Blog Archive
Shannon records 15% increase in passengers in first half of year
Posted on July 15, 2014 by Alan Kelly
Shannon Airport’s year has taken-off emphatically with the 16 service enhancements, including nine new Ryanair routes, for the summer season resulting in a 15% increase in the first half of the year in terminal passenger numbers. The bulk of the increase has been driven by the nine new services - to Munich, Paris, Faro, Warsaw, Krakow, Nice, Poitiers, Berlin, Fuerteventura - launched by Ryanair in April.
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€489,000 allocated to Tipperary to tackle vacant housing issue
Posted on July 14, 2014 by Alan Kelly
I welcome the second round of funding to support the vacant unit programme. I am delighted that this week my colleague Minister Jan O’Sullivan has allocated €15m in funding to bring back into use 1008 vacant local authority units. Tipperary will receive€489,000 which will allow 37 units around the county return to beneficial use. This funding brings total investment to €30m already this year in relation to this important programme. This is a positive programme that increases social housing supply quickly. This investment will also create and sustain hundreds of jobs in the construction area.
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Tipperary to benefit from Better Energy grants
Posted on July 14, 2014 by Alan Kelly
The government has announced that 83 community energy projects will receive €28m in financial support, resulting in substantial improvements in homes, community buildings, local authority premises and sports facilities throughout Ireland.
I can confirm that €2,832,123 will be invested around Tipperary under this scheme. This year the Better Energy programme will provide almost €60m for retrofitting, more than in 2013. Organisations around the country are alert to the high cost of energy in their facilities and that every euro saved can be diverted back into valuable services for the community. Today’s announcement signals this Government’s continued commitment to energy retrofitting.
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CLEAR ASSURANCE FROM MINISTER ON TRAVEL PASS
Posted on July 14, 2014 by Alan Kelly
I welcome categorical assurances from Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton that there is no threat to the free travel pass for older people in the upcoming Budget.
The free travel pass is a prized possession for older people, and enables them to get out and about in their daily lives. The pass has recently been targeted by opposition and other groups for the purposes of shameless scaremongering, with suggestions being put out that the free travel pass is somehow under threat.
Having protected the pass during three consecutive budgets, the government has made it clear that it will be further protected in this year’s Budget.
Groundless claims have been given a clear and direct response by Tánaiste and Minister Joan Burton on the floor of Dáil Éireann this week – there is no threat to the free travel pass.
Those groups, inside and outside the Dáil, who have sought to whip up the fears of elderly people should welcome this assurance by Minister Burton, and rethink their publicity campaigns around this issue.”
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Increase in SNAs for 2014/15 school year
Posted on June 25, 2014 by Alan Kelly
I welcome the news that nearly a third of schools will have increased Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support in the coming school year. The NCSE announced SNA allocations for the 2014/15 school year earlier today.
The principle of providing every eligible child with SNA support is at the heart of what Labour is achieving in government. Today’s allocation confirms that commitment, despite the difficulty in resources.
Nearly a third of schools – 29 per cent - will see an increase in their SNA support, while over half, or 51 per cent, will see their current SNA allocation maintained. This is a remarkable achievement in the recessionary times we are in, and a testament to Labour’s commitment to education.
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My Priorities for Deputy Leader
Posted on June 09, 2014 by Alan Kelly
- To shape the Irish economy and public services in a way that is true to Labour values.
- To give hard-pressed families a break from the financial stresses by easing their burden.
- To secure a sustainable living wage for all workers, in both the private and public sectors, as this will help revitalise the economy.
- To promote fairer redistribution of wealth by legislating for collective bargaining rights for workers.
- To lead the marriage equality referendum in 2015.
- To provide for fair access to education regardless of income.
- To revitalise the rural economy; creating a ministerial function to coordinate Government actions on rural economic development.
- To aggressively pursue our party’s goal of ending long-term homelessness.
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Candidate for Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Posted on May 29, 2014 by Alan Kelly
Today I am declaring my candidacy for the position of Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. I would like to thank my proposer Willie Penrose TD as well as my seconder Robert Dowds TD and the many Labour TDs, Senators, councillors and members from across the country who are supporting my bid.
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€1,016,656 for four housing estates in Tipperary
Posted on May 02, 2014 by Alan Kelly
I welcome the annoucement by Jan O'Sullivan TD, Minister for Housing and Planning that 86 housing developments across the country will
benefit from €10m Special Resolution Fund announced in 2014. This has leveraged a further €12 million in finance from third parties. Of
this €7m will come from developer/further investment and €5m will come from bonds.
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22 Tipperary Schools Successful Under Round 2 of the Summer Works Scheme
Posted on May 02, 2014 by Alan Kelly
I am delighted to see that 47 schools in total in Tipperary will benefit from the scheme this year, 25 of which were announced in March this year. The scheme covers essential works. These works will be carried out in schools over the summer months, when the pupils are on holidays, so the disruption in the schools will be kept to a minimum. The 22 schools are:
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79 rural communities in Tipperary are to get access to high-quality broadband
Posted on April 25, 2014 by Alan Kelly
I welcome the news that 79 of rural communities in Tipperary are to get access to high-quality broadband for the first time.
The villages are to be served by a new fibre-based connection announced by Minister for Communications, Pat Rabbitte, today (Friday). The fibre network will be rolled-out across a total of 1100 towns and villages nationwide.
This is great news for homes, schools, businesses and community facilities in Tipperary and it heralds a new era of faster telecommunications for rural Ireland.
It represents a major investment in our county's broadband infrastructure, and make no mistake - it has happened because the Government has recognised the need to respond to growing consumer and business demand in these locations.
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