Over 300 People Attend Public Meeting Hosted by Deputy Noel Coonan in Damer Court Hotel

Deputy Noel Coonan has received assurances from Party Leader Enda Kenny that Roscrea and the North Tipperary constituency is high priority for Fine Gael in Government and the party will do its utmost to ensure the region flourishes. Roscrea town was chosen as the location for the inaugural meeting of Fine Gael’s National Campaign on the Party’s Jobs Plan NewERA which was launched last Thursday.

Speaking before an audience of over 300 people in the Damer Court Hotel on Monday night, Deputy Coonan said he believed the large turnout sent a clear message to Deputy Kenny and Simon Coveney TD, Communications Spokesperson, that “our concern is to make Roscrea a leading provincial town in Ireland as we continue to feel the brunt of the recession especially with the recent closure of Taro Pharmaceuticals”.

Deputy Coonan also asked the Party Leader if North Tipperary features prominently on his priority list to which Deputy Kenny said his “presence here tonight in the Damer Court Hotel signifies that they are priority.”

Deputy Coonan, who hosted and chaired the event, kick-started the meeting saying: “This is the first in a series of meetings to outline Fine Gael’s jobs policy and it will give hope to those who have lost their jobs or struggling to hold onto jobs. We provide a positive outlook for the future which is especially important in North Tipperary, a region which has been ravaged by job losses. I have made North Tipperary a high priority of mine in the Dáil and Deputy Kenny and Deputy Coveney have responded to that priority by coming here tonight to give confidence to the people.”

Deputy Enda Kenny was warmly greeted by the crowd and applauded for his approach: “We are proposing to take €4billion out of the economy in 2010 and this detailed and costed plan was outlined in our alternative budget which was a radical approach to sort out the mess and eradicate waste such as quangos. But in this alternative budget we did not propose taking money from the blind or the disabled or those earning below €30,000 who would have their pay preserved.

“I also think the way budgets are presented is wrong, it’s like a charade. The budget is read out, there is a bit of discussion on it and it is voted through. Fine Gael would make the budget proposals more transparent to the people of Roscrea so everyone knows what is going on and there can be a discussion about the budget before it is published. The Live Register rose by 28% in 12 months in Tipperary and I want to see the people of this town having work on their doorstep so they can plan their life,” continued the Party Leader.

Deputy Simon Coveney effectively explained how NewERA can work for the people of North Tipperary and gave the hard facts on how Fine Gael will make Ireland a more prosperous place to live.

“We will help employers pay salaries, we will keep people in a job and we will make companies more competitive by reducing the tax burden on employers. We will target those who are suffering because they are left shouldering the national debt through no fault of their own. We need to build a telecommunications infrastructure and not hotels and apartment blocks. Roscrea has to compete with other counties and countries in terms of broadband speed or this provincial town, like many towns, will be left behind.

“We need a programme to deliver energy infrastructure. Ireland is ranked 29th out of 30th in terms of broadband speeds. This Government goes on about a smart economy but what does that mean if we cannot even communicate with effective broadband speeds,” continued the Communications Spokesperson.

North Tipperary’s Fine Gael Mayor Denis Ryan addressed the gathering saying: “In Roscrea we have suffered greatly. The West and East coasts have developed the most while the Midlands has been neglected and the real test to see whether there are green shoots in our economy is if jobs are being created.”

Numerous members of the audience eagerly partook in the question and answers session.
Ends

Noel Coonan TD