁN KENNY TD KEEPING IN TOUCH SPRING 2015
LOCAL NEWS DART LINK FROM CLONGRIFFIN TO DUBLIN AIRPORT
Dublin Bay North Labour T.D. and member of the Oireachtas Transport Committee Seán Kenny welcomed the public consultations that took place at the beginning of this year to decide on a long term public transport strategy for the Northside of Dublin. Seán said "I am particularly pleased that the DART link from Clongriffin is being looked at. I have supported this approach for a number of years at this stage and I am very pleased to see it being taken so seriously. A business case for the Clongriffin rail link was submitted by Irish Rail to the Minister for Transport, regarding this rail link back in 2011, and the option has been considered seriously since then. "The Clongriffin rail link is being considered in two different ways, one being a DART link from Clongriffin to Dublin Airport and Swords, and the other option is a straightforward DART link from Clongriffin to the Airport only, and a Luas line running from Cabra to Swords. Both of these options would serve tourists, people in the communities along these routes, and also airport workers. The Northside suburbs of Dublin, particularly on the borders of Dublin City and Fingal are some of the fastest growing areas in the country in terms of population. Seán Kenny arranged a well-attended public information event at Donaghmede Library on 13th February last on the Airport/Clongriffin DART proposal in conjunction with Irish Rail.
VEHICLE BARRIERS AT CAUSEWAY ROAD BULL ISLAND Dublin City Council have informed Deputy Seán Kenny that the barriers will be in place at this location until a traffic management plan is put in place , which is expected to be completed during Summer 2015
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEME HOWTH VILLAGE Fingal County Council propose to include traffic calming measures for Howth Village in the Council’s Operations Programme of Works for 2015. These measures to include traffic calming on Thormanby Road/Main Street/Abbey Street.
FLOODING REPORT HOWTH/SUTTON JANUARY 2015 At the Area Committee meeting Fingal County Council reported “Appointment of Consultants: seven tenders were received in relation to the Offington Court/Old Castle Avenue brief. These tenders have been evaluated and the unsuccessful tenderers and the preferred bidder have been informed. The standstill period, during which a contract cannot be awarded, expires on 14th January, 2015. It is proposed to award the contract following this date, assuming no challenges are received. The second brief has been advertised on the e-tenders website with a closing date of 29th January, 2015. At St. Fintan’s Grove a CCTV survey was carried out on the surface water drainage system in St. Fintan’s Grove. One obstruction was removed from the system and it is now flowing freely. The Bloody Stream Public House Survey works should be completed by early next week which will determine the type of improvement works which may be necessary to the surface water drainage system.”
HOLE IN THE WALL ROAD/MOYNE ROAD JUNCTION IMPROVEMENT SCHEME Fingal County Council, in conjunction with Dublin City Council, propose to design, and commence construction the portion of the proposed Hole in the Wall Road /Moyne Road Junction Improvement scheme.
Seán Kenny TD and Cllr. Brian McDonagh
HOWTH CELTIC FC CARRICKBRACK ROAD, SUTTON An Bord Pleanala granted permission on 22-Dec-2014 for an all weather training surface on existing training area 42m x 22m including 2.4 m fence with 3.6 m netting, floodlights x 4 columns 10m. high and car parking for 26 spaces and widening of entrance.
NEW BUILDING CONTROL REGULATIONS Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council will ensure correct enforcement of the new Building Control Regulations that come into effect from 1st March, 2015.
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 SPRING 2015
SEÁN KENNY TD KEEPING IN TOUCH SPRING 2015
CHILDREN AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS BILL 2015 The Children and Family Relationships Bill is a child-centred reform of family law which is intended to address the needs of children living in diverse families. It will make provision for parentage, guardianship, custody and access across a range of family situations that are not addressed adequately in current law. The Bill is designed to modernise the law in relation to children living in diverse family forms. It is intended to address the need of those children for security in their family situations whether living with: ■ their married parents; ■ their unmarried parents; ■ a parent and the parent’s partner; ■ a grandparent or other relative who is parenting the child. It includes provisions for children being parented by same-sex couples or who have been born through donor-assisted human reproduction (AHR). For more details see www.seankenny.ie/news Deputy Seán Kenny speaking on Children and Family Relationship Bill 2015
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) Ph: 0761 07 2000 Mon - Fri, 9am - 8pm Citizens Information Ph: 0761 07 4000, www.citizensinformation.ie www.mabs.ie Deputy Seán Kenny acting as Ceann Comhairle
YOUR LABOUR TEAM WORKING FOR YOU Seán Kenny’s Advice Centres
Seán Kenny TD CONTACT SEÁN KENNY TD
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD
Cllr Brian McDonagh
Minister of State 01 857 4020 aodhan.oriordain@oir.ie
086 385 8979 brianmcdonaghlabour@gmail.com labour.ie/brianmcdonagh
Every Monday 10am - 10.45am Unit 1, Rear Community Sports Hall, Darndale Every Monday 11.15am - 12 noon Donnycarney Community and Youth Centre (Le Chéile) Every Thursday 7pm - 8pm Ard Scoil La Salle, Raheny Road Every Saturday 10.30am - 11.30am Concorde Lounge, Edenmore Shopping Centre Every Saturday 11.30am to 12 noon Foxhound Inn, Greendale Shopping Centre Every Saturday 12 noon to 12.30pm Donaghmede Inn
(Excluding Bank Holiday Weekends and months of July and August)
Address: Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 @SeanKennyTD facebook.com/SeanKennyTD Phone: 01 618 3744 (Dáil) Mobile: 086 812 6340 youtube.com/user/SeanKennyTD Email: info@seankenny.ie sean.kenny@oir.ie Web: www.seankenny.ie 0612