Archive for June, 2010

Deputy Coonan Remains Steadfast in Opposing Wildlife Bill

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
Deputy Noel Coonan is remaining steadfast in his opposition to the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill which will be voted on in the Dáil tonight Tuesday and said Fine Gael has been clear and unequivocal on this issue all along; unlike his Government colleagues in North Tipperary.

“Fine Gael has been very strong on this issue and stated that in power we would reverse any changes made by this Government to existing licensing arrangements for stag hunting. Meanwhile, the Government continues to drift from crisis to crisis and remainds uncertain on many issues. In contrast, Fine Gael has been absolute and decisive and that is the kind of definite governance we need right now,” said Deputy Coonan.

“While I welcome Deputy Michael Lowry’s support in voting against this Bill, his deal with Government must not have been as comprehensive and delivered to the degree he expected if he is now doing a late u-turn and voting with the Opposition.

“Deputy Lowry said he is standing up and being counted for the sake of the people of Ireland yet he is part of the family that cut Young Farmers’ Installation Aid, cancelled the Christmas bonus for social welfare recipients, cutback respite services for people with intellectual disabilities, removed teachers from our classrooms, imposed income levies, reductions in public sector pay, and a carbon tax on farmers,” continued Deputy Coonan.

“Government Deputies in North Tipperary were not standing up for their rural constituents when they consistently support the coalition in these draconian cutbacks which are only some in a long list that have caused constituents great suffering.

The Fine Gael TD continued: “At a time when the country has been brought to its knees by this Government and there are people are 7,125 people on the dole in North Tipperary, the Green Party is prioritising stag hunting in the last week of the Dáil. This is so the Government can hastily push through the legislation before the summer recess.”

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Noel Coonan TD

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Extra Staff to be Deployed to Thurles’s Garda Vetting Unit to Handle Increase in Applications –Deputy Noel Coonan

Thursday, June 24th, 2010
Deputy Noel Coonan has welcomed the news that five additional members of staff are to be recruited to Thurles’s Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) to manage the tens of thousands of vetting applications currently being processed. Information revealed to the local Fine Gael TD from Minister Dermot Ahern show that there are approximately 65,000 applications being processed.
Deputy Coonan said: “The average processing time for vetting applications received at the GCVU is in the region of 10 to 12 weeks given that demand is particularly high at present. The GCVU has managed a substantial increase over recent years in the numbers of vetting applications it receives; 187,864 in 2007, 218,404 in 2008 and 246,194 in 2009. I’m pleased to hear that the applications will be dealt with much quicker now that five temporary staff will be shortly deployed to the unit.”

The GCVU provides employment vetting for a large number of organisations in Ireland registered with the Gardaí for this purpose and which employ persons in a full-time, part-time, voluntary or training capacity to positions where they would have substantial, unsupervised access to children and/or vulnerable adults.

Deputy Coonan said an additional five persons were recently assigned to the Vetting Unit, bringing the total to 83 personnel currently assigned there, including six Gardaí and 77 Garda civilian personnel.  The further five additional personnel are being recruited on a temporary basis and it is intended that these persons will commence work shortly.  Overall, this represents a very significant increase in the level of personnel assigned to the unit, which stood at only 13 before the current process of development in Garda vetting began in 2005.

“I want to commend the staff working in Thurles’s office on the Racecourse road who are making every effort to process the applications as efficiently as possible. The processing time fluctuates during the year due to seasonal demands when the volume of applications received from certain sectors can increase,” concluded Deputy Coonan.

The information was released to Deputy Coonan via a parliamentary question to Minister Dermot Ahern on the issue.

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Noel Coonan TD

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Posted in National, North Tipperary, Thurles | No Comments »

No IDA Jobs Created in North Tipp Last Year- Deputy Noel Coonan

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Figures revealed to Deputy Noel Coonan show that no new jobs were created in 2009 by Industrial Development Authority (IDA) supported companies in North Tipperary. The Fine Gael TD said “this Government’s miserable reputation for creating jobs continues to ring true” with a mere 22 IDA jobs created in the constituency throughout all of 2007 and 2008.
The IDA is a government agency with responsibility for securing new investment from overseas in manufacturing and internationally traded services sectors
Deputy Coonan said: “At the end of May there were 7,125 North Tipperary people on the dole representing a shocking 20% increase on the same figure for the previous year. This worrying trend continues to worsen with no corner of the constituency escaping the spiralling unemployment crisis created by this feeble Government.
“Figures released to me via a parliamentary question to the Minister for Enterprise clearly highlights that IDA’s efforts to re-position the region as a hotspot for investment needs to be greatly strengthened and progressed because it’s simply not working. I have also been continuously questioning the Minister on his plans to promote the former Taro Pharmaceuticals site in Roscrea.
The Fine Gael TD continued: “In response, Minister Batt O’Keeffe told me that the site is in private ownership and the State development agencies remain available to assist in marketing the site and plant to any prospective buyers. He noted that Shannon Development’s efforts in Roscrea are concentrated on marketing the Roscrea Business & Technology Park and that whatever about the outcome on the Taro building, there is a lot of industrial space ready for occupation in Roscrea,” said Deputy Coonan.

“While Shannon Development’s best efforts are to be commended, we need job creation right and it is this Government that must lift us out of the black hole it has created. IDA is tasked with winning new Foreign Direct Investment and helping existing company bases to expand their presence in the Mid-West region and the Minister for Enterprise and his Government colleagues in North Tipperary must up their game and ensure the region is prioritised for job creation,” continued the Fine Gael TD.

Meanwhile, the local TD said Fine Gael is the only political party that has proposed graduate internship programmes, second chance education and jobs-orientated changes to the social welfare code to keep young people at work or in education. The party has also put together a constructive plan to take 40,000 people off the Live Register within 12 months, and to create 105,000 new jobs over four years through our new stimulus plan NewERA. The Government has refused to implement these recommendations.
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Noel Coonan TD

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Posted in North Tipperary | 1 Comment »

“Nenagh Hospital Becomes a Day Clinic” Deputy Noel Coonan

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Deputy Noel Coonan has welcomed recent developments at Nenagh General Hospital with a new 10-bed medical assessment unit due to open soon. However, the Fine Gael TD said there is no escaping the fact that Nenagh hospital is moving away from an acute hospital and towards a day clinic.

Following a visit to Nenagh Hospital on Monday, the local TD said: “This time last year, Nenagh Hospital had in the region of 100 beds and today there is only half that amount. This is happening at a time we have an aging population that need local beds to be readily available. The establishment is no longer a hospital in the traditional meaning of the word because acute medical services are not being developed and the focus has shifted to day surgery.

“It’s also true that there is not enough staff to make the cat-scanner available to out-patients as well as in-patients. HSE staff told me that both the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle and St. John’s Hospital are packed to capacity. Since the reconfiguration report was published, I have been constantly reiterating that services should not be taken from Nenagh Hospital until the necessary services needed to facilitate the transfer are in place in Limerick. So while I welcome the developments, there are still problems to be ironed out,” continued Deputy Coonan.

The Fine Gael TD said the endoscopy unit and lift system is an old commitment made many years ago and renewed under the reconfiguration proposals. The provision of the suite and lifts formed part of the Mid-Western Health Board strategy adopted in 2000/2001. “This fact has been verified by HSE officials. Funding of €2million was given at the time but the Government stopped it in its tracks when it created the HSE monster,” concluded Deputy Coonan.

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Noel Coonan TD

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Posted in Nenagh, North Tipperary | No Comments »

Deputy Noel Coonan Urges Parents to Apply for Back to Education Clothing and Footwear Scheme 2010

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Deputy Noel Coonan said application forms for the Back to Education Clothing and Footwear Scheme 2010 are now available on the Social Protection website or from his office. The Fine Gael TD is encouraging parents of children born between 1/10/1987 and 30/09/2008 to apply as soon as possible following the huge backlog in processing times last year.

Deputy Coonan said: “Last year, there was great confusion about where parents could get the forms and many people contacted my office in this regard. Local Community Welfare Officers weren’t accepting applications or queries last year which was the usual protocol. Once applicants finally got their hands on the forms, there was confusion about where to send them. The whole scheme was mismanaged leaving parents very anxious over the delay in payment as children were back to school by the time all payments were issued.

“The economic downturn and the rise in unemployment also resulted in a significant increase in the number of applications in 2009 and led to a huge delay with processing payments. Extra HSE staff were then allocated to help administer the scheme which was running weeks behind schedule.

“In order to avoid the same happening this year, I’m urging parents who feel they have an entitlement to apply now and contact my office where forms are available. I understand that the majority of applicants who received a payment under the back to school clothing and footwear scheme in 2009 will automatically be issued with an application form for 2010,” continued the Fine Gael TD.

“Feel free to contact my office on 0504 32544 for an application form or you can download one online at www.welfare.ie. This scheme is vital for many parents who are financially strained. It helps towards the cost of uniforms and footwear for school children. The scheme operates from June to September each year and the closing date is 30 September,” said Deputy Coonan.

Applicants who are currently in receipt of a regular payment from the Department of Social Protection will, where possible, receive payment for this scheme along with their regular payment i.e. into your bank account or post office. In all other cases payment will be made by cheque. For children aged 18 to 22 years on 30/09/2010, payment is only made in respect of each eligible child who is in full-time education.

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Noel Coonan TD

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Posted in National, Nenagh, North Tipperary, Roscrea, Templemore | No Comments »