CORK NORTH WEST CONSTITUENTS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR UK WINTER FUEL ALLOWANCE
Cork North West TD Michael Creed, has highlighted that many Irish people returned from a lifetime of work in the UK could be eligible for the UK Winter Fuel Payment Allowance – even if they did not receive the payment while living there.
“To be eligible for this fuel payment, the only requirement is that a claimant was born on or before July 5th, 1951, and have a ‘genuine and sufficient link’ with the UK. Having a British Pension is not a strict qualifying factor but of course, it will be of enormous help when applying. Undoubtedly, many Irish people can easily prove they have lived or worked in the UK for most of their working lives.
“The UK Winter Fuel Payment Allowance continues to be paid to thousands of eligible Irish people who moved back to Ireland from the UK and had already been receiving the payment while living there.
“Since 2002, the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions has paid out more than £8.2m (€9.5m) under this scheme to Irish people who returned to these shores after living and working all their lives in the UK. The annual payment ranges between £100 and £300 sterling tax-free depending on circumstances.
“Up to last year, these monies were only paid to Irish people who essentially transferred their Winter Fuel Payments from the UK to Ireland. However, following a ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2012, the qualifying criteria can now be extended to returned Irish people who worked all their lives in the UK but did not avail of the allowance when living there.
“This significant ruling means eligible Irish people who did not apply for the payment before leaving the UK may now claim while living in Ireland if they meet the qualifying criteria.
“I am keen to highlight the significant change in the qualifying criteria given that it’s likely to positively affect many Irish people who have returned from the UK and who are not aware of this payment. Further details on the scheme can be obtained by accessing https://www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim or contacting my constituency office,” concluded Deputy Creed
SUPPORTS NEEDED TO HELP STAY AT HOME PARENTS RETURN TO WORKPLACE
Cork North West TD, Michael Creed has called for measures to be taken to assist parents, who have stayed in the home to raise their children, return to the workplace. Deputy Creed made particular reference to parents who are not entitled to the supports available to those on the live register. Speaking in the Dáil during a special topical issues debate on the matter, Deputy Creed said:
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise the matter of parents who wish to return to the workforce after a period in the home raising children. They are not provided with similar rights and entitlements to those on the live register in terms of education and training initiatives and other labour market activation mechanisms. Although the proposal is couched in gender-neutral terms, in most cases we are talking about women who, mostly for reasons to do with child-rearing, opt out of the labour force for a number of years. As they are not in receipt of a qualifying payment, they are not entitled to participate in many of the labour market activation programmes available through the Department of Social Protection or its agencies”.
“I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O’Dowd, and I appreciate that not every Cabinet Minister can be in attendance for these debates. However, I had hoped the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, would attend because she is interested in these matters. In recent days, she celebrated International Women’s Day. It is not often I find myself comfortable in the company of the National Women’s Council of Ireland and SIPTU but it must be acknowledged on such occasions. The two bodies combined to produce a very interesting paper called Careless to Careful Activation. It deals with a range of issues that arise on the basis that women do not present a homogenous group in terms of labour market activation measures. Women who have reared children have different requirements from those who are at the pre-child-rearing stage”.
“The challenge for the Minister is whether it is possible to have a gender perspective on labour market activation and to move away from what appears to be a gender-stereotypical approach that one size fits all in terms of labour market activation. I acknowledge it is a lot to ask but, from the point of view of the State, there is a danger of locking out a large cohort of women, many of whom have acquired skill sets at the expense of the State that are in danger of being lost forever. This will have an impact on employment rates in the economy and contribute to household poverty”.
“On the other side, women in receipt of qualifying payments are, in some cases, harangued and harassed by the Department of Social Protection to participate in labour market activation measures. In some contexts, it places extraordinary pressure on them, including the obligation to participate in training or courses and, subsequently, low-paid employment, as well as leaving them with the onerous task of domestic, child-rearing and care responsibilities. While we can understand the argument that scarce resources must be allocated in a targeted manner, under the current arrangements we are in many instances reaping the worst of both worlds. A cohort of women wish to participate in activation measures and to avail of the initiatives tailored to that purpose by the State, while another cohort of women, by virtue of the fact they are in receipt of payments, are being hunted and obliged to participate in the labour market activation processes. In many instances, labour market activation processes do not subsequently lead to productive engagement in the labour market”.
“Does the Department of Social Protection, through its many agencies, have the capacity for a gender perspective on labour market activation that designs tailor-made solutions to individual clients? These will not be exclusively women, but in many cases women currently not in receipt of social welfare qualifying payments are locked out of the benefits of activation measures”.
“The publication I referred to, a joint effort between SIPTU and the National Women’s Council of Ireland, addresses many of the issues. The only way to come up with a realistic solution is to allow greater autonomy and flexibility to those who decide who participates. Many participants are unwilling and many willing participants are locked out of these arrangements”.
CREED RAISES FORESTRY PROBLEMS IN CORK NORTH WEST
Cork North West TD, Michael Creed has called for balance in the way state agencies engaged in the forestry sector engage with each other and stakeholders in the industry. Speaking during a Dáil debate on the future of the forestry sector in Ireland, Deputy Creed made a broad ranging speech which made particular reference to issues being faced in Cork North West;
Commenting on problems being faced with potential growers in the Mullaghareirks Deputy Creed said; “there is an inter-agency impasse involving the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service with regard to the hen harrier. If one mentions the hen harrier in some parts of my constituency, certain individuals become very angry. There is a need to remove the artificial impediments that exist in order that people might get on with the job. I am not in favour of any diminution of our obligations in respect of biodiversity, etc., but a balance must be struck. I am of the view that such a balance does not exist at present”.
Addressing the broader issue of the future of Coillte Deputy Creed continued; “I refer to the issues of legitimate concern, one of which is that any future arrangement would not impede the annual flow of timber to sawmills because this would be a significant concern as it relates to the downstream employment opportunities. The Minister has clearly indicated that there is no point in the State getting a ball of cash with the consequences being that the cash would be absorbed in dealing with job losses and unemployment payments. It must make sense under all the other headings. These are not all economic issues because there are also social, recreational, environmental issues and issues of access, which are important also”.
“The Coillte public park in Gougane Barra in my constituency is widely recognised as one of the great recreational forestry areas. Many of these forestry estates do not have a commercial crop and buyers will not be interested in bidding for them. The quality of the wood is not as good. Some will say that a minority of Coillte’s forestry holdings have timber of significant commercial value. The proposal must be evaluated against a whole series of objective criteria such as the replanting obligation which is critical; the flow of timber to sawmills; the recreational open access issues”.
“We need to make haste slowly with regard to afforestation. Serious deliberation about the process is being undertaken. All the stakeholders will be consulted, including employees. I bring to the attention of the Minister a small cohort of former Coillte employees who have been disgracefully short-changed by the company’s pension policy. I am aware of someone who spent more than 30 years working with Coillte, who has a pension of less than one euro for every year he worked. That issue needs to be addressed because it is a festering sore on Coillte’s corporate image. Coillte had very highly paid executives and also people who gave blood, sweat and tears to build the company to what it is today but who are in receipt of disgracefully small pensions. That needs to be investigated and those issues need to be addressed in advance of a sale”.
CREED WELCOMES €199,290 FUNDING FOR CLONDROHID DEVELOPMENT
Cork North West TD Michael Creed has welcomed the provision of funding of €199,290 to Clondrohid Community Recreational Facility Ltd. to develop a recreational facility consisting of a community walkway with site landscaping and furniture, an outdoor gym and a 250 metre running track in Clondrohid. This is the second phase of a two-phase development, and the funding is being provided under the Village Renewal and Development measure of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013. Commenting on the announcement Deputy Creed said:
“I am delighted to see the hard work of the community in Clondrohid being rewarded, by this funding being made available through West Cork Development Partnership. There has been incredible work done in recent years by the community in developing top class sporting facilities in Clondrohid. This project will add further to the already impressive facilities, and will not only benefit the people of Clondrohid but also the entire mid cork area”.
“Those involved with the Clondrohid Community recreational facility group should be proud of their achievements to date. I wish them well with this ambitious project. I am confident that the €199,290 will go a long way to meeting the €265,730 overall cost of the scheme. I would also like to recognise the contribution of West Cork Development Partnership and my colleague the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan TD to development in rural areas such as Clondrohid.”
DEPUTY CREED & CLLR CREED WELCOME INCLUSION OF NEW WATER MAIN IN COACHFORD WATER SUPPLY SCHEME PROJECT.
Cork North West TD Michael Creed and his colleague in Cork County Council Michael Creed MCC, have both warmly welcomed the approval of the replacement of 1200m length of 100mm asbestos cement water main associated with Coachford water supply scheme. Commenting on this approval Deputy Creed said:
“This issue has been a matter of huge concern for residents in the area for some time. I am pleased that having engaged with the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan on the matter that approval has now been given to include this new main in the Coachford water scheme project”.
Cllr Creed added: “I welcome this approval and the associated budget approval for the works. There has been significant effort on the part of the Council to have this proposal incorporated into the water scheme. It is hoped that these works will ensure a sustainable safe and clean water supply for residents in the Coachford area long into the future.
PROMISSORY NOTE OVERVIEW
For a full overview of the mechanics of the recent agreement between the Government, the Central Bank of Ireland and the European Central Bank please follow the link provided.
CREED WELCOMES APPROVAL OF €3.2m FOR BALLINCOLLIG SEWERAGE TREATMENT PLANT UPGRADE
Cork North West TD, Michael Creed, has welcomed the approval of €3.2 million of funding for the Ballincollig Sewerage scheme wastewater treatment plant upgrade contract, by the Minister for the Environment Community & Local Government, Mr Phil Hogan TD. Commenting on the announcement Deputy Creed said:
“This funding is being provided for the purposes of continuing the advance works on the sewage scheme ahead of the main scheme. This is a significant investment in developing Ballincollig’s water treatment capacity and follows on from a previous investment of €844,200 in emergency upgrading works at Ballincollig Treatment plant”.
“Ballincollig has witnessed significant development in terms of residential and commercial properties over the past decade or more. There is significant work needed to develop the waste water sewage scheme to meet the demands created by this development. I am pleased that this funding will contribute to developing an infrastructure of benefit to Ballincollig long into the future”.
“I warmly welcome this announcement and I would like to acknowledge the commitment of my colleagues in Cork County Council, Cllr Derry Canty and indeed the Minister for their commitment to this project”.
