Minister Ged Nash KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH THE MEATH COAST Spring 2015 Dear Resident, After seven difficult years in the East Meath area, we can now look forward with confidence to a brighter future.
MAKING WORK PAY – THE NEW LOW PAY COMMISSION
In January alone, 14,600 people nationally left the Live Register to take a job and Budget 2015 saw the first income tax cuts for working people in many years. After a period of national bankruptcy and mismanagement, and as the economy grows, we are investing more in our public services – employing more teachers, nurses and Gardai, and we are feeling the positive effects of that locally. As the economy continues to expand, I will make sure that working people and small business owners get to take home more of their hard-earned income. As Minister for Business and Employment, I am working hard to deliver a recovery that is fair, that supports enterprise and rewards work.
HUGE INVESTMENT IN NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS
I believe work should always pay so, as Minister for Business and Employment, I have established the Low Pay Commission.
The Meath Coast has seen a huge recent investment in educational facilities and this is continuing with another two brand new school buildings on the way.
The commission’s first report to Government is due in July.
This independent body, made up of worker and business representatives, will look at all of the issues around low pay and make a recommendation to me on the rate of the national minimum wage. The Labour Party has always maintained that a job which pays fair wages is the best protection against poverty.
The area suffered from lack of school places during the boom years but since taking office, Labour in Government has worked hard to provide much-needed funds for our school facilities. Gaelscoil An Bhradáin Feasa at Colpe’s Mill Road is all set to get a new 16 classroom permanent building with a special needs unit. Construction work is due to begin later this year.
The Low Pay Commission, which will make recommendations on the minimum wage each year from now on, is one of the most important initiatives taken by any Government in recent years. The commission’s brief is to look at the evidence and take the politics out of setting the minimum wage. It will examine all aspects of employment from pay and conditions, to competitiveness and the need to protect existing jobs.
In Julianstown, plans are also at an advanced stage for a new 16 classroom school at Whitecross National School.
As Minister for Jobs I want to ensure that those on the lowest wages in our society get a real opportunity to share in our economic recovery.
The design team are currently working on the detailed plans for the building and the project is expected to move swiftly towards tender and construction.
Labour in Government is determined to make the dignity of work a reality so I am looking forward to hearing the commission’s recommendations for the new minimum wage.
Meath Coast Clinic Tara Guesthouse, Laytown 6.30 pm second and fourth Monday of each month
Connolly Hall, Palace Street, Drogheda Office: 041 9810811
Email: gerald.nash@oir.ie Web: www.geraldnash.com
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@geraldnash
BIG FALLS IN LOCAL UNEMPLOYMENT The economic recovery is working and more and more people are getting back to work in the Drogheda and East Meath area.
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Locally, we have seen a massive 23.4% drop in unemployment in the past three years and the latest figures show the numbers of people signing on has fallen by 8% in the last year alone.
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Nationally the numbers out of work are down to 10.1% and Labour in Government is determined to see unemployment reduced to single figures by the end of the year. Since Labour entered Government we have seen 100,0000 people across the country get back to work.
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With a clear focus on job creation, Labour is going to keep up the momentum and copper-fasten this recovery. The number of people without jobs is still too high but there is no doubt that this Government, with Labour at its heart, is working and things will continue to get better.
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PRIMARY CARE CENTRE A PRIORITY
BETTER BEACH MANAGEMENT PROMISED
Providing a Primary Health Care Centre in the Laytown/ Bettystown area is a priority for the HSE and I am actively engaged with both the HSE and Meath County Council to help make this happen.
Last summer saw a number of difficulties arising including high levels of bacteria recorded in the sea water followed by poor communication from the council about the issue, as well as outbursts of anti-social behaviour.
The planned centre will provide a range of services including General Practice and Public Health Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language therapy as well as other disability services. The HSE has identified a suitable building in the Bettystown Town Centre which has recently been bought from the NAMAappointed receiver. I am aware that the HSE is currently in discussions with the new owners with a view to progressing the Primary Care Centre project. I am also in regular contact with the Council to ensure that any future use of the town centre site will contain community facilities.
A robust plan to make sure that our Meath Coast beaches are properly managed is now in place.
With these in mind I have met with community representatives, the Gardaí and Meath County Council officials in an effort to ensure that our beaches, which are such wonderful amenities, are kept cleaner and safer. The beach management plan includes a commitment from the council to increase beach cleaning services on bank holidays and during periods of fine weather when the numbers of visitors to our beaches increases substantially. The council will also be more proactive in its public communications, particularly in instances involving water pollution. More and better beach signage will be provided so that the public can be kept fully informed. The council also promised to ensure that people are kept up to date with the latest information through notifications in local and national media outlets, as well as on social media channels. The Gardaí are on board with a promise to stay informed of weather conditions which are likely to draw crowds to the beach. Garda manpower will be increased and appropriate traffic management will be put in place to deal with the influx of visitors. The Gardaí are also very much aware of issues around anti-social behaviour on our beaches and have formulated plans to prevent and combat it.
AN ENTERPRISE CENTRE FOR THE MEATH COAST As Minister for Business and Employment I am working to develop an enterprise centre on the Meath Coast. I believe such a centre, with incubation units to allow small start-up companies and micro-businesses grow and develop, will boost economic development in the locality and help create jobs in the area. I have been meeting with community representatives, local business people and Meath County Council officials with a view to finding a suitable premises. I am also in contact with Enterprise Ireland and other stakeholders interested in job creation, in an effort to help progress the plan. An enterprise centre will assist our budding entrepreneurs and enhance the enterprise culture on the Meath Coast. With our large commuting population we have the critical mass needed for such a facility to grow and prosper and I am working hard to make it happen.
BOYNESIDE CYCLE TRAIL EN ROUTE TO MORNINGTON
ACTION PLAN FOR JOBS ON THE MEATH COAST As Minister of State for Business and Employment, I am working with a variety of state agencies on the Action Plan for Jobs in the North East (Louth) and Eastern (Meath) regions which will very much focus on the Drogheda and the Meath Coast. The Government’s new regional enterprise strategy is allocating €250 million across the country in an effort to encourage more local job creation. By the middle of this year we will have a new plan for the greater Drogheda region (one of eight across the state) developed with Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, Meath Local Enterprise Office, Chambers of Commerce, business organisations and other stakeholders.
Bringing the Boyneside cycle trail to Mornington is a project close to my heart and I am determined to see it built. To help progress the project I recently hosted a visit by officials from the National Transport Authority to see the proposed 6.8 km cycleway route from the Maiden Tower at Mornington to Drogheda. The NTA could help fund the works and officials reacted very positively when we showed them how the Mornington phase of the cycle route will link up existing public transport facilities, reduce car traffic and increase the number of people cycling and walking in the area. As well as providing transport links the Mornington trail will be a massive asset to the Meath Coast tourist industry and a wonderful leisure facility. Now that Labour in Government is getting the economy back on track there is money available for worthwhile projects such as this. However it is important that this next phase is effectively shovel ready so we can make a strong application when funding is made available later this year. The next step is to secure official support from Meath and Louth County Councils, local tourist organisations, the Chamber of Commerce, Bus Eireann, Irish Rail and other interested groups. I believe that when the NTA see this combined approach, with across the board backing, they will look favourably on our proposal and we can secure the funding to get the Mornington phase of the Boyneside cycle trail to the planning and design stage.
This is essentially an “action plan” for jobs for the area. It will help us maximise the strengths we have, identify gaps in infrastructure, work to attract more foreign direct investment and support and develop local enterprises and local job creation initiatives. The plan will be measured and each agency is tasked with delivering agreed objectives for each quarter. I am aware that companies in the foreign direct investment space have been showing significant interest in the Drogheda area in recent months. And I am confident that this interest will intensify and ultimately deliver jobs.
As a Labour Minister I will continue to work to reform the USC so that those on the lowest incomes are removed from the charge. With the creation of new jobs and our huge drop in unemployment, Labour in Government has succeeded in taking an extra 80,000 people out of the Universal Social Charge net this year. There are now a total of 410,000 fewer working people paying the USC than when we took office in 2011. I want to ensure that we provide a tax system that addresses inequality and rewards people who work and run businesses. As the economy continues to improve, the Labour Party aims to cut taxes and the USC further so that hard-working people will have more money in their pockets.
SPORT GRANTS BRING BRIGHT FUTURE FOR EAST MEATH CLUBS I am encouraging Meath Coast sports clubs to get their applications in now for some of the €40 million which is being made available in the latest round of Sports Capital Grants. I am pleased to say that the last time the Meath Coast and Drogheda received one of the highest allocations of Sports Capital Grants per capita in the country. The scheme provides funds to help sports clubs improve their facilities and equipment and last year East Meath United received a €100,000 grant. The club, which does fantastic work with the children of our community, has ambitious plans to provide allweather facilities and a clubhouse with changing rooms and toilets at its site on the Minnistown Road. A host of other local organisations also benefited last time including Laytown United FC who received €5,000. Applications have to be made online at www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie and the deadline is April 10. My office will be happy to help any local sports clubs and organisations who would like advice or assistance with their application. Sports clubs play a vital role in terms of people’s health and wellbeing and the development of our young people and I believe the whole community will reap the benefit of these sports capital grants.
MAKING WORK PAY – ZERO HOUR CONTRACT STUDY The dignity of work and making work pay are very important to me. That is why I have instituted a major study into Zero Hours Contracts. This type of insecure employment is where workers are given only short-term notice of what hours, if any, they will work in any given week. If the study, being carried out by the University of Limerick, finds that these contracts are having a detrimental impact on our workforce then the Government will act. Zero and low hour contracts, where working time is not specified or guaranteed, are most commonly used in the hospitality, retail, education and health sectors. Workers in this situation often have no idea what their weekly wage will be, making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to plan for paying bills and other living costs. The study will see workers and business owners surveyed to find out more about the real experience of people employed on these contracts. It will look at zero or low hour contracts of eight hours or less, and gather information on how common such contracts are, and how they affect workers’ rights. It is my job as Minister to make sure that we are helping to create decent jobs, with decent pay. As the economy recovers I will not allow a situation to develop where jobs are being created that do not allow families to lift themselves out of poverty.
REAL PEOPLE FEELING THE BENEFITS OF RECOVERY There is no doubt that things are getting better. It is fair to say not everyone is feeling the benefits of economic recovery, but a lot of people are. ■ People like the extra 100,000 who are now at work since 2012, including the holders of 36,000 net new jobs created last year alone. ■ The children in the hundreds of schools built and refurbished by this Government since 2011. ■ The 1,700 additional teachers, teaching assistants and SNAs who are being recruited this year. ■ The 410,000 people that we have taken out of the USC net since we came into office. ■ The 33,000 people we have taken out of the top tax rate in 2015. ■ The 610,000 families whose child benefit has been increased. ■ The 1.2m people who enjoyed a Christmas bonus for the first time since 2009.
Minister Ged Nash TD Dáil Office: Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 Constituency Office: Connolly Hall, Palace Street, Drogheda Phone: 041 981 0811
Email: gerald.nash@oir.ie Fax: 01 618 4397
Meath Coast Clinic Tara Guesthouse, Laytown 6.30 pm second and fourth Monday of each month
Follow me on Facebook @geraldnash 0612
REFORMING THE UNIVERSAL SOCIAL CHARGE