Page updated: Friday, 3 September, 2010 15:05

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Fine Gael items
Friday, 3rd September 2010
Shatter slams Justice Minister's grossly insensitive response to kidnapping of bank official
Ahern's proposed Kidnap Tax is a ridiculous notion
Justice Minister, Dermot Ahern T.D., has obviously thrown in the towel. Instead of ensuring the safety and protection of those who live in the State he has decided to financially penalise people lawfully going about their business and hand the State over to the crime bosses, stated Fine Gael Justice Spokesman, Alan Shatter T.D.

"Minister Ahern should state whether last night's startling and grossly insensitive response to yesterday's events forms part of a broader Fianna Fail policy agenda, pioneered by his party's previous leader and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern TD who favoured cash being stored under the mattress of his bed.

"The Minister's bizarre comments on the shocking kidnapping of a bank manager and his wife starkly illustrates that he has lost the plot. He should immediately withdraw his outrageous proposal to impose a bank charge on everyone who withdraws their own hard earned cash from their own bank account. Instead of preventing kidnappings and bank robberies, the Minister outrageously wants to impose a kidnappers tax.

"Should the Minister persist with this bizarre policy initiative, are we to expect the following new initiatives from him in the coming weeks:

• A tax to be paid by every household resident when entering their home as a response to house burglaries;
• A tax to be paid by pedestrians each time they enter a new street in response to street muggings;
• A tax to be paid by drivers at the commencement of every car journey as a response to car theft;
• A tax to be paid by every customer entering a pub as a response to the risk of assault by a drunk;
• A tax to be paid on merely entering a bank as a response to bank fraud and the catastrophic banking failures.

" I am calling on the Minister to clarify whether he proposes to take any of the above initiatives in tackling crime!

"The Green Party and, in particular, loquacious and ever tweeting Senator Dan Boyle, should also clarify whether it is Green Party policy to encourage the banks to impose a charge every time a bank customer effects an ATM withdrawal and whether this forms part of the Green Party agenda of political and banking sector reform. He should also clarify whether the Minister's initiative forms part of the Green Party environmental policy agenda to tackle the problem of dirty money!"

 

Thursday, 2nd September 2010
Another attack on bank official proof that Ireland has become more dangerous under Min. Ahern - Shatter
Reports that yet another bank official and his family have been subjected to the appalling trauma of assault and kidnapping makes it clear that the Minister for Justice is failing in his basic political responsibility of protecting the citizens of the State, stated Fine Gael Justice Spokesman, Alan Shatter T.D.

"News that yet another bank official and his wife have been subjected to the trauma of assault and kidnapping, is further evidence that the Minister for Justice is failing in his basic political responsibility to protect the citizens of the State.

"Bank officials have repeatedly been targeted by ruthless criminals attempting to fund their illegal pursuits. This phenomenon is now all too commonplace and despite the introduction of additional security measures, it is clear that bank employees and their families remain highly vulnerable to attack.

"This incident is a stark reminder of the lengths criminals will go to secure capital to advance their drug and other illegal operations. There has been a significant increase in gangland activity in Ireland in recent times with 18 gun murders having been carried out already this year.

"Bank officials and their families are particularly vulnerable to criminal attack but it is now clear that no citizen is immune to the increasing levels of violence society is experiencing. It is a very basic and fundamental obligation of Government to ensure the security and safety of those who live in this State. It is blindingly obvious that the Government and the Minister for Justice are incapable of fulfilling this obligation."

 

Thursday, 2nd September 2010
Ahern's use of kidnapping of bank official to fly kite on ATM charge a disgrace - Ring
It is disgraceful that the Minister for Justice has used the assault and kidnapping trauma of a bank official and his wife to fly a kite on the introduction of an ATM charge, stated Fine Gael Spokesman for Social Protection, Michael Ring T.D.

"Minister Ahern has some cheek to fly a kite on a proposed charge for the use of ATMs just hours after yet another bank official and his wife have been put through hell by heartless criminals. The Minister seems to think that charging individual customers for taking money from ATMs is somehow going to discourage criminals from stealing banks, not so.

"Banks are obliged to hold large sums in their vaults for their commercial customers. The retail customer is being used as a scapegoat and it's another example of the small man paying for the Governments incompetence.

"It makes no sense whatsoever. Have the banks not robbed people enough? They spent years trying to get customers out of their branches and now the Government is proposing that the ordinary taxpayer pay for the privilege of withdrawing their own money on the street. Its farcical, the taxpayer will not tolerate it, and it is heartless beyond measure for the Minister to raise this issue while a family are still in shock after a trauma that will haunt them for a long time to come.

"Minister Ahern and this Government need to take their boots off the neck of the taxpayer, from energy cost rises, to the implementation of unyielding regulations on commercial vehicle tax and now the idea that it is ok to charge people for getting at their own money. Minister, get a grip."

 

Tuesday, 31st August, 2010
Flanagan backs HIQA call for closure of Ballydowd
HSE breaks promise to close below standard facility
Fine Gael Children Spokesperson, Charlie Flanagan T.D. has today (Tuesday) backed HIQA's call for the closure of Ballydowd Special Care Unit following the publication of a report outlining its failure to adhere to previously made recommendations regarding the operation of the Unit, leading to the constitutional rights of children being infringed.

Deputy Flanagan went on to say that the failure by the HSE to close the Ballydowd facility, as promised last November is an indication that they are not serious enough about the welfare of children in their care.

"HIQA has published a balanced and carefully researched report that points to grave failures at Ballydowd and has recommended that the Unit be closed until key issues are addressed. It is deeply troubling to read that despite the frequent efforts of HIQA inspectors to help the Unit address deficiencies, matters deteriorated even further during the period in which the inspections took place.

"All special care units for children should meet agreed standards. The consequences of unsuitable and inadequate care facilities for vulnerable children have been made painfully clear. The reality revealed in reports such as this latest report on Ballydowd - which discloses disturbing failures in care standards - should no longer be tolerated.

"It is quite simple. If a State facility, especially one involved in the care of children, is repeatedly failing to meet its duty of care towards residents then it should be closed. The HSE has already reneged on a promise to do just that in regard to Ballydowd last November. If permanent improvements aren't made then it should be closed permanently. No exceptions to standards of care can be tolerated.

"HIQA has also expressed concerns about 'the current overall governance of special care provision nationally', and I am calling on Minister Harney to take immediate action to address governance issues within the HSE to ensure that vulnerable children are provided with appropriate care by the State."

 

Monday, 30th August 2010
Govt burying bad news as tourism figures not available due to CSO staff cutbacks - Deenihan
Information received by Jimmy Deenihan T.D. Fine Gael Spokesman for Arts, Sports and Tourism, indicates that due to staff shortages, the Central Statistics Office will no longer be able to provide monthly tourism figures to the industry.

Deputy Deenihan went on to say that these figures are a crucial barometer of the country's economic health, and form the basis for marketing strategies throughout the industry and that it is a short-sighted move and very damaging to tourism overall.

"There is a very good reason that tourism figures are released on a monthly basis. They provide critical data on important trends in regard to who is visiting these shores and this data is used to focus scarce marketing resources on specific regions. Now that tourism figures are only to be released on a quarterly basis, that data will not be available to the tourism bodies whose entire business models are based on it.

"It must be assumed that the data will still be collected on a monthly basis but only released every quarter. This obviously suits the Government as their failure to address the 700,000 drop in visitors in 2010 compared to last year is not being exposed every month.

"I understand the CSO's resources are particularly stretched at Dublin airport with insufficient staffing personnel available to successfully and reliably deal with the additional capacity of Terminal Two and unexpected events such as the ash crisis.

"It is important that during these turbulent times for the industry, the tourism bodies responsible for meeting emerging challenges and those involved in the industry have a monthly indication as to how the sector is performing.

"Those working in the tourism industry need to respond to the latest trends quickly or valuable business opportunities will pass them by. Monthly tourism figures provided the kind of information people needed to adapt to an increasingly challenging tourism environment. Many hard working service industry owners and operators are now to be denied that valuable facility."

 

Monday, 30th August, 2010
Strict vetting necessary for "social employment”involving children - Flanagan
Under-resourced vetting unit means children are at risk
Addressing Minister Ó Cuív's proposal to offer 'social employment' in the community to those claiming unemployment benefits, Fine Gael Children Spokesperson Charlie Flanagan T.D., today (Monday) warned that anyone required to work with children would have to be strictly vetted.

"It is essential that the need to vet those who work with children is not overlooked in the scramble to get any new scheme up and running. Experts reiterate time and time again that those with access to children must be subject to Garda vetting as a precautionary measure.

"At present we have an excellent Garda Vetting Unit but it is chronically under-resourced resulting in a backlog of thousands of applications. I am calling on Minister Ahern to allocate more resources to the Vetting Unit so that this crucial child protection mechanism can process applications at a faster rate. The process is undermined at present due to huge backlogs, arising from Minister Ahern's refusal to allocate appropriate funding and personnel to this important Unit.

"I am also calling for the Garda Vetting Unit to be put on a statutory footing to ensure it is not subjected to ill thought out cuts in the future. The safety of children must be the number one consideration of Government when resources for vetting are being considered.”

 

Monday 30th August 2010
Olwyn Enright TD announces decision not to contest general election
Laois/Offaly TD Olwyn Enright has today (Monday) announced that she will not be contesting the next general election.

"Having served firstly as a councillor for the Birr electoral area from 1999, and then as a TD for Laois and Offaly since my election in 2002 and again in 2007 to Dáil Éireann, I did not come to this decision lightly or overnight.

"This has been a difficult decision that I have deliberated over for some time and I have made this announcement now to enable the local Fine Gael organisation time to select a team of candidates to retain the seat for the Party.

"It has been a privilege and an honour to serve the people of both Laois and Offaly for almost the last decade. I deeply appreciate the trust they placed in me. It is a role I have cherished and endeavoured to work very hard in.

"I have always had a strong commitment as a legislator and as a national politician, serving as Spokesperson on Education & Science, and Social & Family Affairs, as well as working on the issue of child protection.

"Ever since I first became involved in politics I have enjoyed dedicating myself to the tasks involved. However, my personal circumstances have changed greatly since I was first elected and in the longer term, with a young family, I will not be in the position to give the enormous commitment the positions requires, and that my constituents deserve.

"I would like to wish Enda Kenny the very best in winning the next general election. Both he and my constituents can be assured of my continued dedication to my role as a Fine Gael TD, and my service to the people of Laois/Offaly until the next election.”

 

Monday, 30th August 2010
Enda Kenny pays tribute to Olwyn Enright T.D. following her decision not to contest next General Election
"Olwyn Enright T.D. informed me last week of her decision not to contest the next General Election. I fully respect and fully understand the decision Olwyn has made. I also fully understand the difficulty of the decision Olwyn has made with her husband Joe in putting her family before politics.

"Olwyn Enright has carried on the long tradition of the Enright family in representing the people of Laois and Offaly, since her election at local level in 1999, and since she was first elected to the Dáil in 2002. I thank Olwyn for her political service and for the initiatives that she brought forward and for the work she did as Fine Gael Spokesperson both on Education and Children and on Social and Family Affairs.

"Olwyn has made it clear that she will continue her work for the people of Laois and Offaly and Fine Gael until the next General Election and I look forward to working with her in that regard.”

 

Sunday, 29th August 2010
Winding down Anglo Irish Bank - Noonan
As we approach the second anniversary of the bank guarantee scheme, the Government must re-examine its plans to rescue and restructure Anglo Irish Bank, stated Fine Gael Finance Spokesman Michael Noonan T.D. today (Sunday).

"When the Minister for Finance proposed the nationalisation of Anglo Irish Bank in January 2009, he estimated that the cost of the rescue to the taxpayer would be €4.5 billion. The Minister's estimate has now risen to almost €25 billion and Standards and Poors, when evaluating Ireland's creditworthiness last week, put the cost at €35 billion.

"The uncertainty about Anglo Irish Banks restructuring policy and its ultimate cost is now having serious consequences: The costs of Ireland's borrowing is rising and is becoming more difficult to source.

"The Minister for Finance must conclude negotiations in Brussels as a matter of urgency and state clearly what the plan for Anglo Irish Bank is. He must produce an accurate and internationally acceptable estimate of the cost of the Anglo rescue to the taxpayer, and he must clearly show that his rescue plan is less costly than an orderly wind down of the bank would be. If he cannot do this than an orderly wind down should commence immediately.

"The Greens are wrong about most issues but they may be right on this one."

 

Sunday, August 29th 2010
Free web based textbooks will test power of book publishers - O'Dowd
The spiralling cost of text books at first, second and third level is placing extreme financial pressure on hard pressed families and students and is inexcusable. It is time for real competition in the market place and at the core of this competition should be the development of web based text books according to Fine Gael Education & Skills Spokesman, Fergus O'Dowd TD.

"Ireland must look at the experience of other countries in piloting new initiatives aimed at overcoming the power of book publishers and ensuring parents and students have access to online educational content that is both reliable and affordable.

"Other countries are investigating new options to overcome the huge financial pressures parents face from book companies issuing new editions of books annually. In the United States, the authorities in Texas and California are investigating the use of 'open source textbooks', providing approved digital texts online, written by educational experts such as retired teachers but made available for free or at a discounted price for printed versions.

"There, educational book companies have been forced to move away from the traditional textbook market and towards educational resource packages with teaching aids and resources.

"In Ireland we have online educational resources such as Scoilnet but unfortunately the Department of Education's lack of progress in rolling out broadband to schools has limited the value of this resource and strengthened the position of book publishing companies. The potential for placing textbooks online are stifled by the fact that only 2% of schools have access to high speed broadband.

"Surely it is possible in the digital age to place text books and updates free to view on line with a graduated charge for black and white or colour printing extracts?

"Equally, we have many unemployed graduates and retired teachers who may be interested in becoming involved in compiling educational material for online use and developing web based resources.

"The cost of going back to school is rising year on year. In the current financial climate we cannot expect parents to pay for new editions of textbooks annually.

"I have asked the Oireachtas Education Committee to invite book publishers and teachers unions in to discuss this urgent and important issue."