Author Archives: Administrator
Government misses key deadline for reform of Credit Guarantee Scheme – FF
Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Jobs and Enterprise Dara Calleary has accused the Government of failing to prioritise the needs of small businesses and firms that continue to be starved of credit by a banking sector not fit for purpose in assisting economic recovery. Deputy Calleary was commenting after the Government failed to pass or even publish proposed reforms to the Credit Guarantee Scheme in the last Dáil session. Deputy Calleary has called on Minister Richard Bruton to ensure it is prioritised in the coming weeks. Deputy Calleary commented: “The Government has been promising for months to reform the Credit Guarantee Scheme, which is particularly relevant to the manufacturing sector, but […]
Read MoreWestern health services would take major hit in nurse registration row – Calleary
Fianna Fáil TD for Mayo Dara Calleary has said frontline health services in the West could be put under enormous strain if the row between nurses and their regulating body is not resolved. The nursing board has implemented a massive increase in their registration fee which nurses say is unjustified. Deputy Calleary commented: “Nurses are rightly very annoyed about the 50% increase they’re being asked to pay in their registration fee. What’s worse is the fact that there is almost no choice. Nurses working in Mayo General and other hospitals across the country are being told it is illegal for them to practise after January 1st if they haven’t paid […]
Read MoreMayo Farmers penalised in unjust Finance Bill
Fianna Fáil TD for Mayo Dara Calleary says a number of measures contained in the Finance Bill will have a detrimental impact on farmers in the county. The Bill must be amended to reflect the changing face of Irish farming, or risk destroying viable businesses. Deputy Calleary commented, “Section 74 of the Finance Bill, which defines an “active farmer” as one who spends more than 50% of their working time on the farm, is unrealistic and unworkable for many farmers, particularly younger ones. If enacted in its current form, it will act as a major deterrent for the new generation of farmers. Many farmers in Mayo have to work outside […]
Read More3000 Mayo Medical Cards Cuts
Figures released to Fianna Fáil have revealed the full extent of cuts to medical cards in Mayo with 3,095 cards slashed in the 12 months to the beginning of September. The number of medical cards in Mayo has been cut from 67,218 in September 2013 to 64,123 last September, this includes a reduction in the number of over 70s medical cards by 309 (from 13,151 to 12,842). “These are appalling cuts and have had a major impact on people’s lives. I have consistently pointed out that the Government was engaged in a deliberate and disgraceful attack on people with medical cards for the last two years. We now have clear […]
Read MoreOur Lady’s Hospital Crumlin needs urgent support – Calleary
The cramped and third-world condition of the Outpatient’s Department at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children Crumlin should be a matter of grave concern for the Government according to Mayo Fianna Fáil TD Dara Calleary. Deputy Calleary made his comments having raised the matter with the Minister for Health in the Dáil this week. “The fundraising wing of Our Lady’s Hospital currently has an urgent appeal to help save a facility that goes right through the heart of our country’s largest children’s hospital. For years Crumlin has delivered world-class care in less than ideal conditions, but many of those facilities are struggling with new roles and increased demand. “The Outpatients […]
Read MoreMinister offers little hope of compensation for victims of ‘Petrol-Stretching’ – Calleary
Mayo Fianna Fáil TD Dara Calleary has expressed his disappointment at the replies received to Parliamentary Questions placed by him in the Dáil last week in relation to the ‘Petrol-Stretching’ controversy that has affected many Mayo-based motorists in recent months. Deputy Calleary said, “I gave a commitment at a public meeting in Swinford last week that I would raise the matter with the relevant Department and I did so in the Dáil last week when I placed three questions to the Minister for Finance. “I asked the Minister if his attention has been drawn to the practice of petrol stretching; if his attention has been further drawn to the pressure […]
Read MoreAction not empty promises needed to secure future of Ireland West Airport – Calleary
Fianna Fáil TD for Mayo Dara Calleary says the Taoiseach must sideline the spin and honour the commitments he made about Ireland West Airport Knock. Enda Kenny made a promise before the 2011 General Election that he would ‘do whatever he needed for Knock’ if he became Taoiseach. Deputy Calleary commented, “The time for talking is long gone and what we need to see from the Taoiseach is action, and a follow through on the commitments he gave to airport officials before he assumed office. Ireland West Airport Knock needs a cash injection in the upcoming budget in order to secure its survival and it is up to the Taoiseach […]
Read MoreHill Farmers concerns to be raised in Dáil
I will be raising the concerns of Mayo Hill Farmers in a Topical Issues Debate in the Dáil this afternoon, Wednesday 17 September.The origins of the issues causing stress and anguish to Hill Farmers lies in the Department’s proposals for the new GLAS Environmental Scheme. “Hill Farmers throughout Ireland but particularly in the West are so incensed by the move that they have gone so far as to accuse the IFA of selling them out with anger levels so high that 1700 people gathered an emergency meeting in Westport on 17 July. “The Hill Farmers are totally opposed to a Collective Agreement on the Commonages. A 50% collective agreement and […]
Read MoreFree GP Care for over 70s ‘a political gimmick’ – Calleary
Free GP Care for over 70s ‘a political gimmick’ – Calleary Government continues to take medical card from seriously ill pensioners Fianna Fáil TD for Mayo Dara Calleary has accused the Government of engaging in a political gimmick following the announcement of free-GP care for over 70s. Deputy Calleary said this new policy is hypocritical and is a belated reaction to the Government’s heavy defeat in the recent local elections. He commented: “The announcement by the Taoiseach last week on free GP care for over 70s has come totally out of the blue and has been done with absolutely no consultation with the relevant stakeholders. No talks were held with […]
Read MoreCalleary alarmed at cuts to Mayo primary schools
Fianna Fáil TD for Mayo Dara Calleary has expressed his alarm that 11 small schools in the county are to lose a teacher this September. The decision was confirmed following a parliamentary question to Minister Ruairi Quinn last week. The number of schools in Mayo having a teacher cut is substantially higher than any other county in the country. Deputy Calleary commented, “This is yet another attack by this Government on small schools, and more specifically small schools in Mayo. Eleven small schools across the country will see a teacher cut when the next school year begins. These are schools with no more than four teachers as it is, and […]
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