FG to question Coughlan on commercial rents in Minister’s Questions today

Speaking in the Dáil during Enterprise Questions this afternoon, Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD will call on the Government to bring in new measures to level the playing field between commercial landlords and their business tenants.

“Ireland is uncompetitive and costs are too high. This is driving businesses to the wall and costing us jobs. We all know that. The high costs facing businesses include high property costs. This is in spite of the fact that the cost of property has fallen dramatically since the recession began, and so have commercial rents. However, some landlords, particularly financial institutions are holding out and refusing to reduce rents.

“The landlord drove tenant farmers off the land during the great famine. The financial institutions are driving businesses to the wall during the great recession. Currently, the law favours landlords and Fine Gael is calling on the Government to level the playing field by supporting tonight’s Private Members’ Bill to abolish existing upward only rent reviews and to introduce a register of leases and side agreements, so that there is transparency about rents. …[more]

A new type of social partnership offering universal health care, State-backed pensions and targeted welfare in return for public and private sector reforms is being proposed by Fine Gael Enterprise, Trade and Employment Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD today (Thursday).

Addressing the Industrial Relations News conference in the O’Reilly Hall in UCD this afternoon, Deputy Varadkar TD called for a national effort to restore competitiveness and fiscal balance. Workers would exchange pay moderation, industrial peace and public sector reform for profit-sharing, gain-sharing and social progress from business and Government.

“The opportunity exists for a new government to create a new model of social partnership that is both fit for purpose for the 21st century, and more in keeping with the original principles of partnership.

“I envisage a new social contract, a sort of National Competitiveness and Equality Pact, in which workers deliver competitiveness and reform in the public and private sectors in return for greater equality and social progress. This would take the form of universal health care, universal State-backed pensions and greater protection from unemployment through a new flexicurity-based welfare system. …[more]

Fine Gael TD for Dublin West, Leo Varadkar, has called on the management of Connolly Hospital to change the pay-and-display parking system which is causing problems for patients and visitors. The pay-and-display car parking system is similar to that used for on-street parking in the City Centre. Drivers have to guess how long they will be in the car-parking and pay upfront. This is causing real problems as patients are often left waiting longer than they had expected for appointments. In some cases, patients have lost their place in the queue while they went out to top up their parking.

‘Connolly is the only hospital that I know that uses a pay-and-display system. Most hospitals in Dublin use a ticket system and require visitors and out-patients to pay the correct amount at the end of their stay. This is a much better system. Obviously, we would all prefer to have free parking but with the hospital budget under pressure that is not possible.’

‘I spoke to the Hospital Manager about it during the week and he acknowledged that the new system was not working and that the hospital would move to a barrier system in future but could not say when. In the mean time the hospital has introduced a €5 tag for half-day parking which should cover most people’

It’s time for Govt action, not ‘old rope’

“While I very much respect and value the work that has been done by the IDA over the years, no amount of reports, task forces, or strategy documents will fix our broken economy and get Ireland back to work,” Fine Gael Enterprise, Trade & Employment Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD said today (Tuesday) after the IDA published its new strategy.

“This strategy proposes to keep taxes low, reduce our costs, invest in education, and build a modern infrastructure. This is all old rope and we’ve heard it all before.

“What we need is action and leadership from the Government. If they won’t act, they should move aside and allow Fine Gael to take up the reins of power. Then we will implement our costed and well-received policies such as:

 

• NewERA, to stimulate the economy and build a modern infrastructure;
• The Third Way, to improve third level education;
• And a National Competitiveness Action Plan.

“Moreover, while foreign direct investment will continue to be an important part of our economy, we need to refocus more on supporting indigenous Irish enterprises, and transforming them into market leaders, exporters, and global companies in their own right.”

Fine Gael TD for Dublin West, Leo Varadkar, has welcomed confirmation that traffic calming for the Diswellstown Road and the Tyrrelstown Boulevards will be provided this calendar year. 

The traffic calming on the Diswellstown Road will be provided from council funds.  It is proposed to consist of twelve speed cushions and traffic islands along the course of the road with two more provided on the Carpenterstown Road between the two school roundabouts.  The plans will go on public display in the coming weeks to allow residents to give their opinion on the plan.  If it is approved by the council, the work will be done later in the year. 

Traffic calming on the Boulevards throughout Tyrrelstown will consist of 29 speed cushions and will be provided by the developer of the estate.  It is anticipated that these works will commence in the coming months. 

‘I am very pleased that the green light has been given for these two projects.  They are long overdue.  Serious accidents have occurred on both roads resulting in a fatality in one tragic case.  The traffic calming measures will not prevent all accidents, that is down to careful driving and better enforcement by the Gardaí, but it will reduce the chance of future accidents’

Govt pressure vital to make landlords cut rents

Ireland’s small business sector is being decimated by a ‘perfect storm’ of shrinking credit supplies and Government neglect according to Fine Gael Enterprise, Trade & Employment Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD.

Deputy Varadkar was speaking after reports showed that half of all construction jobs have gone, the number of Irish companies going under has by jumped 33% in one month, and credit supplies are getting even tighter.

“Viable businesses are being wiped out, and small and medium enterprises (SME) are the hardest hit. Ireland will not see any economic recovery without a vibrant SME sector. But we are rapidly losing this important resource.

“The Fianna Fáil/Green Government should be doing far more to save viable businesses. This includes:

• A new National Recovery Bank to get lending going again to viable businesses, because NAMA clearly is not working;
• A National Competitiveness Action Plan to bring down costs controlled or regulated by the Government;
• As well as abolishing upward-only rent reviews on new contracts, the Government must also apply pressure on landlords to bring down costs on existing contracts in order to reflect true market value.”

The budget for Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown will be by cut from €103m to €90m in 2010 according to figures seen by Fine Gael TD for Dublin West, Dr Leo Varadkar.  This represents a cut of €13 million or 12.6% and is the most savage cutback in funding for this HSE controlled hospital since the early 1980’s when outright closure of the hospital was considered.  Approximately, €5.5 million of this is a reflection of the pay cuts in Budget.  But the hospital is now expected to find another €7.5 million in savings on top of this.

‘These cuts are savage and will impact on hospital services and patient care.  Everyone understands that the country is broke and that efficiencies and savings have to be made.  But a cut back of 12.6% cannot be delivered through efficiencies or reforms in one year.  It is too much, too quickly and will result in chaos and suffering for patients and their families.  It must be reversed’

‘I will be seeking an adjournment debate in Dail Eireann to raise this issue with the Minister for Health.  I cannot see how she and Brian Lenihan can support cutbacks of this scale and brutality.  I am also calling on the government to abandon the failed HSE project and adopt Fine Gael’s FairCare policy under which money will follow the patient and hospital’s will paid more for doing more work rather than being forced to reduce the work they in order to meet budgetary targets.’

Fine Gael representatives Leo Varadkar and Eithne Loftus have welcomed a major change of heart by council officials on their draft plan for the future development Blanchardstown Village, the Blanchardstown Urban Design Framework Plan. The plan will be submitted to councillors next Monday for approval but council officials will propose major amendments to the draft on the night following a Fine Gael campaign and intensive lobbying from local residents.

Among the changes being proposed by the council official are the following:

 

• The council has abandoned its proposal for a pedestrian access through Summerfield and Springlawn estates due to ‘residents objections which render it non-viable’.
• Retention of the Tennis Courts at Hazel Lawn as an amenity even if Supequinn is re-developed.
• Abandonment of a proposal for a 5-6 storey ‘landmark’ building on the site of the Bell.
• A professional traffic management study to be done prior to the provision of new bus lanes or elimination of on-street parking.

‘The Urban Design Framework plan for Blanchardstown is a good idea. We have had too much piecemeal and developer-led planning in Blanchardstown. But it is important to get the plan right. With this in mind, Fine Gael was very active on the issue. We organised a leaflet drop to inform residents of the plans, hosted a public meeting and Cllr Loftus and Cllr Dennison succeeded in getting the deadline for observations extended to give residents more time to make their views known. While the officials in the council have not taken on board all of the changes we proposed, they have responded favourably to most of the main changes that residents asked for’, said Deputy Varadkar

‘Over 130 residents made a submission to the council on the Blanchardstown Urban Design Framework. It was a genuine exercise in local democracy. I will be seeking more changes to the draft but I very much welcome the council’s change of heart on the proposals for high-rise at the Bell and pedestrian access through Summerfield and Springlawn which have been cul-de-sac estates since they were built’ added Cllr Loftus.

Related Document: Council Document responding to the submission made by members of the public

With 90,000 under-25s on the live register and a third of all young men unemployed, Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD said the Dáil will tonight debate Fine Gael’s Eight Point Plan to end the ‘Young People’s Recession’.

Fine Gael’s plan will tackle unemployment and help young people to get into work, education and training. The debate will be held during Fine Gael’s Private Members’ time, and tomorrow night the Government parties will have a chance to vote on the Eight Point Plan.

Speaking before the debate Deputy Varadkar said: ‘Almost everyone has suffered in this recession, but it is primarily a young person’s recession’.

“Young people have borne the brunt of the unemployment crisis with almost 90,000 people under the age of 25 on the live register and a third of young men on the dole. Young people are most likely to have to emigrate. Those in employment are more likely to be on temporary contracts and be mired in debt and negative equity.

“If the Government does not act soon we risk losing a whole generation to debt and despair.

“Fine Gael has the youngest parliamentary party in the Dáil. We can identify with the problems facing young people. That’s why we using our Dáil time this week to promote our Eight Point Plan to get people back into employment, education and training with particular emphasis on youth unemployment.
…[more]

On Monday, March 1st I will be hosting a public meeting in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown at 8pm.

One of the key priorities for Fine Gael in Dublin West, and for me since my election in 2007 has been the proper regulation of Residential Management Companies. I am one of the few TDs who lives in a Management Company development, so I have a personal interest in it too. Despite the explosion of the number of apartment complexes over the past decade, especially in Dublin 15, there is no proper legislation or regulations which govern these companies.

For more details on the Bill, I have set up a set on this site giving more details and seeking your feedback.