Fine Gael will show how Fianna Fáil blew the boom and expose its appalling record on jobs in the Dáil this week by highlighting how 20,000 more people have joined the dole queue since Micheál Martin took up his Enterprise Ministry, Fine Gael Enterprise, Trade and Employment Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD has said.

This comes in advance of the latest live register figures due on Friday which are expected to show the unemployment rate in Ireland exceeding that of the UK for the first time in almost a decade. The debate will focus on the economic downturn and lengthening dole queues, and will be debated on Wednesday night with a vote on Thursday afternoon.

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When it comes to enrollment in local schools, the Easter period is groundhog day in Dublin 15.  Every year, for the past four years, hundreds of parents are told that there will not be a place in school for their son or daughter come September.  This is due to an acute shortage of primary school places in rapidly developing parts of Dublin 15 such as Carpenterstown, Clonsilla, Diswellstown, Clonee and Tyrrelstown.  This year, the situation seems to be a bit better.  The establishment of two new schools in the past two years (St Benedict’s and Scoil Choilm) and two new schools this year (Scoil Oisin and Scoil Grainne) has reduced pressure on primary schools in newly developed areas.  A slowdown in the pace of construction and the rate immigration has also helped.  However, the problem for many parents is that they cannot get a place in there own local school and have to accept a place in a school of second choice.
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Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD has called on State services to embrace a full programme of modernisation after a Fine Gael survey revealed that nine out of ten public offices are not open on Saturdays, many open late in the morning and close early in the evening, a quarter still close for lunch, and less than are half open to the public for the standard working week of 39 hours.

This Fine Gael survey of Government offices shows that:

- Less than half (48%) of offices are open for a standard 39 hour week;
- 24% still close for lunch;
- Just 9% per cent open on Saturdays;
- And just 4% are open after 6pm on any night of the week.

Public access to Government services by telephone isn’t much better, with:
- One in five phone lines closed for lunch;
- Just 19% still open after 5.30pm;
- Only 4% of phone lines open on a Saturday.

“Fine Gael has published a new policy, Service First, which includes a five point plan to modernise public office opening hours including longer office opening hours, an end to the voicemail culture, expanded on-line Government services, and a designated E-day in 2011 for Government services.
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192 employers underpaid staff in 2007 but none fined.

Employers who pay staff less than the minimum wage should face tough fines, Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD has said.

Speaking after the publication of the Bill to set up the new National Employment Rights Authority (NERA), Deputy Varadkar said he will publish an amendment to ensure that the agency can name, shame and penalise rogue employers. However, he said the agency must adopt a balanced approach and not impose unnecessary costs on businesses by conducting unnecessary workplace inspections. …[more]

Local TD for Dublin West and Fine Gael spokesperson for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar has congratulated Aran Candy Ltd which won the overall award for best National Small Business in addition to the award for best small business in the food and drink category.  The Blanchardstown based company which trades as ‘The Jelly Bean Factory’ produced gourmet jelly beans and employs fifty people in their factory which is located IDA business park off the Snugboro Road in Blanchardstown.  The National Small Business Awards are organized by the Small Firms Association (SFA) which is a division of IBEC.  The award was presented to the Director of Aran Candy, Mr Peter Cullen, by An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at a black tie gala dinner in the Mansion House.  Leo Varadkar TD represented Fine Gael at the event.

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Fine Gael’s Leo Varadkar has condemned the shabby treatment of the local NAC Swim Club at the hands of management of the National Aquatic Centre in Blanchardstown.  The NAC swim club has over sixty young members most of whom live in the Dublin 15 area.  The club was established in 2004 but now faces an uncertain future after the management of the National Aquatic Centre increased their annual fee from €35,000 to €115,000.
 
‘I have been in contact with the management of the National Aquatic Centre to express my disappointment at the shabby treatment that the club is getting from the centre’s management.  The National Aquatic Centre is not just a national resource, it is also a local amenity and local clubs that use the centre should be supported and facilitated.  While I understand that the Centre operates at a loss, I think this increase is totally unjustified.’

Following Thursday visist to the constituency, party leader Enda Kenny made the following press statement highlighting the continued government inaction  on the Castleknock Autism Unit. 

Following a visit to the Educate Together School in Castleknock Fine Gael Leader, Enda Kenny TD, revealed today (Friday) that, despite the fact that the Taoiseach assured him in the Dáil last week that he would make contact with Ministers Hanafin and Harney about the Special Autism Unit there, no action has been taken to have the unit opened.

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