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Roscommon People Friday 15 March 2019
NewsPeople PUBLIC NOTICES
Reporting of Political Donations by Third Parties The provisions of the Local Elections (Disclosure of Donations and Expenditure) Act 1999 as amended in relation to third parties are designed to bring such person or persons within the political donation regime in operation at local government level. A “third party” is defined in the legislation as “any person, other than a political party registered in the Register of Political Parties under Part III of the Electoral Act 1992 or a candidate at an election, who accepts, in a particular year, a donation the value of which exceeds €100.” The “third party” is required to register with Roscommon County Council to open a political donations account and to submit a statement from a financial institution with a certificate and statutory declaration to Roscommon County Council not later than 31st March each year. Individuals or organisations within the administrative area of Roscommon County Council who consider that the above provisions apply to them must make a return to the undersigned before 31st March 2019. For further information please see www.roscommoncoco.ie or contact corporateservices@roscommoncoco.ie or telephone 090 6637231
Appeal for action on bridges, roads Local election candidate Marty McDermott has raised the “urgent need” for a number of issues relating to local roads and bridges to be addressed. The first-time Fianna Fáil candidate (Roscommon Municipal Area) said it is essential that these issues are addressed from a safety perspective. In a press statement issued to the Roscommon People, Mr. McDermott said that a number of con-
cerns had been raised with him by local residents. He said that Lisadurn Bridge, when approached from Scrine Hill area, is dangerous for motorists and pedestrians and that this issue requires immediate attention. On speeding/traffic calming measures, Mr. McDermott said that residents in the Mote Park area have raised their frustration over speeding. “They say that a small
Notice is hereby given that Roscommon County Council proposes to make new Bye-Laws to regulate and control the Segregation, Storage and Presentation of Household and Commercial Waste within its functional area. It is proposed the make provision in the Bye-Laws for the imposition of a fixed payment of €75 in respect of a contravention of a Bye-Law as an alternative to a prosecution, as provided for in Section 206 of the Local Government Act 2001. These bye-laws repeal Roscommon County Council Storage, Presentation & Collection of Household Waste Bye-Laws 2008. The Draft Bye-Laws are available for inspection at: Environment Section, Roscommon County Council, Áras an Chontae, Roscommon from Thursday 14th March, 2019 until Thursday 18th April, 2019 between 9.30am and 5pm Monday to Friday. A copy of the draft Bye-Laws may also be obtained free of charge from this location. They are also available for inspection at all Council Public Libraries (during normal opening hours) and Athlone, Boyle, Strokestown, Castlerea, Ballaghaderreen Council Offices (during normal office hours) or may be viewed online at www.roscommoncoco.ie. Roscommon County Council will consider any submissions made in relation to the Draft Bye-Laws. Such submissions can be made in writing before 5pm on Thursday 2nd May, 2019 to: Environment Section, Roscommon County Council, Áras an Chontae, Roscommon or by email to environment@roscommoncoco.ie. All submissions must include the name and address of the person/organisation making the submission, and will be included in a final report which will be available for public viewing. Shane Tiernan Director of Services
Local election candidate Marty McDermott
for resurfacing of the road at Gallowstown. “People are very concerned about the recurring flooding problems at that level crossing” he said. Mr. McDermott pledged to continue to raise these issues during the 2019 local election campaign and to pursue them if elected to Roscommon County Council.
Refugee centre means extra pressure on Ballaghaderreen GP – Murphy
Shane Tiernan Director of Services
Draft Bye-Laws for the Segregation, Storage and Presentation of Household and Commercial Waste 2019
number of motorists are speeding in the area and this is obviously a major worry, especially with children playing and walking in the area. I am calling for a review of the location of speed limit warning signs. I am also calling for traffic calming measures at Cloverhill NS”. Mr. McDermott also raised the issue of flash flooding at Ballymurray level crossing and the need
When Roscommon Cllr. Kathleen Shanagher met French Ambassador to Ireland H.E. Stéphane Crouzat in Athlone I.T. last week she presented him with a pin from The Irish Wheelchair Association (the ‘Where is Paddy?’ campaign). The pins are €2 and are for sale in the Irish Wheelchair Association shop on Circular Road, Roscommon. The Ambassador was in Athlone to celebrate the gastronomical links between France and Ireland.
Grants for schools welcomed Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh has announced €50 million in grants to underpin the implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020. This will enable grant funding for the purchase of ICT infrastructure such as tablets, cloud systems and projectors which will issue to all eligible primary and post primary schools. Fine Gael Senator Maura Hopkins said this funding will enable schools in Roscommon and Galway to embed the use of digital technology in teaching and learning. She added: “At primary level, the grant is worth in the region of €5,900 for a 100-pupil school. Secondary schools of 500 students can receive €27,000 rising to €52,000 for a 1,000-student school. “A further €5m is also being set aside in this year’s tranche to recognise and support schools’ efforts to engage with digital technologies in teaching and learning”.
Speaking in the Dáil last week, Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy called for a Ballaghaderreen GP to be excused from taking on additional patients under the HSE’s Primary Care Reimbursement Scheme (PCRS). The TD said: “There is now a three-day waiting list for this GP’s surgery and his existing patients are very frustrated. However, despite this, a number of additional patients have been assigned to him by the PCRS. His practice nurse is on leave and his efforts to source a full-time nurse have not been successful”. Deputy Murphy added: “As a single-handed GP who also looks after patients in the EROC centre in Ballaghaderreen I feel that he should be excluded from patient appointments to his panel”. The TD said that there was already “extraordinary pressure on this GP prior to the arrival of patients from Syria and the EROC centre”. “Yet, despite the promises by the Government and Department of Health, no new resources or funding were allocated to the Ballaghaderreen area to support existing health services and now we can see the fall-out of this,” said Deputy Murphy. The Fianna Fáil TD said that the GP was asked to take on a family coming from direct provision in Mosney centre last year and while this placed an even greater burden on the surgery he had accepted the patients.
Hypocrisy of politicians? Churchfield, Knock Dear Editor, I was reading the newspaper recently and I noticed that many of our Ministers and TDs are going all over the world to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I have no objection to them going at their own expense, but I object to them using taxpayers’ money to fund their trips as most of these politicians voted against St. Patrick’s teaching in the Abortion Referendum. To me this is total hypocrisy and it is not acceptable. Your sincerely, Mike Coyle