Peadar Tóibín Oireachtas Newsletter - Summer 2015

Ag obair ar son Éire níos cothroime a chruthú

Cuts to lone parents must be reversed Page 3

SF opposed to windturbines in County Meath Page 4

A fair recovery is possible!

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n the run up to the last election both Labour and Fine Gael promised a new politics, a new economy, an end to cronyism and an end to auction politics.

Yet despite its huge majority and promises of a “democratic revolution” Fine Gael and Labour failed to deliver change and instead implemented their predecessors’ economic deal with the Troika, burst the pay ceiling for ministerial advisors and followed the Fianna Fáil handbook in the way they appointed people to state boards.

They implemented regressive budgets and introduced taxation measures

such as the imposition of the water and household taxes. They targeted the most vulnerable through punitive cuts to a range of benefits and rights of workers, particularly the low paid, were further diminished.

The people who have been made to pay for greed and mismanagement by bankers, speculators and the establishment have been ordinary citizens most of whom have yet to benefit from the creeping recovery.

Conversely, as the first shoots of recovery take root, the government has decided to implement tax cuts for the wealthy - it is the privileged, gilded section of Irish society who is at the head of the queue when it comes to exiting recession.

This is not the way it has to be and Sinn Féin believes a fair recovery is possible but this will not be delivered by the political parties that have failed the people in government.

In the coming months Sinn Féin will lay out policies that provide the basis of a fair recovery, where the priority is: creating quality employment; a decent wage; access to first class public services; fair taxation; with an end to water and household charges.

As we approach the centenary of the Easter Rising, Sinn Féin is the only party able to deliver a fair recovery, and build a truly national republic as promised at the GPO in 1916.

Minister for Tea and Sympathy Jed Nash needs to introduce legislation re Clerys

Under FG/Lab legislation rogue employers and vulture investors are incentivised to pursue exactly the kind of tactical insolvency former Clerys owners Gordon Brothers has secured over recent weeks.

When used by a few rogue employers the ‘corporate veil’ in effect separates the legal ‘personality’ of a company from its Directors.

It protects them from the liability of the business’s obligations to its employees in cases of tactical insolvency.

The Taoiseach tells us that the Company Law Review Group will

consider if any changes need to be made to existing legislation to deal with the type of tactical insolvency Gordon Brothers have clearly availed of using the existing Companies Act introduced under this governments watch.

Abuse of the corporate veil is not

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Government policies have entrenched economic and employment inequality

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ince the Dáil returned in September government Ministers have been peddling their pre-election propaganda on job creation like there no tomorrow. Truth is their record falls far short of commitments made four years ago when Fine Gael and Labour took up office.

Low paid insecure work now entrenched in the labour force is frustrating the potential of Ireland’s recovery, so too is the government’s failure to deliver on promises to ease the cost of doing business for SMEs. Look to the border counties and you’ll see a local economy that is truly struggling. Sinn Féin’s Jobs Spokesperson and TD for Meath West Peadar Tóibín is rapporteur for the first Oireachtas committee report on the all-island economy, and as part of this work

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Protecting low paid workers a priority for Sinn Féin

a fair recovery won’t happen under FG and Labour’s watch FROM PAGE ONE he will consider the potential of a Border Development Zone.

Peadar is developing a series of jobs and growth proposals to include a job-focused approach to public procurement by opening up the process the indigenous SMEs and micro businesses, encouraging FDI that supports the growth of home grown enterprises and strengthens supply chain linkages, easing of the cost burden on business, and regionally proofing IDA and Enterprise Ireland strategies.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Despite the government best efforts to keep TTIP on the down low, the essentially secret EU/US trade is causing ructions in Ireland, Europe and America. Fine Gael’s Jobs Minister is sleepwalking Ireland into a deal that will result in worker displacement, threaten Ireland’s agriculture sector

Ireland has one of the highest rates of low pay in the developed world, and of underemployment in the EU and leave the door wide open to multinational tobacco manufacturers suing Ireland for introducing plain cigarette packaging, and that’s just the tip of the ice-berg.

Peadar has challenged the Minister on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP as it is known, and raised Sinn Féin’s concerns directly with the EU Commissioner for Trade overseeing the negotiations during her recent visit to Ireland.

Job creation remains a priority as numbers on the live register remain unacceptably high, as too is the numbers emigrating, particularly amongst the 20 to 34 age group. One of the key barriers to emigrants returning home

is the prevalence of low paid insecure work.

Ireland has one of the highest rates of low pay in the developed world, and of underemployment in the EU. Peadar has been to the fore in setting out an alternative approach to the government’s approach to tackling low pay, an approach that considers a Living Wage, economic inequality and a strengthened role in tackling poverty and productivity.

Shockingly Labour’s Junior Minister for Business and Employment Ged Nash has decided to limit the work of the Low Pay Commission to focus solely on the minimum wage and has refused point blank to take any meaningful action on zero and low hour contracts.

Ireland needs a fair recovery, but it won’t happen under Labour and Fine Gael’s watch.

CENSORING THE DÁIL Oireachtas report makes clear Direct Provision unfit for purpose

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD and Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh have been leading the way in calling for an end to Direct Provision in Ireland.

The Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions, of which Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD is the chairperson, has recently published a report calling for an end to the system.

“This report to the Dáil and Seanad makes it clear to both Houses of the Oireachtas that the di-

rect provision system is not fit for purpose.”

Direct Provision was designed and resourced to be a short-term solution, Mac Lochlainn said.

There are 4,360 people in the system, one-third of them children. One resident has been in it for 11 years and a large number for five years or more.

One in five residents in direct provision have been in the system for seven or more years.

Time ticking but cuts to Lone Parent Allowance can be reversed

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fforts by billionaire business man Denis O’Brien to curtail the media reporting on Dáil statements that referenced his companies’ dealings with the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) threatened to precipitate an unprecedented constitutional crisis.

Things came to a head when It was not lost on Independent Kildare TD Catherine Murphy introduced a Bill to provide citizens that neither enhanced powers to the Comptroller and Auditor General to conduct the Taoiseach nor an inquiry into the sale of SiteServe, the Tánaiste were and the dealings Denis O’Brien had with IBRC. prepared to defend A temporary injunction that prevented RTE broadcasting a pro- the principle of Dáil gramme which examined the deal- privilege ings O’Brien had with IBRC meant most media outlets were reluctant to Mary Lou McDonald report the statement Deputy Murphy made when she initiated the Bill.

Coincidentally, a couple of days before the controversy broke the Irish Times reported that tough new sanctions were being considered by the Oireachtas CPP Committee on TDs who were deemed to have behaved “in a disorderly way”. The article referenced Mary Lou McDonald for a statement she had made that named a number of prominent retired politicians who allegedly held off-shore Ansbacher accounts. Some of the sanctions being considered by the CPP would include suspension from Dáil votes and Committees.

When the High Court clarified that Denis O’Brien’s injunction could not prevent Dáil comments being published by the media it received a general welcome, in contrast to senior government figures who remained conspicuously silent on the matter.

In response Teachta Mary Lou McDonald said it was not lost on citizens that neither the Taoiseach nor the Tánaiste were prepared to defend the principle of Dáil privilege which she described as a “fundamental cornerstone of our democracy”.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said the Oireachtas needed to “reassert its authority in this situation” and he challenged the government to seek immediate clarification from the Attorney General on the rights of Oireachtas members in respect of Dáil privilege and the role of the media when reporting what is said in the national parliament.

He also made clear that Sinn Féin would resist any attempt to subvert the constitution by shutting down the media from reporting on matters of significant public interest.

A legislative soloution not tea and sympathy

FROM FRONT PAGE

Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Social Protection Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, Deputy Mary Lou McDonald and Sinn Féin Councillors Denise Mitchell, Sarah Holland, Louise O’Reilly, Shane O’Brien, Cathleen Carney Boud and Mícheál MacDonncha pictured at the launch in June of a postcard campaign in opposition to cuts to the Lone Parent Allowance.

Speaking in response to the latest government cut, Deputy Ó Snodaigh said that reductions to payments are due to begin on July 2nd and will negatively impact on almost 12,000 families who will suffer a financial loss of up to €86 per week driving many of them into poverty.

“This postcard campaign,” he said, “is addressed to Joan Burton who instigated the cuts and highlights the difficulties these families face. It urges the Tánaiste to reverse this punitive measure immediately”.

a new phenomenon and to date government Ministers have set their face against dealing with disgraceful practices by companies Earlier this year Peadar Tóibín TD introduced legislation that sought to include a provision on the Companies Act 2014 to deal with tactical insolvencies that leave workers high and dry.

In contrast Junior Labour Minister Ged Nash has been tasked with writing yet another report in the case of Clerys. Workers don’t need reports on well-established rogue practices How the parties voted when SF introby unscrupulous employers, they duced legislation to improve the 2014 need legislative protections now.

Companies Act

Answering the hard questions...

OR TALKING

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nda Kenny really is a bit of a joker.

When an exasperated TD on the opposition benches asked him recently what was the point of leader’s questions he told her, “It’s to tell you where to go.” I kid you not.

Week after week the Taoiseach has put his best patronising face forward, as he inelegantly dodges the tough questions. This carry on is not new or unique to the Fine Gael leader, although he and his Tánaiste are amongst the worst offenders.

So when Gerry Adams first posed the question that the Taoiseach’s reason for not setting up an independent commission of investigation into the Siteserv sale was because he doesn’t want citizens to know exactly what happened – Kenny bewilderingly told the Sinn Fein leader it was because he didn’t want to be accused of a cover-up! Eh, isn’t the point of an investigation to expose wrong doing?

Labour Leader Joan Burton is not a whole pile better. Mary Lou recently asked what daily necessity the Tánaiste proposed struggling households forgo to pay the water tax.

WAFFLE?

Instead of answering she waffled on about Belfast, singing of songs, something about unemployed people having no ambition and bizarrely, her efforts to increase peoples’ incomes by taxing them more!

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IT’S ALL FIANNA FÁIL’S FAULT! Then there’s the old chestnut of, ‘it’s Fianna Fáil’s fault’. We all know the last crowd are to blame for crash but let’s face it; Fine Gael and Labour have made a bad situation a lot worse. Families and SMEs alike are still struggling with high levels of debt, you’ve less money in your pocket, family homelessness is at crisis levels and your loved ones are still languishing on hospital trollies when they need urgent care.

Yet despite the deeply unfair policies of this government its party leaders try to palm off even their most recent decisions on Fianna Fáil.

Take the sale of the states 25% share in Aer Lingus. In setting out Sinn Féin’s opposition to the sale Mary Lou McDonald called on the Tánaiste to explain why Aer Lingus pensioners have been given a short shrift, noting in particular deferred pensioners

who have been treated shamefully by the company and government.

Joan Burton laid the blame at Fianna Fáil’s door for legislation introduced six years ago – but the reality is Labour and Fine Gael voted down Sinn Féin amendments to legislation that would have provided added protections for the very same pensioners.

Bring on the election!

Week after week the Taoiseach has put his best patronising face forward, as he inelegantly dodges the tough questions

FG TDs speak from both sides of their Mouth on Wind Turbines in Meath

At the recent An Bord Plánála Oral Hearings into the Emlagh Wind Farm Fine Gael TD Regina Dorhery delivered a speech against the erection of the Turbines. Clare Daly would have been proud of her such was her anger and rage. The only problem is, her words in Meath stand in stark contrast to her actions in the Dáil.

1. The reason why the normal planning process is being circumvented is because of the Fianna Fáil 2006 Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006. It is in the gift of FG and Labour to repeal this at any time.

2. These industrial sized turbines are being planned for Meath under the 2006 Guidelines, guidelines which FG/Lab could change. In 2013 the FG/Lab government promised to review these guidelines. This has not happened yet and it’s not an accident. There is significant suspicion within the community that the delay is designed to allow for a raft of applications to go ahead.

3. FG/Lab could at any time stop new Wind Farm applications being made until the new guidelines are published. Yet FG and Labour are still allowing applications to proceed. It’s incredible that the people of Meath are waiting since 2013 for these guidelines to be signed off on.

4. Last year Peadar Tóibín TD and the Sinn Féin team tabled a Bill in the Dáil to give proper regulation to the development of Wind Farms. Our Bill past first and second stage but because of FG/ Lab it has been stopped in its tracks.

Midland Alliance invited by Teachta Peadar Tóbín to the Dáil

Forcing industrial sized wind turbines on a rural community is wrong. Cynical Fine Gael TDs opposing turbines in Meath while through their Dáil work, facilitating their erection is a disgrace.

The Sinn Féin Bill seeks to impose a setback distance of ten times the height of the turbine from any dwelling for turbines. It attempts to im-

pose proper regulation.

This includes proper zoning of areas for wind turbine developments, the duties of planning authorities, a responsibility of decommissioning wind turbines and forcing companies wishing to develop industrial windfarms to enter into meaningful consultation with host communities.

Forcing industrial sized wind turbines on a rural community is wrong. Cynical Fine Gael TDs opposing turbines in Meath while through their Dáil work, facilitating their erection is a disgrace.

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