Decentralisation another failed and costly Fianna Fáil legacy

Fine Gael Meath East TD, Regina Doherty, has said that the decentralisation programme, which has been scrapped by the Government today, is yet another failed and costly legacy that we have Fianna Fáil to thank for.

“As part of major reform plans outlined today that will cut red tape, eliminate waste and create a more modernised, integrated and efficient public service, the Government has announced that it’s scrapping one of the most misguided policies pursued by any Government in recent years: decentralisation.

“Decentralisation is yet another example Fianna Fáil waste that this Government has been left to clean up. Let’s be clear here; it was never a good idea. It was a poorly thought out strategy lacking in long term planning that came as a bolt out of the blue when it was first introduced in 2003. Eight years on and the scheme is in a complete shambles.

“The two previous Fianna Fáil governments utterly failed to follow through on this policy. And unsurprisingly, it has led to a scandalous amount of waste. The 2009 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General found that €290 million euro was spent on property under the decentralisation programme, with €7 million being incurred on leases. The report also notes that €44 million was spent on 12 sites where decentralisation is not being progressed.

“Today the Government is taking a decision that should have been taken years ago: decentralisation is being cancelled. Forty projects, where no permanent accommodation or staff are in place are being completely scrapped. Some 32 projects will remain in place, while a further 22 will be reviewed.

“In almost every constituency in the country over priced sites were bought and lavish offices were built for this ill judged and dubious policy. Workers were subjected to unnecessary upheaval in a haphazard manner. And in many cases where decentralised offices are in operation, staff take up was hugely below predictions, leading to waste and inefficiency.

“I am glad that decentralisation has finally been halted. It should never have been allowed to begin in the first place.”

Road closure notice

Having given notice, Meath County Council has made an order to temporarily close the following road:

• The L-5017 (through Lagore Little, Brownstown, Ballymore, Bradystown, Elgarstown, Curkeen, Commons, Wilkinstown and Powderlough) from its junction with R125 at Lagore Little to its junction with the L-5046-0 at Powderlough

This closure is necessary to facilitate Eirgrid’s East West Interconnector Project.

Duration:

The intended road closure is from 28^th November 2011 to 23^rd December 2011.

Alternative Routes:

The diversion route is as follows:

Traffic normally travelling south on L5017: Travel west along the R125 (Ratoath - Dunshaughlin road) as far as Dunshaughlin, turn left at the traffic lights onto the R147 and continue south through Dunshaughlin. Continue along the R147 to the south end of the closed road just before Rathbeggan.

Traffic normally travelling north on L5017: Travel north-west along the R147 (old N3) to Dunshaughlin. Continue through Dunshaughlin and turn right at the traffic lights onto the R125 towards Ratoath. Continue along the R125 to the north end of the closed road at the cross roads at Lagore Little.

Diversion signs will be in place.

Local Access:

Access for residents and property holders will be facilitated throughout the closure period.

Notice of Declaration of Public Roads: Old Mill, White Ash Park, Maelduin

Notice of Declaration of Public Roads: Old Mill, White Ash Park, Maelduin - Maps showing the roads proposed to be made public may be inspected at the following locations during normal working/office hours from Monday 21st November to Friday 16th December 2011.

Date Released: 14 November 2011
MEATH COUNTY COUNCIL
ROADS ACT 1993 (SECTION 11)
ROADS REGULATIONS 1994
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT ACT 2000

NOTICE OF DECLARATION OF PUBLIC ROADS

Notice is hereby given that Meath County Council proposes to make a declaration that the roads in the following housing developments should be public roads.

Location                                  Name of Housing Development

Ratoath                                    Old Mill
Ashbourne                               WhiteAshPark
Dunshaughlin                            Maelduin

Maps showing the roads proposed to be made public may be inspected at the following locations during normal working/office hours from Monday 21st November to Friday 16th December 2011.

Dunshaughlin Civic Offices, Drumree Road, Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath
Ashbourne Library, Killegland Street, Ashbourne, Co. Meath.

Objections or representations to the proposed declaration may be made in writing to The Area Administrator, Dunshaughlin Civic Offices, Drumree Road, Dunshaughlin, on or before Friday 6th January 2012.

White Ash Park Display Map 

Old Mill Display Map   

Maelduin Display Map  

Doherty welcomes return of general surgery to Navan Hospital

Fine Gael Meath East TD, Regina Doherty, has welcomed confirmation from the HSE that general surgical services are returning to Our Lady’s Hospital Navan.

The service will resume from this Monday, November 21st. “It’s a great relief to receive confirmation from the HSE that surgical services are returning to Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan.

The Louth Meath Hospital Group Management met with senior staff and heads of departments at the hospital yesterday, to advise them that minor and intermediate general elective surgery will resume from next Monday.

“Surgery was halted at Navan Hospital in September of last year, leaving local people concerned about the long term viability of their hospital. The return of surgery to Navan is a significant boost to the community. “There have been other positive developments at the hospital, with a chronic pain service expected to commence in January.

This will save patients in the Louth/Meath area from having to travel to Dublin for the service. And there’s further good news in relation to the regional rheumatology service, which was launched in September. As well as the rheumatologist already dedicated to this service, a second consultant post will be provided, together with a musculoskeletal physiotherapist.

“I would like to commend the hard work and efforts of the staff at Our Lady’s Hospital, who consistently provide an excellent service to members of the public from across Meath and further afield. I will continue to work with the Minister for Health, James Reilly, to ensure the best possible level of service is maintained in Navan going into the future.”

Sports Conference 2011 - "Mind over Matter...the road to success"

Meath LSP have announced details of their annual sports conference to be held on Thursday 8th Dec at 7.30pm in the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan. The conference entitled “ Mind over Matter… the road to success” will be attended by former Olympian Sonia O Sullivan, former Irish & Munster rugby star Alan Quinlan and top Irish sports psychologist Gerry Hussey.

This is your opportunity to meet these 3 legends of Irish sport and hear what they have to say in relation to this topic. Conference fee is €20 per person, application forms are available from the office on 046 9067337 or online at www.meathsports.ie. Places are limited, so early booking is advisable. The conference is open to all over 16 years.

Home Security Exhibition Ardboyne Hotel, Navan, Co. Meath 26-11-11.

Sergeant Dean Kerins, the Crime Prevention Officer Meath, has organised a Home Security Exhibition which will be held in the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan, Co. Meath on Saturday 26 November 2011. It will be open from 11am to 7pm and entry is free. There will be 30 companies covering every aspect of home security. This will be a fantastic oppurtunity to come along and speak with all the companies
and get advice on any question you may have on improving your home security. A full list of the exhibitors can be seen on his facebook page Meath Crime Prevention in the event guide.

Dáil Aid: TDs and Senators record a song for charity

MIRIAM LORD

Mon, Nov 14, 2011

Fine Gael’s Peter Mathews seemed the best candidate for the mantle of Bono

THE SCENE before showtime was strained. Performers sitting around in a circle of apprehension, like nervous dental patients awaiting the dreaded call to surgery.

Normally, the same people would go rigid with excitement at the sight of a camera. Stick a voice recorder under their noses and they’ll talk forever. But on Saturday, the prospect of standing in front of a microphone while cameras rolled had the politicians in a state of high anxiety.

One by one, they were summoned before trudging next door to the darkened studio, while those colleagues left behind called out encouragement.

Then, a few minutes later, the door would burst open to reveal the nervous lamb, now smiling broadly and walking with a bit of a rock star swagger. “Did it!”

The TDs and Senators in Ballyfermot College of Education on Saturday morning found themselves way outside their comfort zone when they gathered – Band-Aid style – to record their version of Bridge Over Troubled Water for Pieta House, the suicide awareness organisation.

There were no tantrums. The only slight note of discord came from the men, all of whom wanted to be Bono. In the end, it might be Fine Gael’s Peter Mathews who fits that bill with his stand-out mellow bass contribution.

The cross-party singing group numbered almost 20, and most of them managed to make their date with their musical destiny.

Those who couldn’t – including Joan Burton, Simon Coveney, Michael Ring and Eamon Coghlan – are recording their bits of Bridge Over Troubled Water in Leinster House this week and will be spliced into the video later.

We so wanted to hear Joan sing, but she was busy on Saturday, what with the Labour Women’s conference and then a television chatshow appearance in the evening.

Back in Ballyer, we hadn’t seen Minister of State Lucinda Creighton look so worried since the heave against Enda.

Senator Averil Power admitted her only singing experience was The Green Fields of France at three in the morning.

“I’m doing a [charity] boxing match in two weeks’ time and I’m less nervous about that,” she pointed out.

Musical director Jim Sheridan called the politicians to the stage individually and then in groups. Mick Wallace arrived late and with his arm in a new sling, having injured it again when he prematurely removed the sling he had been wearing for a previous injury.

The Independent TD isn’t the sweetest of singers, it must be said. He explained his robust style comes from years of singing at football matches – whereupon he burst into a noisy rendition of Molly Malone.

Music producer Dave Kearney, who is behind the project along with Fine Gael TD Derek Keating, buried his head in his hands. “It’s not the right song, but who cares,” he sighed.

Finian McGrath produced his guitar and the politicians had a rowdy cross-party sing-song.

Then Mick confessed he hadn’t learned his lines.

Meath East TD Regina Doherty brought along her daughter Grace (who’ll be 10 next month), who said she would love to be a famous singer. More than a politician, like her mum? “I’d rather be a politician,” she said loyally.

Stephen Donnelly (Ind) and Robert Troy (FF) clustered around the microphone with Finian and Lucinda, clutching their headphones the way the big stars do and warbling with all their might.

Peter Mathews was in his element. “Do you want me to go lower,” he asked the control room, his voice already down in the basement.

The musical director was impressed. “Peter has a lovely deep voice and I think any musical society would want to recruit him,” said Jim Sheridan, who also singled out Sinn Féin’s Pádraig Mac Lochlainn for honourable mention.

Deputy Terence Flanagan (FG) took it in his stride. But then, the deputy for Dublin North East is used to big musical occasions, having played side drum with the Artane Band on All-Ireland final day.

His colleague Frank Feighan was flushed with success, having managed to sing a song other than his party piece, Oh, What a Beautiful Morning , which will come as a relief to his weary party colleagues.

In Minister Burton’s absence, Senator Lorraine Higgins kept the red flag flying.

The politicians were kept on track by two gospel choirs in full gowned regalia, and the wonders of audio/visual technology will do the rest.

“This isn’t costing us a penny to produce,” said Dave Kearney. “Jim, who is the Late Late Show musical director, is giving his services free, as is everyone else working on the track. Ballyfermot College have given us full use of their facilities, and the students came in to work on the filming.” RTÉ’s Mooney Show will be promoting the song, while distribution network Indi entertainment will distribute it on six different worldwide platforms, including iTunes.

© 2011 The Irish Times

Education allocation capital envelope 2012 - 2016

The total allocation of €2.2bn over the next five years with average annual allocation of €440m.

2012 => €430,000,000
2013 => €415,000,000
2014 => €475,000,000
2015 => €475,000,000
2016 => €415,000,000

Total spend on schools is just over €2bn over the period with €120m for higher education.

Job creation
There is general agreement that school works are very labour intensive. The Construction Industry Council have suggested that there are 10 direct jobs and 2 indirect one for every €1m capital spend.
This programme of capital investment in education will provide approximately 4,000 direct and 800 indirect jobs per annum, or approximately 24,000 jobs over the lifetime of this Government.

Schools – focus on demographic demands
There are unprecedented demographic demands for school places in schools. Total enrolment in both primary and post-primary schools is expected to grow by almost 70,000 between now and 2018 - over 45,000 at primary level and 25,000 at post primary.

Recent birth rate data, published by the CSO shows there were nearly 20,000 births registered in the first quarter of 2011. This is the highest number of births registered in a quarter since the series began in 1960. It is vital that the schooling system is prepared to cope with these increasing numbers.

In this context, the Government’s priority is now to focus on major school projects to meet these demographic demands.

I have already announced that over 40 new schools will be required by 2017. Of these, over 20 new schools will have to be established at primary level and another 20 new schools will have to be established at second level.

In addition to these new schools over 180 existing primary schools and second-level schools in developing areas will need major extensions or new buildings between now and 2017 to cater for the increased demand for pupil places and there will also be a need to construct a large number of extensions outside of these areas.

The investment for the next five years will facilitate the provision of over 100,000 permanent school places of which over 80,000 will be additional school places.

By 2016 the total school going population will have risen to over 890,000 pupils. Through the Government’s investment programme, over 11% of the total school population will benefit from new permanent places. This is a significant programme of work.

Minor works / Summer works
Funding of €28 million is being made available to provide a primary schools minor works grant for the current school year. This grant will be paid to schools in the coming weeks.

Given the need to focus on meeting the need for additional school places for demographics, it is unlikely that funding for minor works or summer works will be available in the coming years.

Progression of school building projects
In relation to major projects which do not provide a significant amount of additional accommodation, decisions will be taken prior to projects going to tender. These decisions will have regard to the funding available, the progression of other major projects and the building costs involved.

Higher Education
There will be limited higher education capital investment which will involve projects with existing contractual commitments in place being completed. These include the UCD Science Centre, the University of Limerick Medical School, NUI Maynooth’s library project and the new Campus Development, at St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra.

Projects where contractual commitments have not yet been entered into will not be advanced and the higher education PPP bundles will not proceed.

In relation to DIT’s Grangegorman campus development, exchequer infrastructure investment will be postponed for the lifetime of the investment framework and planning will take place towards an initial PPP project, for possible completion in 2017.

It is recognised that this will be a challenging time for the higher education sector given that dedicated exchequer funding to assist with the further development of infrastructure will not be available. This is a necessary decision given the need to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and the constraints on the capital funding available to the Department and to Government.

Q&A on Education Spending:

How does this envelope compare with the envelope published in November 2010?
Overall the allocation from 2012 to 2016 has been reduced by €68m which is a 5% reduction.
Tender prices are now up to 40% lower than when at their peak three to four years ago and, therefore, it will be possible to get a greater return from this level of investment.

How does this envelope compare with capital funding in recent years?
There was obviously a peak in capital spending in the period 2007 – 2008 with nearly €650m spent on schools capital in each of these years and about €150m on higher education. However, projects costs would have been much higher during this period too. Overall, capital expenditure has been reducing since 2009. Expenditure for 2010 was €786m and the allocation for 2011 is €501m.

How will the investment on schools be spent?
· As the priority is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place, the investment will be concentrated on the delivery of new schools and large scale extensions that will provide the additional school places.
· We will also be progressing a number of school extensions where one or two additional classrooms are required to address localised pupil population growth and these will be devolved to schools for delivery.
· To meet the demand for new schools, funding will also be directed towards the acquisition of suitable sites.
· A small sum will be set aside to meet emergency demands that typically arise on an annual basis as well as meeting various miscellaneous demands.

How will you ensure that projects are delivered to meet demand?

· The Department has devolved responsibility for the delivery of a number of the new post-primary schools and VEC extensions to VECs. The construction of a new primary and a new post-primary school in Drogheda has been devolved to Louth County Council.
· Agreement has been reached with the National Development Finance Agency and the Office of Public Works that each of them will advance with groups of projects on a priority basis on behalf of the Department.
· Five professional and technical staff have also been transferred to the Department on an interim basis from the National Building Agency. This is in line with the Government’s approach to move staff to where there is an urgent need to carry out priority work.
· In relation to site acquisitions and planning, there is also urgent co-operation underway between the Department and local authorities.

How will schools manage without summer works and minor works in future years?
· There has been significant investment in these areas in recent years – particularly in the last three years. Over €600m has been invested since 2007 and this has enabled schools to undertake extensive refurbishment.
· In the context of the significant recent investment and the 2011 allocation of a minor works grant to primary schools, the Department’s capital envelope is being prioritised to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and, arising from this, there is not sufficient funding available to provide for summer works and minor works.
· The allocation of the minor works grant to primary schools in the coming weeks will allow them to undertake some planning for contingencies. Furthermore, should an emergency arise, schools may apply to the Department to access limited funding for this.

Are all the construction jobs supported by your allocation going to be in Dublin?
· No. The need for additional school places extends out to the wider commuter belt areas stretching across from Gorey in the south, over to towns such as Carlow, Portlaoise, Tullamore, Mullingar and Navan up to Dundalk in the north and the bulk of the towns in between.
· There are also areas of significant growth and pressure for school places in many parts of Cork city and Galway city and equally in towns such as Letterkenny where a significant population increase has been experienced.

· The bulk of the additional pupil places that will be required over the next decade will arise in the areas mentioned.

What is the timescale to implement the commitment in the Programme for Government to progressively phase out the inefficient renting of school prefabs?
· We said that we would prioritise school building projects in a revised national development plan and that is what we are doing.
· The focus of investment needs to be on growing schools. Investment in these schools will mean that prefabs are replaced in them.
· The number of prefabs being rented is also reducing. In December 2009, there where nearly 1,900 prefab units being rented, this has fallen to 1,602 this year.

How much are you spending on renting prefabs?
It is estimated that prefab rental costs for 2011 will be in the region of €21m. This compares to €27m in 2009 and €24m in 2010.

How many children are taught in prefabs?
It is not possible to state with any certainty the number of children being taught in prefab classrooms. The level of usage of the accommodation would vary widely among schools.
Higher Education

Is there sufficient funding for higher education infrastructure?
· There has been significant capital investment of just under €1bn in the higher education sector over the last seven years. Major projects have been completed in Athlone IoT, Dundalk IoT, NUI Galway, Mary Immaculate College, UCC and Trinity College.
· Projects that are already underway will be completed, these include the UCD Science Centre, the University of Limerick Medical School and the new Campus Development at St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra.
· Projects where capital commitments have not yet been entered into will not be advanced and the higher education PPP bundles will not proceed.
· In relation to DIT’s Grangegorman campus development, infrastructure investment will be postponed for the lifetime of the investment framework and planning will take place towards an initial PPP project, for possible completion in 2017.
· Difficult decisions have had to be made but it was necessary given the need to ensure that every child has access to a school place and the constraints on the capital funding available to the Department and to Government.

How will the higher education sector be able to cope with increasing numbers if there are to be no new major projects?
· It is recognised that this will be a challenging time for the higher education sector. There is already a sustainability study underway by the Higher Education Authority arising out of the national strategy for higher education.
· The intention of this study is to assess the inter-relationship and tension between objectives for growing student numbers in higher education, maintaining and improving quality and managing within overall funding constraints.

· The purpose of undertaking this work is to ensure that realistic and sustainable levels of growth in numbers can be supported and that better informed choices can be made on policy options for future funding.
· In assessing this, the HEA has also been asked to consider the impact of more effective utilisation of existing resources, including through the potential of contractual changes under the Croke Park agreement. They will also draw on international comparisons and benchmarks in their work. While the overall study is a complex exercise, preliminary findings are due soon.
· In planning for the next few years of higher education, the state is not in a position to expand the infrastructure and it will be necessary for higher education institutions to continue to be flexible in the ways in which they cater for their student cohort.

Will there be refurbishment and emergency works funding available for higher education institutions?
The limited higher education capital investment will only involve projects with existing capital commitments in place being completed. There will be no funding available for new projects. Institutions will need to manage their own building stock without access to additional capital funding.

What are the planned major higher education projects that will not be funded?
The following projects which are currently in planning or at tender for traditional delivery will not be funded:

o UCD School of Law
o Medical facilities at NUI Galway
o Medical facilities at UCD
o Confucius Institute at UCD
o Campus redevelopment works at the Church of Ireland College of Education in Rathmines
o Works at St Angela’s College in Sligo
Grangegorman and PPPs

Why is Grangegorman being postponed?
In relation to DIT’s Grangegorman campus development, the Government remains committed to this project in the long term. Infrastructure investment will be postponed for the lifetime of the investment framework as funding is not available and planning will take place towards an initial PPP project, for possible completion in 2017. The Department will consult with DIT, the Grangegorman Development Authority and the HEA in this regard.

What about health and safety issues in relation to older DIT buildings? Will these buildings have to close? What does this mean for students enrolled in DIT?
Planning has been underway in relation to Grangegorman for a number of years. DIT has continued to operate successfully from within its existing stock of buildings.
While there is now a longer timeframe associated with the delivery of Grangegorman, the Government remains committed to this project and DIT will need to manage its building stock in the interim period. If particular issues arise in relation to existing buildings, DIT will need to discuss the approaches that it needs to take with the HEA and the Department.

Why are the PPPs being stopped?
There are significant annual unitary charges which arise from the time of the completion of these projects, as well as VAT payments on completion of the construction of higher education PPPs. The funding for these is not available.

What Higher Education PPPs are not proceeding?
· All higher education PPPs are being stopped. The Department currently has three Bundles of higher education PPP projects progressing through the various stages of procurement:

· Bundle 1 - This Bundle consists of projects in the following areas:
o Limerick Institute of Technology - Library Information Resource Centre
o University of Limerick – Library extension
o Cork Institute of Technology – Library extension
o Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology – Digital Media Teaching Building; Consolidated Workshops; Multi Purpose Hall
· Bundle 2 –This Bundle consists of projects in the following areas:
o Waterford Institute of Technology – Engineering and Science Building; Architecture Building; Business and Enterprise Extension
o Institute of Technology, Tallaght – Catering & Tourism Building; Multi Purpose Centre; Engineering Building
· Bundle 3 –This Bundle consists of projects in the following areas:
o National University of Ireland, Maynooth – Mathematical Sciences and Computer Centre
o Carlow Institute of Technology - New Administration and Support Centre
o Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology – Engineering School

Capital Investment in Health

The Government is maintaining the existing levels of health capital investment.

The Programme for Government states that ‘health capital spending will be a priority’. The publication of today’s Capital Review is tangible evidence of this commitment; in a time of fiscal consolidation the Government remains committed to supporting crucial health infrastructure development.

Over the years 2012-2016 an investment of €1,950m or €390m per year will be made in health infrastructure.

This funding, along with additional investment from other potential sources, will be used to support the Government’s priorities as set out in the Programme for Government. A principal aim is to ensure that high-quality and cost effective care is delivered in the most appropriate settings.

In particular, the funding will support the delivery of three high priority national projects -
The National Children’s Hospital - and the associated ambulatory & urgent care centre in Tallaght, confirming the Government’s commitment to delivering quality services in modern facilities for the children of Ireland;

The replacement of the Central Mental Hospital which dates from 1850 with an appropriate modern facility for treating and caring for patients with mental illness. The new facility is expected to be operational by 2016

The National Project for Radiation Oncology recognising the demonstrated need for extra radiotherapy capacity and the obvious impact of this treatment on patient mortality and morbidity.


National Lottery Funding will ensure that the National Children’s Hospital will be built, allowing for appropriate investment in other programme areas such as Primary Care.

Funding will be allocated across a number of care programmes - primary care, mental health, older people, disability and acute hospitals – in accordance with the commitments in the Programme for Government. The distribution of funding across the care programmes will be set out in the HSE Capital Plan for 2012-2016.

The ambitious Government reform programme for health will have to be underpinned by effective information and ICT. A major upgrade in ICT capabilities for the health system will, therefore, be supported.

Funding will also enable the Department of Health to contribute to two significant infrastructure projects – a Clinical Research Facility at UCHG and a replacement blood transfusion facility in Cork.

Doherty Welcomes Iceland to Ashbourne

Deputy Regina Doherty today welcomes the news that Iceland is coming to Ashbourne. The British frozen food chain is opening four new stores in Ireland with one to be located in Ashbourne, Co. Meath.

The Iceland chain is investing €3million in the new stores with the anticipation that it will create over 200 jobs in the country, nearly a quarter of which will be located in Ashbourne.

According to Doherty “The new store will be located in units 35 and 36 of the Ashbourne New Town Centre or, the former ShoeZone to those of you who know Ashbourne well.”

Deputy Regina Doherty believes that this is a massive boost for the residents of County Meath.

“The fact that Tom Keogh CEO of AIM (owner of the franchise in Ireland) and his colleagues at the company believe that Ashbourne will be a successful place to open a store is a big boost for the area and go some way to tackling unemployment in the region.”

“The location of the store is extremely central and will hopefully be a great success when it opens its doors on the 17th November. Employment will be created both directly and indirectly and as Iceland are committed to selling Irish produce in their stores which means that indirectly they are creating jobs for producers and suppliers. They have already invested in excess of €58 million in Irish produce such as meat, poultry and bread to date. Any investment in employment in the country and indeed County Meath is a welcome one.”