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.
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Author: michaelcreedfg
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”.
Dáil Speech Topical Issues 27/11/12 – Call for Public Inquiry into death of Fr Niall Molloy
Watch the debate by clicking here
I thank the Ceann Comhairle’s office. I thank the Minister of State for being present to reply to the debate but am disappointed that the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, did not see fit to attend this particular debate, given its significance.
On 8 July 1985, Fr. Niall Molloy was murdered. To date nobody has been brought to justice for that murder. There is a view, which I believe is sustained by the facts, that the cover up of that murder was aided and abetted by an omertà-style collusion between the most powerful forces in the State – the senior political establishment, the Judiciary, the Catholic Church, senior medical personnel and the Garda. For that reason alone, it is imperative that the Minister accedes to the request being made by me and Deputies Phelan and McGrath that an independent commission of inquiry be established. The Minister may well reply that the case is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Garda cold case unit. The family has communicated with the Garda Commissioner to indicate its members no longer have confidence in that inquiry. The level of mismanagement of this case by gardaí sustains their case and it is imperative that the Minister should now act on the issue.
There is an enormous amount of information in the public arena at this stage about mysterious fires in coroners’ offices, files being stolen from the Garda and deals done to retrieve those files, but we have no answers. Gardaí investigating gardaí – which in effect is what the cold case unit is doing – is not an appropriate way to proceed. It is very difficult in two minutes to do justice to the degree of mismanagement and the miscarriage of justice inherent in this case, but I urge the Minister to act. He is familiar with the facts; I have written to him on the issue. I urge him to accede to the family’s request for an independent commission of inquiry.
Make sure you are registered to vote in the Children’s Referendum on Saturday November 10th
Fine Gael Cork North West TD Michael Creed, has urged everyone across Cork North West to make sure that they are registered to vote in the Children’s Referendum on Saturday, November 10th. If you are not registered to vote, you have until October 23rd to add you name to the Supplementary Register.
“This will be one of the most important referendums in the history of the State, and I am urging everyone in Cork North West to make sure they will be able to make their voice heard. Having the Children’s Referendum on a Saturday will make it easier for lots of groups – such as students and those working irregular hours – to cast their ballot. I’m also encouraging families to make the most of Saturday polling and make sure everyone in your home who is entitled to vote does so.
“If you are not already registered to vote, it’s important to add your name to the Supplementary Register before October 23rd. You can check if you are on the register through Cork County Council or on www.checktheregister.ie. You can also pick up or download an application form for the Supplementary Register from the same sources. It’s a good idea to bring some ID when you go to get your form signed in the presence of a member of the Gardaí.
“By voting Yes on November 10th, you can play your part in helping us to protect children and support families. For too long the best interests of the child have been an after though in this country. This Referendum is almost 20 years in waiting; after 17 reports on child protection failings now is your chance to make a difference to how children are treated in Ireland.
“The Referendum clearly sets out how the State can intervene, in exceptional cases, when children are being neglected and abused. It will enable family support services to offer early supports to keep children in the home and out of care. By voting Yes, you will also allow the Government to address gaps in our adoption laws, ensuring every child is given the same opportunity to live in a safe and happy home.
“I believe we all have an opportunity on Saturday November 10th, to make a statement about ourselves as a nation, to show we have learnt from past failings, and to recognise children in their own right to ensure their protection and safety. And I’m urging every voter across Cork North West to play their part and get to a ballot box on November 10th.”
SAORVIEW SWITCHOVER – STAY SWITCHED ON
Masseytown:
As you will be aware The Masseytown area of Macroom consists of 3 or 4 small housing estates plus a number of scattered individual houses. The estates are relatively new and most viewers use either MMDS or satellite for reception, although there is a scattering of houses that use Mullaghanish and the local analogue transposer for terrestrial reception.
Regarding SAORVIEW, the majority of homes can get SAORVIEW from Mullaghanish. Some viewers who have their aerials pointed at the local analogue transposer (to the South) will need their aerials re-aligned to Mullaghanish (to the Northwest).
There is a small area where getting SAORVIEW is more challenging (white area in map below), but we believe with an appropriate aerial pointed at Mullaghanish, and possibly the addition of a mast head amplifier, this area should also be ok for SAORVIEW reception from Mullaghanish. If there is any homes that can’t get SAORVIEW they can get SAORSAT.
Ballingeary:
The village will get SAORVIEW from Mullaghanish. Some viewers who have their aerials pointed at the local analogue transposer (to the South) will need their aerials re-aligned to Mullaghanish (to the North, Northeast). The majority of homes in this area have Sky/satellite installations so they will not need to do anything for Analogue Switch Off (ASO).
There is an area to the east of the village which will not be able to get SAORVIEW (white area in map below). There are only a small scattering of houses in this area and again most have a Sky/satellite installation and will not be impacted by ASO.
Any home that can’t get SAORVIEW can get SAORSAT.
The can of course switch to SAORSAT if they wish to cease any subscription service. Many homes are finding the SAORSAT / UK Free To Air satellite combination, subscription free, service very attractive.
FIND JOESPH KONY
Question No. 56
Parliamentary Question – Dept Details
To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps taken by him to assist the international endeavour to bring a person (details supplied) before the International Criminal Court; if he will raise the matter with the US authorities regarding their continued military support for this endeavour; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
– Michael Creed.
* For WRITTEN answer on Wednesday, 21st March, 2012.
Ref No:
15692/12
REPLY
I am greatly concerned that Joseph Kony remains at large in Central Africa and has not been held to account for the atrocities which he and his so-called “Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA) are reported to have committed over two decades in Northern Uganda and the wider region.
Recent publicity has raised international public awareness of the appalling violence carried out by this group over many years. In 2005,
the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Joseph Kony and other leaders of the LRA on 33 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. These are charges of the utmost gravity, and it is essential that Mr. Kony appear before the Court to answer them. We strongly support the work of the International Criminal Court in seeking to bring Mr. Kony and his collaborators to justice. Ireland, both directly and as a member of the European Union, provides ongoing support, including funding, for the Court and for its work. This year, our contribution towards the running costs of the Court will amount to some €800,000. Ireland has also made voluntary contributions to Trust Funds that support the work of the Court. Since 1995, €40 million has been provided from the EU budget to support the Court and related international criminal justice initiatives.
This month, the United Nations will convene a meeting in Uganda to finalise a comprehensive regional peacebuilding strategy which combats the activities of the LRA. The African Union has also announced a regional cooperation initiative and the US government is currently providing a number of military personnel to advise and assist national armies in the region to end the scourge of LRA violence, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and South Sudan. We are monitoring these initiatives closely, in cooperation with our EU partners and through our Embassy in Kampala.
Northern Uganda suffered more than any other area from the activities of the LRA in the years up to 2006, when the LRA left the area and moved into neighbouring countries. Ireland has been providing support to the people of the area for well over a decade. We have played an important role in coordinating the international donor response to the effects of war on the local population, particularly children, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. We have supported and facilitated peace talks and have ensured that the humanitarian situation in the region remains firmly on the international agenda. Between 2007 and 2010, Ireland provided over €4.4 million in humanitarian assistance for Uganda, most of which focused on the crisis in Northern Uganda.
Uganda is one of the priority countries for Ireland’s aid programme, where we have a commitment to the provision of long term strategic assistance. In 2007,
the Ugandan Government initiated a Peace, Recovery and Development Programme to coordinate all assistance for Northern Uganda, which now requires huge investment to ensure recovery from the disastrous effects of two decades of war. The Programme aims to provide additional resources for capital projects such as schools, clinics, water and sanitation facilities and roads. Through Irish Aid, we are strongly supporting the Programme and we have committed to providing some €22.5 million in funding for it over the years 2010 to 2014.
CREED WELCOMES FUNDING FOR NEW CLASSROOMS IN KILMURRAY & CUIL AODHA NATIONAL SCHOOLS
Fine Gael TD for Cork North West, Michael Creed has today welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn, that two schools in Cork North West will receive grant aids to replace their existing prefab classrooms with permanent structures.
“I am delighted that Cuil Aodha & Kilmurray National Schools will finally be able to build permanent, state-of-the-art classrooms, after so many years of wasting a huge amount of money renting prefab classrooms, which could have been put towards other vital education services.
“For many years during the height of the boom, Fine Gael consistently called for this serious waste of money which was spent on renting prefabs to be addressed. Despite the massive amount of spending that went on during the boom, the previous Government did nothing to address this. Instead they continued renting prefabs; in 2007 alone, 715 new rental contracts were signed.
“I am delighted that this Government is now addressing this problem and 200 permanent structures across the country will be built this year, which covers over a third of all schools who currently rent prefabs. A total of €35 million has been allocated and it is estimated the 6,000 pupils will benefit.
“Since this Government was formed, the Minister for Education has been focused on reforming our education system, despite constrained resources. Today’s announcement is an example of identifying where money is being wasted. Building sustainable classrooms will save approximately €5 million per year and create an estimated 700 direct and 140 indirect jobs.
“This announcement is not part of the five-year building programme which will be announced in the coming weeks. Today’s initiative forms part of the Government’s €430 million education infrastructure plan for 2012. The investment in the School Building Programme this year, including the replacement of prefabs, will create an estimated 3,250 direct and 650 indirect jobs.”
