Summer Newsletter
PAT
DEERING Constituency Office, 16 Dublin Road, Carlow. 059 9173446 pat.deering@oireachtas.ie www.patdeering.ie
A NOTE FROM PAT A Chara, I wish to thank you for your support and reception in the recent General Election and I am honoured and privileged to have been re-elected to Dáil Éireann as your local TD. In the 32nd Dáil I will continue to represent you and work on your behalf to ensure the progress made over the last five years is built upon As your local TD, I will work to ensure continued job creation is to the fore of the agenda in Dáil Éireann. I will use my voice, as your local public representative, to ensure that the need for increased investment in public services is heard and prioritised, particularly in terms of education, health, affordable childcare and housing. As always, if I can be of assistance to you with any matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Warm regards
TD
CONFIRMATION OF IDA ADVANCE FACILITY FOR CARLOW
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arlow is to benefit greatly from the construction of a new IDA Advance Facility under the €150m IDA property investment programme. When I met with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor during her visit to Carlow in June this year “It was confirmed to me by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation that the delivery of the IDA Advance Facility in Carlow is on schedule for construction in 2017. Over €150m in funding has been allocated since February 2015 under a five year strategy aimed at accelerating the jobs upturn nationally and it is great to see Carlow benefitting from this capital investment which is designed to attract foreign direct investment into Ireland. It is crucial that we protect and provide the supports for opportunities of employment creation in Carlow and I am confident that this facility will contribute to this.
Delighted to attend the Forum launch in Carlow with Minister for Jobs Enterprises and Innovation - Mary Mitchell O’Connor.
We are determined to ensure that a strong economy delivers better services and infrastructure for communities all around Ireland. Supporting increased numbers of people in
employment in Carlow is a very important part of that and I am delighted to see that the IDA has commenced the process of delivery of the Carlow building, including site selection.
INVITATION TO THE OIREACHTAS Would your school, sports team, community group or residents association like to see Leinster House and have a tour of the building? I would like to warmly extend an invitation to do so. If you would be interested, please get in touch by emailing: pat.deering@oir.ie and we will be happy to arrange a visit.
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PAT
DEERING
TD Working for Carlow
URBAN RENEWAL REVITALISATION PLAN WILL BOOST BUSINESS AND JOB CREATION IN CARLOW On Tuesday 28th June I welcomed the Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal to Carlow where the urban Renewal plan for Carlow to boost business opportunities and job creation in the town was discussed. The ‘Carlow Urban Renewal Plan’, was presented to the Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal, Damien English TD at Carlow Library. I believe this is a very ambitious and encouraging plan which has the potential to provide a significant boost to Carlow town. The plan is backed by Carlow County Council and the Local Enterprise Office. The proposed Urban renewal plan aims to improve the environment for existing businesses and to encourage new businesses to come to Carlow. It’s a
During a walk around Carlow town I was able to highlight with the Minister how important funding for this Urban Renewal Plan, and now new businesses are playing an increasingly important role in the economic recovery. Twothirds of all new jobs come from startup businesses in the first five years of their existence, so the Government fully recognises how important it is to help get new enterprises up and running.
Minister for Housing, Damien English TD at recent sod turning event at site for new social housing units in Rathvilly.
great example of what can be delivered if local groups work together. As part of the programme for Government there will a greater emphasis on
urban renewal and this along with the expansion of the Living City Initiative I am hopeful would provide funding for proposals in Carlow.
DEERING CALLS FOR FAIRER TOPUP CONTRIBUTION FROM THE EQUALISATION FUND Speaking in the Dáil I called for a fairer distribution of the Equalisation Fund where I highlighted the difficulties experienced by Carlow County Council as they begin the process of agreeing their budget for 2017. 80% of all Local Property Tax (LPT) collected is retained locally. The remaining 20% of the tax take goes into what is called the Equalisation Fund. This figure could be as high as €100m in any given year. This fund is then distributed to the smaller counties to ensure that no county council is worse off than they were under the old General Purpose Grant allocation scheme. Carlow County Council collects €3.85m LPT
of which €3.08m, is retained locally under the 80% rule. We receive a further €2.27m from the Equalisation Fund giving us a total of €5.35m. Roscommon and Sligo receive €9.11m and €9.99m respectively while their populations are not much bigger than Carlow’s and Leitrim with a much smaller population receives a total contribution of €8.28m. It appears that these counties for historical reasons have received more from central funding than Carlow while we would traditionally have collected more from commercial rates. I have asked Ministers English and Minister Coveney to look at how this
Constituency Office, 16 Dublin Road, Carlow.
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fund is distributed so that everybody would be on a level playing field. I have also called on the Ministers to look at how we fund local authorities in general; a new funding model is required. Carlow County Council had to reduce their spending by €4m per annum since 2008, this level of cut backs is not sustainable. Minister English gave me a commitment that programmes will be tailored to deliver more funding into local authorities. More industry is also needed in Carlow that not only will create jobs but will also generate commercial rates increasing the funding available for the provision of services.
059 9173446
Carlow and the surrounding areas have a fast growing population. It’s essential that local businesses are in a prime position to benefit from this population surge. This renewal plan, through its incentives and supports, will help retailers to take advantage of the economic upturn, and will help local job creation as a result.
€189,393 FUNDING FOR CARLOW COUNTY COUNCIL TO TAKE EIGHT HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IN CHARGE The Minister for Housing, Simon Coveney, has confirmed to me that €189,393 has been provisionally approved for Carlow County Council to take eight housing developments in charge, a total of 247 units will benefit from this initative. The housing developments to come under the remit of Carlow County Council thanks to this initiative include Academy Court, Montgomery Street; Ballydarton Mews, Fenagh; Loch Abhainn, Carlow Town, Moyacomb Meadow, Clonegal; The Meadows, Kildavin; and Phelim Wood, Rath Felim and Rathsillan in Tullow. This is really great news for housing estates and developments right across the county, that have been left unfinished or in need of further work by developers. Now that these developments will be under the remit of Carlow County Council this work can finally be done, and families can expect to live in high quality developments that are properly serviced. This funding allocation from Government also enables the council to raise a further €89,607 through bonds and other sources, in order to help finance this initiative.
pat.deering@oireachtas.ie
www.patdeering.ie
10/08/2016 17:35
Working for you €89,000 IN CAPITAL FUNDING FOR CARLOW PRE-SCHOOL PROVIDERS
CHAIR OF JOINT OIREACHTAS COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND THE MARINE
Recenty I welcomed the announcement that more than €6.5m in capital funding has been allocated through the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to 1,006 preschool providers nationwide including €89,000 for 16 Carlow Community and Private providers.
majority of these have now be approved for funding. The funding being made available is specifically for pre-school providers – both community/not-for-profit and private providers – who want to expand their services to cater for more children from September 2016.
I am honoured to have been appointed Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD.
This represents an increase of over €2.5m on the amount of €4m announced for this programme in February 2016. Grants of up to €10,000 per provider are being provided.
The Department of Children and Youth Affairs, with the assistance of Pobal, invited applications from all services contracted to deliver its various childcare programmes. All submitted applications were considered in order to find those that most closely and completely met the criteria and objectives of the programme.
Having served as Vice Chair of the Committee for five years, I have a comprehensive knowledge of the workings of the Committee and will bring that experience to the role.
The extension of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) pre-school scheme is a welcome development and now every child will be able to access free pre-school from the age of 3 until they start school. It will see more than 60,000 additional children enrolled in the programme by April 2017. Children will now benefit from an average of 61 weeks on the scheme, up from 38 weeks. In order to ensure that there is sufficient capacity in the sector to provide for these children, this is one of a number of measures the Government has developed to assist services to expand.” There were a large number of high quality applications for the scheme, and the
The successful Carlow applicants are: Pied Piper Community Pre-School; Scallywags Creche; Kilkenny Road Community Childcare & Family Centre; Brownshill Creche, Montessori & Afterschool; Little Trinity Creche & Montessori; Tippy Toes Montessori; Absolute Beginners Creche & Montessori; Mary’s Playschool; St. Catherines Community Services Centre; Forward Steps Resource Centre Limited; Askea Community Childcare Centre; The Trees Montessori; Little Stars Childcare;Creative Kids; Dolmen Nursery and Sioga Beag Creche & Montessori.
At IFA Executive Council Meeting with Joe Healy President IFA and Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed.
More importantly I am a dairy farmer myself and I am fully aware of the challenges currently faced by Irish farmers. In my time as Chair I want to prioritise issues such as volatility in the farming sector, input costs and the relationship between primary producers and supermarkets. I plan to work closely with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, as well as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Andrew Doyle, in progressing positive change on these issues. Under the new strengthened Oireachtas Committee System, the Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine will have real teeth and I really look forward to working with my Oireachtas colleagues on legislation that can positively impact society.
TASKFORCE NEEDED TO DEAL WITH CRISIS IN THE PROVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN CARLOW Speaking in the Dáil on Tuesday (31st May) I raised the serious issue of the lack of provision and availability of mental health supports for young people in Carlow.
service is a complementary service provided to schools and also offers other statutory services. It was not established to replace HSE or TUSLA services. As matters stand, it cannot accept further new referrals with its current level of funding. Additional funding is required for both services.
The provision of early intervention mental health supports and services for young people in Carlow is in a state of crisis. The Carlow regional youth service offers an early intervention counselling service and runs two projects and if facing unprecedented demand on the regional youth service support services. I am extremely concerned about the lack of services available to support the emotional health and well-being of young people in Carlow. Existing
Connect with me on
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Minister of State for Mental Health - Helen McEntee meeting with representatives of Carlow Regional Youth Services on her recent visit to Carlow.
organisations are best placed to respond quickly and effectively to the current and future early intervention needs in the town.
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These services support and alleviate demand on the Health Service Executive and Tusla specialist services. The Carlow regional youth
I believe a task force is required in Carlow to address the current difficulties in the town. I have asked the Minister of State for Mental Health, Helen McEntee to examine the issues raised and ensure additional funding is found for early intervention services and the establishment of a task force in Carlow.
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PAT
DEERING
TD
SOUTH EAST UNIVERSITY NEEDED TO MEET DEMANDS OF GROWING JOBS MARKET The announcement of a major investment of €1.5m in the South East Technological University Project by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) is most welcome. Earlier this year of the Governing Bodies of Carlow and Waterford Institutes of Technology recommenced discussions on the creation of a Technological University of the South East. The Institutes submitted a proposal for funding to support the creation of a support infrastructure in line with the recommendations of the Kelly report. The investment of €1.5m will enable both the Institutes to develop and implement an action plan to lead to Technological University for the South East.
The two South East Institutes are committed to delivering a university of international standing for the region in support of economic and social development and this investment by the HEA will help advance this process.
€1.5m for South East Technological University Project by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) It is imperative that the legislation required to enable the creation of the Technological University is also enacted to enable the creation of
a university for the South East and I asked the Taoiseach about the issue in June in the Dáil. The Taoiseach replied “As Deputy Deering is aware, that is one of the Bills that have been restored to the Order Paper of the Dáil and will resume on Committee Stage. The Government continues to see the technological university potential for the south east as being a priority and part of the region’s overall development”. I believe this commitment is most welcome especially for Carlow to feed a growing jobs market. And I welcome this next step on the path for the proposed Technological University for the South-East (TUSE) – consisting of Waterford Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Carlow.
CARLOW HAS RECEIVED €900,000 IN ROADS FUNDING In June the second allocation from the severe weather regional & local road fund was confirmed. Carlow local and regional roads received €315,000 in the first allocation under the severe weather fund at the beginning of the year. In a second tranche of funding, Carlow has been allocated €600,000, bringing the total funding to almost €1 million. This additional funding should address the concerns that were expressed earlier this year in the first round of funding when people felt that Carlow had not received enough of the allocation. With this funding now totalling almost €1 million we can ensure the benefits are fully realised for Carlow.
This particular fund allows Local Authorities to conduct repair works to regional and local roads affected by the flooding that took place over the winter and spring months. It will be of huge value to people and businesses in Carlow who depend so much on our local and regional road network. Fine Gael in Government is determined to ensure that a strong economy delivers better services and infrastructure for communities all around Ireland. Ensuring our road network is fit for purpose is just one part of this. It benefits businesses, commuters, tourism and the importance of investment in this area cannot be underestimated.
Great to chat with Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh at the opening of the St Mullins GAA complex
With Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan at the opening of Tullow Community School extension.
CARLOW LIVE REGISTER DOWN 23% SINCE THE LAUNCH OF THE ACTION PLAN FOR JOBS IN 2012 There has been a drop of 23% in the Live Register in Carlow since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in early 2012, which is a strong indication that Fine Gael is continuing to deliver on its pledge to prioritise job creation and reduce unemployment. The annual decline in the Live Register from May 2015 to May 2016, in Carlow, was 10%, while the drop since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in February 2012 was 23%. This is very positive news and proof again of Fine Gael’s commitment and success in creating the environment to get people in Carlow back to work. Each new job created in Carlow is another family looking forward to a brighter future and each new job created by a business is a sign of returning confidence and growth. In fact each new job created here in Carlow leads to more resources which Fine Gael is committed to using to fix the many challenges we face as a society. In conclusion Fine Gael in Government continues to prioritise job creation because we believe that only a strong economy, supporting people at work, can pay for the services needed to create a fair society here in Carlow and around the country.
“I am delighted that my new constituency office in Tullow opened in June, for the benefit of all the people of Tullow and the surrounding areas.” The new office is open to the public every Tuesday from 10.00am -1.00pm & 2.00pm - 4.00pm and also on the first Friday of every month from 5.00pm - 7.00pm. We are situated to the rear of Sherry Fitzgerald McDermott office in the Square, This is a drop in service, you don’t need an appointment, you’ll always be welcome and we’ll do our very best to help in any way we can. Look for the sign and come in through the blue door, we’re down the back. Looking forward to meeting you there. Pat Deering TD.
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NEW CONSTITUENCY OFFICE IN TULLOW
YOUR LOCAL FINE GAEL TEAM IN COUNTY CARLOW: Cllr Denis Foley, Cllr Tommy Kinsella, Cllr John Murphy, Cllr Michael Doran, Cllr Fergal Browne & Cllr Brian O’Donoghue
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