DOHERTY calls on Noonan to act on new Credit Union regulations

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Regina Doherty, has called on the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, to act on the new Credit Union regulations which are set to be enforced on the 1^st January 2015.

The Meath East TD said “last month the Central Bank issued a consultation paper (CP88) which entails a number of changes which can only be described as unfair to Credit Union members and uncompetitive in the market.

“In recent weeks I have been calling on Minister Noonan to meet with members of the Credit Union and the Irish League of Credit Unions to hear their concerns with regards these draft regulations. January 1^st is only around 

the corner so it is essential that we act quickly.”

Doherty, who is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform has said “I am looking forward to meeting with the Credit Union Development Association (CUDA), members of the Credit Union, the Registrar and insurance specialists on the 25^th November where they will brief the Finance Committee on exactly what CP88 draft regulations will mean in practical terms.

“I have been contacted by a large number of members and officials from Credit Unions here in Meath who have voiced their opposition and shared their serious concerns as to what these governing regulations will mean to them. This is both a local and national issue which requires immediate and careful attention.”

Concluding, Doherty said “I am looking forward to attending the Finance Committee later this month and I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that any proposed changes to the regulation of our Credit Unions will be as fair and as considerate as possible. I will continue to lobby the Minister to ensure that the required amendments are made to this the proposed regulations before enforcement.”

Meath to benefit from National Sports Policy

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Regina Doherty, has today welcomed this week’s announcement by Minister’s Paschal Donohoe and Michael Ring that a National Sports Policy Framework is soon to be developed, the first of its kind for 20 years.

The Ratoath TD said “this week’s announcement from the Department of Tourism will see the development of a National Sports Policy Framework, the first of its kind in 20 years. Earlier this week Minister Donohoe and Minister Ring held a consultation conference to seek the views of sports stakeholders on the issues and challenges facing Irish sport in the years to come with a view to developing Policy Framework. I am confident that this will help promote maximum participation in sport in Meath.
 
“Players and club organisations work year-in year-out to ensure that our sports clubs in Meath continue to progress and grow in our communities. Not an easy task but we are going from strength to strength in the county. 

“Just last month Meath received over €1.8 million in funding from the Department of Sports which I know first-hand will be of considerable benefit to so many. Funding can be an uphill battle when trying to progress as a club, and the Government has been a great help to applicants of the Sports Capital Grants in recent years. However, we also need direction as to where Meath sports clubs can be placed on the map at a national level.

“The new National Sports Policy will provide the framework for sport in Ireland over the next ten years and will set the agenda for the newly established Sport Ireland.  Some of the topics discussed at this week’s consultation were: increasing participation in sport, volunteers in sport, high performance sports, the future development of the National Sports Campus and regional and local facilities, among others. In developing the framework, consideration will also be given to where the focus of Government spending in sport should be and the wider cross-sectoral role of sport in the economy, education, health, tourism and other areas.”  

Doherty continued “this year, Budget 2016, saw an increase of 40% in our overall sports programme allocation, to €126 million. This will allow our elite athletes to be better supported, a new National Physical Activity Plan to be implemented, sports programmes to be targeted where they are most needed and our Sports Capital and Local Authority Swimming Pools programmes to allocate resources that will better serve our communities’. 
 
Concluding, the Meath East TD said “all of us who are involved in Irish sport must continue to work together and engage productively on matters that are important to sport in Meath.  We have a mutual interest in seeing sport develop to its full potential and this process will guide us in that direction.”

Doherty welcomes new Special Criminal Court

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Regina Doherty, has welcomed the Government’s appointment of seven serving judges to what will be the second Special Criminal Court.

The Ratoath based TD has said “just this last week a number of residents contacted me with regard to two men who were spotted checking cars in Ratoath in the early hours of the morning. We also had an armed robbery in a house in Stamullen; it is now a daily occurrence that burglaries take place or are attempted right across the county. We have a serious problem with crime on our hands in Meath and we need to tackle it head on. I am thrilled with this week’s announcement which sees the establishment of a new Special Criminal Court, the second of its kind.

“The appointment of seven sitting judges (3 High Court, 2 Circuit Court and 2 District Court judges) to the new Special Criminal Court will see the serious backlog of cases in the Special Criminal Court processed sooner rather than later. There is currently a backlog of up to two years in cases coming to trial and criminals involved in house and car robberies will continue to offend unless we address this backlog.”

The Meath East TD continued “the next available hearing before the existing Special Criminal Court is June 2017; we have a responsibility to protect the security of our communities, businesses and families and this task becomes problematic, to say the least, with a back log of 20 months for criminal cases to be heard.

Concluding, Doherty said “The establishment of a second Special Criminal Court demonstrates this Government’s commitment to see justice brought to those who commit crime in our towns and villages. I will shortly be launching a Text Alert system in the south of the county in a bid to tackle local crime; we must all pull together to ensure the safety and security of our homes and businesses.”

Consistent reductions in Meath unemployment will help to keep the economic recovery going

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Regina Doherty, has said that the consistent reductions in the Meath unemployment figures will help to keep the economic recovery going.

“CSO figures for October show that the Live Register has dropped by 35% in Meath since the launch of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs in February 2012.

“When this Government took office, we promised to fix the public finances, restore growth in the economy and get people back to work. The task now is to finish the job and keep that recovery going. Crucial to this is continued job creation and the consistent decreases in unemployment since 2012 are certainly helping to keep the economic recovery going in Meath.

“Replicating this all over the country via our Regional Action Plans for Jobs is how this Government will achieve its plan to see all the jobs lost during the economic crisis replaced by 2018.

“Budget 2016 introduced a whole range of pro jobs measures, as it incentivises innovative start-ups, rewards successful entrepreneurs and makes sure that the jobs that are created will really pay. It reduces the general tax burden which helps businesses create employment. It begins the process of tax equalisation for the self-employed in order to support job creators. The Budget also maintains the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector which will continue to assist small business owners working in the tourism sector, which has been such an integral part of our economic recovery. A modest but significant increase in the minimum wage ensures that work pays more than welfare, while Employers’ PRSI has been adjusted to cater for these wage increases to ensure that neither employees nor employers are worse off.

“This Government will work to keep the economic recovery going which helps us to provide better services for all of society. Crucial to this is the ongoing job creation successes we are seeing in Meath and right across the country.”

Doherty calls on Meath to have input on Disability Inclusion Strategy

Fine Gael TD Regina Doherty has welcomed the announcement of Phase 2 of the comprehensive consultation process which is taking place during 2015 with a view to putting in place a new National Disability Inclusion Strategy.  The consultation process allows interested parties to make recommendations in key areas such as service provision, accommodation, health, employment, and education.

Doherty said “we have an opportunity for the first time in many years now to address the issues of concern to people with disabilities in a sustainable way. We are now in the middle of the public consultation process on the development of the new Disability Inclusion Strategy and it is important that that we receive input from as many people as possible. I am calling on all parents, residents, friends and carers to have their input on this strategy – it is so important that all of our voices are heard.”

“Phase 1 of the consultation process to develop a new Disability Inclusion Strategy in Ireland was launched in June 2015.  As indicated at that time, the consultations are taking the form of a 3-stage process as follows:

1. An initial round of consultations, to facilitate identification of the priority themes to be addressed in a National Disability Inclusion Strategy.

2. A second phase (now being commenced) to identify and agree specific objectives under each of the themes identified in Phase1. 

3. Phase 3 - to commence at the end of this year - which will focus on identifying precise and measurable actions and timescales for achievement of each of the objectives that emerged from Phase 2.   Following this phase, a draft proposal for a new Disability Inclusion Strategy will be prepared by the National Disability Strategy Steering Group for consideration by Government.” 
Doherty continued, “A total of 24 submissions were received in Phase 1, 7 from individuals and 17 from organisations. The individuals who responded included people with a disability, family members, and a person working in the disability field.    
“For Phase 2, there are a number of avenues by which people can participate, including making of formal written submissions (as in Phase 1), but also - new for this Phase -  responding to an online survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NDISOnlineConsultation) and participating at 3 regional meetings:

Cork  -  Tuesday, 24 November (Imperial Hotel Cork City)
Dublin - Thursday, 26 November (Croke Park)
Tullamore  - Wednesday, 2 December (Tullamore Court Hotel)

which are being arranged on behalf of the Department by the NDA.” 

New anti-burglary plan will crack down on crime in Meath

Fine Gael TD for Meath East said that the new Anti-Crime and Burglary response by An Garda Síochána will crack down on crime in Meath.

“This new Anti-Crime and Burglary response by An Garda Síochána, named Operation Thor, will help tackle crime in Meath. This new plan will be backed up by increased Government investment of €5 million, a tougher law on sentences and stricter bail for repeat offenders. 

“While operational planning is a matter solely for the Garda Commissioner, this new operation delivers on increased investment in policing by this Government to tackle burglaries and related crime.” 

“Operation Thor is aimed at tackling burglars, organised crime gangs and prolific offenders as well as working with communities to prevent crime.

The key elements include:

· The use of new high powered vehicles by the armed Regional Response Units; 
· Extra high-visibility patrols in identified burglary hot-spots;
· Increased used of checkpoints to tackle the criminal gangs using the national road network; 
· Efforts to disrupt the stolen goods market; 
· Programmes to help reduce re-offending by prolific offenders; 
· A high-profile national crime prevention awareness campaign to be launched later this month; 
· Targeted crime prevention advice for local communities; 
· Enhanced supports for victims.

"Burglaries have a terrible and unacceptable impact on families and communities nationwide, both urban and rural.

“Fine Gael’s response to crime is focussed: investing in more Gardaí and vehicles and strengthening the law to crack down on serious and repeat offenders.

“Fine Gael in Government has reopened Templemore, with 1,150 Gardaí being recruited. We have invested over €34 million in new Garda vehicles since 2012 with over 640 new vehicles in 2015, ranging from more Garda patrol cars to high-powered vehicles for armed units. This will ensure Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive, on the roads and in the community. We are also investing in airborne surveillance and enhanced technology and ICT systems.

“Over €5 million is being committed to support Operation Thor. This includes funding for Garda overtime to support a combination of additional patrols, checkpoints, rapid armed response and public awareness measures.” 

Ireland takes significant step towards preventing and combating domestic violence

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Regina Doherty, has said that Ireland’s signature of the Istanbul Convention today (Thursday) is a very significant step forward. The Council of Europe Convention is focused on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

“Domestic violence is a scourge on our society and needs to be tackled head on. One in five women in Ireland is affected by domestic abuse and we know that around the country, and here in County Meath, women are today living in fear. They’re afraid to speak out and afraid to leave.

“The signing of the Istanbul Convention will not solve the problem of domestic violence or eradicate this terrible crime, but it is an important step in the battle against it. The signing of the convention reaffirms the commitment of Government to foster a culture and to implement meaningful changes which can help reduce the incidence of domestic violence, better support victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“The Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald has today announced an Action Plan for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Ireland. It outlines the steps required to fully ratify the convention, which include:

· A range of legislative measures including the new Domestic Violence Bill and the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Bill;
· Provision of education and training of public sector staff involved in this area;
· Development and delivery of training for legal professionals;
· Implementation of co-ordinated, integrated national helpline service provision for responding to domestic and sexual violence
· Development of a Risk Assessment Matrix by An Garda Síochána

“It is also important to note that today marks an important milestone for all those who have campaigned for better protections and supports for victims of domestic violence. I commend those people and reaffirm my support for the very important work they do.”

Crime prevention – Doherty welcomes CCTV to rural Meath

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Regina Doherty, has said that rural Meath will see the provision of CCTV in rural areas, which is to be funded from the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
 
The Ratoath based TD said “it is no secret that crime is on the rise in County Meath and it is both our housing estates and rural residential areas that are being targeted on a daily basis. I was delighted to hear the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, recently announce the provision of CCTV in rural areas, which is to be funded from the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.  “I know I am not alone in welcoming CCTV to our rural areas which will certainly aid a robust crime prevention strategy for our rural areas in Meath. This will of course be in combination with the existing community based CCTV scheme which provides financial assistance to local organisations towards meeting the capital costs associated with the establishment of a local community CCTV system. To date a total of €3.76m was allocated to fund 43 Community Schemes.” Doherty continued “CCTV schemes certainly have a part to play in the detection of anti-social behaviour and criminality but of paramount importance is a visible and responsive policing service. There is no doubt but that this Government is determined to ensure that An Garda Síochána has the resources to deliver highly-mobile and responsive Garda patrols in both rural and urban communities. “We have secured an allocation of a further €5.3m to An Garda Síochána for the purchase of a further 260 vehicles between now and the end of the year. This investment in a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose Garda fleet will continue under the Government’s Capital Plan 2016-2021 which provides an additional €46 million for new Garda vehicles over the life time of the Plan.  "This substantial level of investment will be accompanied by the ongoing recruitment of new Garda with 600 to be recruited next year on top of the 550 to be recruited by the end of this year.” Concluding, the Meath East TD said “Communities, and particularly rural communities, place great value on CCTV and it is essential that we continue to invest in all aspects of our crime prevention measures.”

The final hurdle: planning granted for Facebook

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Regina Doherty, has said that An Bord Pleanala’s decision to grant planning permission for Facebook is the icing on the cake for Clonee.

The Ratoath based TD said “there was great excitement during the summer when Facebook announced its intention to establish a data centre in Clonee, but today’s news that planning permission has been granted is the final hurdle which we have all been eagerly waiting to pass.  “This is a major project for Facebook and it demonstrates the multinational media giant’s confidence in Meath to meet its infrastructural and staffing needs. This is obviously a significant strategic investment for Facebook but more importantly it brings with it an abundance employment opportunities for Meath people, in Meath.  “It is encouraging to say the least to see our previously unemployed return to work in recent years and our graduates enter the work place for the first time since the economic downfall; but still today so many of our people must leave Meath to earn their living. This makes the recovery that little bit slower for our village and town centre local businesses. Facebook in Clonee will see Meath people working in Meath, and that in itself needs to be acknowledged and celebrated.  “Over the duration of ten years Facebook will support hundreds of construction jobs and countless permanent jobs thereafter.”  The Meath East TD concluded “We are very lucky in Meath with our proximity to Dublin, the airport and the motorway, not least to mention our highly experienced and qualified workforce and trades in the county. We have so much going for us here in Meath and I look forward to seeing many more ventures like this in the future.

Young people leaving care will have right to an aftercare plan

Fine Gael TD for Meath East, Regina Doherty, has welcomed the publication of the Childcare (Amendment) Bill 2015 which will ensure an aftercare plan for all eligible children and young people once leaving state care.

The Ratoath based TD said “for the first time ever children and young people will have the right for an aftercare plan which will ensure the smooth transition from state care to independent living. This truly is fantastic progress; our young people will no longer feel alone or isolated when entering into independent living for the first time. “We will now provide continued support to meet the needs of a young person who is leaving statutory care at 18 years of age. I have lost count of the number of foster carers and foster children who have come to be with an unimaginable burden of worry about transitioning into independent living. This Bill, once passed through the Oireachtas, will require Tusla, the Child and Family Agency to prepare an aftercare plan for the eligible child or young person.”Doherty continued “it is hard to believe that only ten years ago aftercare was non-existent. This Bill is just shows how far we have come that in a matter of months, aftercare will be a right of the child or young person.  “This has come about in recognition of the particular challenges linked to moving into independent adult living – challenges shared by all young people but that may prove a greater hurdle for some leaving State care.” The Meath East TD concluded “I know that this means so much to so many carers and young people not only in Meath but right across the country. Today, we are finally recognising and responding to the particular vulnerability attached to some care leavers lays the foundations for better aftercare support.”