CREED ANNOUNCES €40,000 FOR BALLINGEARY FLOOD RELIEF

Cork North West TD, Michael Creed has announced the allocation of €40,000 to Cork County Council to undertake flood relief works in Ballingeary, which will help alleviate the flood risk in the area. Announcing the funding Deputy Creed said;

 “This announcement will come as a welcome relief for residents of Ballingeary village, who suffered extensive damage and loss during the major flood incident of November 2009. This funding will allow Cork County Council undertake mitigation works in the area which should prevent against any significant flooding in the short term”.

 “This allocation will not however provide a final long term solution to the flooding problems in Ballingeary and Inchigeela. The OPW has recently received a draft report from the Lee CFRAM consultants which revisits the initial study findings for a number of locations in the wake of the flooding event of November, 2009. This report is currently being examined by the OPW. It is expected that the flood risk in both villages (Ballingeary & Inchigeela) will be fully identified and, if appropriate, a preferred option will then be identified to alleviate the flood risk determined”.

 “However, given the flooding that the area has suffered in recent years, and in order to provide some interim relief to residents, I am pleased to state that total funding of €40,000 has been allocated to Cork County Council to undertake mitigation works at the locations concerned. The commencement and progression of these works will be a matter for the Council and the other stakeholders including the Fisheries board and landowners, who, I trust will work to progress these works as soon as possible in the public interest”.

 “I am aware of the hard work undertaken by the public in Ballingeary and my colleague Cllr Michael Creed, to pursue solutions to the flood risk in the area. They should be congratulated for their hard work and dedication in their pursuit of this funding”.

CREED CAUTIONS AGAINST SUPPORT FOR LAGARDE

 

Fine Gael TD Michael Creed has urged the Government to show caution in supporting the candidacy of Christine Lagarde as the new head of the IMF. Commenting on recent reports suggesting Ireland and the EU were supporting Lagardes candidacy Deputy Creed said:

 

“We should be very cautious in showing support for a less than sympathetic ally in the shape of Lagarde. If we have learned anything from our recent dealings with the EU and the IMF, it is that the IMF has been a far more pragmatic and understanding partner than the ECB the EU and in particular France when it comes to finding solutions to our debt crisis”.

 

“By supporting Lagarde we could be welcoming a Trojan horse into the IMF, that might further exacerbate our situation. The French Governments continued insistence that we review our corporation tax rate and their refusal to review the terms of the bailout agreement can be taken as indications as to what a Lagarde lead IMF, might be like”.

 

“Within the EU 27 we should be seeking a candidate from the smaller nations which form the Union as opposed to cheerleading the further enhancement of the influence of the larger States”.

NEW RURAL BROADBAND SCHEME TO FINALLY EXTEND BROADBAND TO ALL

Cork North West TD Michael Creed has welcomed the launch of a new National Broadband Scheme, which will extend a broadband connection to areas not covered by the current scheme.  Commenting on the launch of the new scheme which forms part of the Governments jobs initiative Deputy Creed said;

“The Scheme aims to ensure that universal broadband access is provided in Irelandby the end of 2012. While the completion of the Government’s National Broadband Scheme (NBS) means that broadband services are now available throughout the country, there are remaining un-served rural premises which could not be included in the NBS or which are difficult to reach for mainly technical reasons. The Rural Broadband Scheme is designed to identify those premises through a public application process and, ultimately, to bring a broadband service to them either through existing private sector service providers or through a service provider procured by Government”.

“The combination of private and public investment in telecommunications infrastructure has meant over 99% broadband coverage for the whole country,” said Deputy Creed. “We are now launching this Scheme to identify the remaining small percentage of premises that have not been able to procure a broadband service and to provide broadband to such premises which cannot be served by the existing market. My Department will be accepting applications for a three month period starting now, so there will be ample opportunity for people to come forward with details of premises that cannot obtain a service”.

The Scheme aims to identify the premises that cannot currently obtain a service and once all of these premises have been identified, to ascertain whether existing telecommunications operators can provide a service directly to these premises. If an existing service provider cannot be identified, the Department will seek to procure such a service. The combination of private and public sector programmes in the broadband market will ensure thatIrelandreaches the EU target of ubiquitous basic broadband access ahead of the 2013 deadline”.

“The Rural Broadband Scheme will help promote economic and social development in such areas. It will be of particular importance to small scale rural enterprises who will be able to trade their goods and services over the internet. This Scheme will ensure that the remainder of rural premises will be able to get a broadband service and will make broadband available to anyone who wants it by the end of 2012.”

In tandem with this development, the Government announced that it intends to push ahead with discussions with the telecommunications sector with a view to establishing a roadmap for the delivery of next generation broadband in Ireland in line with the commitments in the Government’s National Recovery Programme. Under the NewEra proposals in the Programme for Government there is a commitment for NewEra to co-invest with the private sector and commercial semi-State sector to provide next generation broadband to every home and business in the State. Consideration on how best to advance these proposals, for which Minister of State Fergus O’Dowd has responsibility, is being advanced”.

Full details of the Rural Broadband Scheme are available on the Department’s website www.dcenr.ie and follow the link for the Rural Broadband Scheme.

CREED WELCOMES NEW BETTER ENERGY PROGRAMME

The Better Energy Programme makes it easier for homeowners, irrespective of financial means, to access energy efficiency measures, be it through the energy suppliers or other contractors. There will be one point of contact for accessing Government supports in this area, including advice on what measures are best for any home.

A typical family, spending maybe €1000 every year to heat the home, can choose from a range of measures, from attic or wall insulation, to upgrading the boiler and heating controls. The cost of the work will range from €2000 for a simple upgrade to more than €15,000 for a complete package. Grants of up to €5500 are available. The family can shop around among contractors to select their actions and get the best price, and then a simple online application process gives them the grant. Their home will be noticeably much more comfortable as soon as the work is complete, and they will also save as much as €500 in annual heating bills.

Details of the scheme are available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland website at www.seai.ie or alternatively contact my office at 026-41835

IRISH WILL NOT BE REMOVED AS A COMPULSORY LEAVING CERTIFICATE SUBJECT UNTIL IT WILL BE A NATURAL CHOICE FOR ALL STUDENTS

Fine Gael Candidate for Cork North West has made an assurance that Irish will not be removed as compulsory language for the leaving certificate for a generation or two.  Commenting on recent misrepresentations of Fine Gael policy on the matter, Deputy Creed said;

 “The most frustrating issue I have encountered during the course of this election campaign is the misrepresentation of Fine Gael policy on the Irish language.  Representing a Constituency with a large Gaeltacht area, this matter is hugely important and must be clarified”.

 “Fine Gael is strongly committed to the development of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht regions. We recognise the value and cultural importance of our Irish tradition and heritage and we are determined to ensure the language and the Gaeltacht regions survive and prosper”.

 “We are committed to overhauling the way in which Irish is taught at primary and second levels of education, to ensure teachers are equipped with the right tools to instil a love of the language for all students, and that the curriculum is designed to inspire students to continue speaking the language after leaving school”.

  “We believe that reinventing the way we teach Irish will encourage more students to study the language and engage with it beyond the school system. We believe compulsion has not fostered growth or commitment to the language. We will overhaul the curriculum at second level and we will critically examine the effect of current training methods of teachers to teach. Irish as an optional subject for Leaving Certificate will only apply following consultations on both matters”.

 “We will allocate 50% of marks to oral Irish exams.  A study on a double curriculum to Leaving Cert will be investigated, one on the current system and a second in communicating Irish. The questions of extra points for third level entry will be investigated.  Fine Gael will double the proportion of Irish students sitting the Higher Level Leaving Certificate exam by 2018”.

 “We will investigate the development of a national proficiency scale for the Irish language. This ten point scale would allow every citizen to have their competence assessed and use modern teaching methods and modern technology to gradually improve their proficiency at a pace that suits themselves”.

 “We have a Constitutional obligation to preserve and promote the language.  There has been a politically motivated cynical attempt to misrepresent our position.  There are groups and individuals who are masquerading as protectors of the language who simply wish to undermine Fine Gael at every turn.  Instead of campaigning against the failed Government policies towards the language of the last eighty years, they instead wish to challenge those who seek to put forward a progressive policy to ensure the language has a future.  The very least they could do is read our policy and show some honesty”.

FINE GAEL & PUBLIC SECTOR REFORM – THE TRUE STORY

Our system of Government is broken. It has failed the public it is designed to serve and it is failing those who are trying to make a broken system work.

We have world class doctors, nurses, teachers, Gardaí, and carers but we have a governance structure that causes systems to fail and fail again. Fine Gael in Government will protect those providing the crucial front line services, by radically reforming the back office bureaucracy which is smothering the system, undermining public servants and costing the taxpayer.

NEW-POLITICS – START AT THE TOP:

• Abolish the Seanad
• Reduce the number of TD’s by 20
• A cap on Ministerial pay
• Introduce a car-pooling system to reduce the number and use of
• Ministerial State Cars saving €5million per annum
• Seriously curtail the use of the Government jet
• Reform the Dáil Committee system in order to hold future
• Government to account

• Fine Gael support the Croke Park Agreement
• But there needs to be detailed targets and timelines for redeployment and reform
• Fine Gael will reduce public service numbers by 10% saving €5 billion
• We will abolish 145 quangos
• We estimate 30,000 bureaucratic positions can be eliminated by natural wastage, voluntary redundancy, relocation and redeployment
• Our priority is protecting and enhancing resources for the front line
• Our best asset are our teachers, nurses, Gardaí, doctors, local authority staff and others who interact with the public, in a professional and efficient manner on a daily basis

To view Fine Gael & Public Service Reform click here!

To view New Politics -Start at the Top click here!

To view Fine Gaels comprehensive policy on Reinventing Government click here!

CREED RAISES CLOSURE OF BALLINGEARY POST OFFICE DURING DÁIL DEBATE ON POSTAL SERVICES BILL

Dáil Debate on Postal Services Bill – Watch here!

“I wish to begin my contribution with a personal childhood anecdote, which is not in any way unique. We had the privilege of having our postal service delivered by a very strong supporter of the party opposite, who was affectionately known locally as “An Taoiseach”, may the Lord have mercy on him. In return for delivering the newspaper to my father and mother every day, he had his tea in our house. I am glad to say that is a tradition which continues to this day, notwithstanding the fact that since my childhood, many different postmen have come and gone. It is a tradition that continues and it is not a unique thing in rural Ireland”.

“There is a distinct perspective which needs to be brought to the debate, to which previous speakers have alluded, which is the rural perspective. In the context of the universal service obligation, everybody will want to compete for postal services on Patrick Street or O’Connell Street, but not everybody will want to deliver post to the Muskerry Gaeltacht, to Sliabh Luachra, or to the more remote parts of rural Ireland, because it is not a profitable service. We have to establish first principles in the context of this debate. As citizens of the country, regardless of where we reside, we expect the same level of service provision. It is to the great credit of An Post that for many years since the foundation of the State – indeed even before the foundation of the State – that equality of treatment of citizens has been a cornerstone of the postal service in this country. What most people fear is that this is something which could be lost in our headlong rush to embrace new directives from Europe without adequate scrutiny of the proposals”.

“In wrapping up the Second Stage debate, I would like to hear the Minister of State outline his vision on how we can re-assure people in my constituency, who are probably reflective of the urban-rural mix but many of whom live in remote areas and who would have real fears due to their recent experiences with An Post’s administration of other non-postal services. I am referring in particular to the services of the local post office. That goes to the kernel of the debate.

I acknowledge that the financial position in which An Post finds itself is quite precarious. Any company that turns over €800 million but makes a profit of only €5 million is not in a comfortable position. The volume of mail being delivered is falling year on year, due to the downturn and due to new technologies and changing human behaviour, and due to cost and competitiveness issues. An Post needs to take stock at management level of the kind of service delivery to which it aspires in the years ahead. A critical component of that must be that the universal service obligation is key. We must acknowledge that this comes at a cost. It is not free and it is not cheap. This Bill is about facilitating competition. We must ensure that competition is fair”.

“As a representative in a rural constituency I have seen the consequences of the privatisation of Eircom. That debacle has led to great difficulty in terms of broadband provision, for example, in the more rural areas of my constituency. The attempts by the Minister, Deputy Ryan, in the national broadband scheme to reach out to all areas have not been entirely successful. If one contacts Eircom today about any matter, from the provision of a new land line to moving a pole, one will wait months on end for a response because there is no competition. That was a mistake in the manner in which we structured that privatisation. We must make sure that in facilitating competition, as proposed in this Bill, that we do not emasculate An Post in terms of the obligations we want it to deliver”.

“An Post must think outside the box and look at new technologies. It must consider what is happening in terms of best practice in other countries and how to embrace new technologies. Deputy Mitchell made reference in her contribution to shopping trends, Internet shopping and a parcel delivery service. Parcel delivery is one of the areas where An Post has competition but An Post has a unique network that could enable it outflank many of its competitors by virtue of its post office network. In terms of someone buying something on-line, if An Post were to put in place a series of parcel delivery post boxes for individuals where they can deliver a parcel and access it by virtue of a code that is emailed to them that would be unique to them, we could use the effective post office network we have throughout the country to grow business for An Post and to tackle head-on that aspect of its business which has been haemorrhaging in recent years to private parcel and service delivery people in the private sector”.

“I met recently with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and a number of his Cabinet colleagues, unusually, in the context of the closure of a rural post office in my constituency in Béal Atha an Ghaorthaidh. I attended a public meeting in the village some weeks ago where several hundred people committed to retaining that service met and formulated a campaign which, regrettably to date, and notwithstanding platitudes from the Minister and from other Ministers and meetings with An Post, has not borne fruit. We need to hear from An Post on the level of post office provision throughout the country it proposes because with regard to the post office in Ballingeary, for example, the view of An Post is that there is a post office in Inchigeela and in Renaniree and that those are adequate for people’s requirements. However, it is likely that in the foreseeable future those post offices may have their contract relinquished and An Post will say it is withdrawing those services. There will then be a vast swathe of countryside with no access to a postal service.

Rather than being reactive and tied into contractual arrangements, which I understand and appreciate, An Post must present a picture of what is the sustainable level of post office service it can maintain and the business opportunities it has identified that it can grow out of its network of post offices and sub post offices throughout the country. Otherwise, vast swathes of the rural countryside will have no post office network. Notwithstanding An Post’s anxiety to promote the postal agency service, large part of the countryside will not have banking, registered post or parcel facilities in their local post offices. An Post must examine its national remit in terms of post offices and indicate the level of service it can sustain, where it would like to have those post offices located if it were starting with a blank canvass, and how it can grow that business rather than accepting that it is doing a terminally declining volume of business in those post offices and sub post offices”.

“There is opportunity, and part of that opportunity is embracing the new technologies head-on including Internet shopping, the parcel delivery service and the opportunities that network of local post offices – in excess of 1,000 throughout the country – offers to it in that it can deliver one’s parcel to a local community more effectively and efficiently than any of its competitors. I have no difficulty with competition in principle. Unfair competition, which is the critical point in this debate, poses serious risks to the constituency and the people I represent in rural Ireland”.

“I will be interested in hearing the Minister’s response. It is time for new thinking. An Post is in a precarious financial position. People will point to the fact that it made a profit of €5 million but €5 million on a turnover of €800 million is not a strong financial position. It is less than 1% of turnover, which in any business would be a worrying signal, and it is declining. This is an opportunity but it will not last forever. The Minister must reassure us in terms of universal service”.

CREED CALLS FOR FAIRNESS FOR THOSE IN SUB-PRIME MORTGAGE DIFFICULTY

Dáil Speech on European Banking crisis and Mortgage arrears

Fine Gael European Affairs Spokesperson Michael Creed has called on the Government to protect those in difficulty with sub-prime mortgages by ensuring they’re interest rates are brought in line with those on more competitive established bank rates.  Speaking during a debate on the recent European Council, Deputy Creed said;

“We have a serious problem, namely, a European banking crisis which will manifest nationally. Now that the big issues such as cleansing of developer loan books and recapitalisation of the banks have been dealt, the banks will go after Joe and Joan in terms of their mortgage, which is the real problem for 2011. The State needs to get its act together and to assist in an innovative way people with mortgages, in particular those on sub-prime mortgages, getting onto high street variable rates”.

“Europe has a banking crisis. It has not gone away. Irish and other banks here were recently stress tested. We now find those stress tests were not worth the paper they were written on and there are to be new stress tests. There is a beginning of a realisation that this problem is only in its infancy. It is a much bigger problem than Europe has been prepared to confront to date. The public manifestations of this in, for example, a country like Ireland will become apparent in 2011 when the moratorium on mortgages expires and the 35,000 people in mortgage arrears of more than three months and the 12,000 people who have made no payments for more than 12 months will be in the firing line. That is the reality of the banking crisis facing Europe”.

LETTER TO AN POST CEO REGARDING CLOSURE OF BALLINGEARY POST OFFICE

Mr. Donal Connell.

CEO An Post,

General Post Office,

O’Connell Street,

Dublin 1.                                                                                  21^st December 2010.

Re:  Ballingeary Post Office.

Dear Mr. O’Connell,

I write to you with regard to the proposed closure of Ballingeary Post office in the Muskerry Gaeltacht in County Cork, which has caused great dismay locally.

I am concerned that the closure of the post office will have a negative impact on life in the community and on local businesses.

The banking services which will not be retained as part of the agency service which is to be opened, is of crucial importance, as is postal registration.  There is a significant level of business in the area given Udaras na Gaeltachta have an industrial estate in the village.  This service is also used by students who attend and reside at the Irish college in Ballingeary during the summer months.

I would appeal to you to revisit this decision to downgrade services to Ballingeary.  Ballingeary is unique in that it is a Gaeltacht village with different needs to that of non-Gaeltacht areas.

I look forward to hearing from you on this matter.

______________________________.

Michael Creed T.D.

Dáil Deputy for Cork North West.

GRIT LOCATIONS IN CORK NORTH WEST

GRIT LOCATIONS

Charleville Engineer’s Area

Charleville Public Car Park beside rear entrance to Library

Gates of Council Depot, New Street, Buttevant

Gates of Council Depot, Bog Cross, Dromina

Rea’s Cross, Newtownshandrum

Across from Lisgriffin Church

Car Park at Freemount Community Centre

Milford Village (across from Hutch’s Bar)

Newmarket Engineer’s Area

Foyle School, Ballydesmond

Glentanemacelligot, Ballydesmond

Carriganes, Ballydesmond

Glenlahan (Sugan Road)

Taur Church

Taurbeg

Rockchapel Village

Milleen, Rockchapel

Meelin Village

Kelly’s Cross, Meelin

The Line Cross, Newmarket/Rockchapel Road

Tullylease Village

Commons, Newmarket

Barleyhill, Newmarket

Sean Crookes hill (Boherbue Road)

Corbally, Kilbrin

Edel Quinn, Kanturk

Burtons Place, Kanturk

Millstreet Engineer’s Area

Glantane Cross, Knocknagree

Kiskeam Graveyard entrance

Fermoyle Ball Alley, Banteer.

Kerryman’s Table, Kilcorney

Cloghboula School, Millstreet

Crohig’s Cross, Ballydaly

SOUTH CORK

Grit is available at the following locations in South Cork on a self service basis

BALLINCOLLIG AREA

Telephone 021 487054 between the hours of 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday

Killinardrish/Carrigadrohid: 100m up from Grotto on Right Hand Side of Road.

Farnanes: Old Road beside Garda Station

Killumney: On the Road from Killumney to Knockanemore outside old Quarry

entrance

Ballynora: Opposite Church

Gogginshill: Outside Church

Crossbarry: Layby by the monument

Templemartin to Brinny Road at Kilnagnady Junction

MACROOM AREA

Telephone 026 41047 between the hours of 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday

Macroom: Cork County Council Depot (open 8.30 am to 5pm Monday to Friday)

Baile Mhic Ire/ Ballymakeera Old Creamery yard (open 8.30am to 5pm Monday to

Friday)

Inchigeela: Cork County Council chip dump, Graigue

Beal atha n Ghaorthiadh/Ballingeary: by playground

Cill Na Martra/Kilnamartyra: In the GAA grounds in the village

Carriganimma: Cork County Council chip dump

Coolea: Cork County Council chip dump

Prohus Cill na Martra (side of road)

Reinaniree: In the village (side of road)

Beal atha n Ghaorthiadh/Ballingeary: Cork County Council chip dump

Ballinagree: By the Cork County Council pump house

North Cork