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.
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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.

Fine Gael will use its private members time this week to put forward its eight point plan to save jobs and to create tens of thousands of placement for the young unemployed, Spokesperson for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said today (Sunday). The motion will be debated in the Dáil on Tuesday culminating in a vote on Wednesday night.

“Fine Gael is horrified by the Governments ‘hands-off’ approach to job retention and job creation. Ireland now has the second highest unemployment rate in the Eurozone and over 85,000 people under the age of 25 are now drawing the dole. The sole focus of Government policy has been on the budget and the banks to the detriment of jobs and competitiveness. This needs to change. …[more]

Tánaiste’s lets 500 jobs slip by

It is critical that the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan T.D. salvages what represents a glaring missed opportunity in the form of the Ryanair offer to employ 500 workers at the former SR Technics site in North Dublin, according to James Reilly T.D. and Leo Varadkar T.D. Fine Gael Health and Enterprise, Trade and Employments Spokesmen. …[more]

FG to propose strategy at Oireachtas Committee tomorrow

Speaking this week at the start of the Chinese New Year, Fine Gael Trade Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD proposed a ten year strategy to boost trade between Ireland and China and other Asian countries which could treble trade levels to €20 billion a year and create thousands of new jobs.

Deputy Varadkar, who will raise the proposal at tomorrow’s (Tuesday) meeting of the Oireachtas Enterprise Committee, said the Government’s Asia Strategy 1999-2009 expired last year and has not been renewed.

“The ten year Asia Strategy ran from 1999-2009 and was a real success. In 2008, the last year for which full year statistics are available, trade between China and Ireland was worth €7.3 billion. Trade with Chinese-speaking Singapore is worth €1.7 billion and trade with Taiwan is worth over €1.2 billion. Trade with India has lagged behind and was worth less than €1 billion in 2008.

“Trade makes everyone richer but in the absence of a new Asia Strategy for 2010 to 2020, the future does not look bright. The Government needs to focus on increasing opportunities for trade between Ireland and Asia. We cannot cut or tax our way out of recession. We must trade and grow our way out of recession. China and India will be the economic superpowers of the 21st century and we must position Ireland to gain from this massive shift in global economic power which is now well underway.”

…[more]

Genuine fears over 2,000+ more Irish jobs with other banks

Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesman Leo Varadkar TD has today (Wednesday) challenged the Government and Financial Regulator to state whether they have had any indication from other international banks operating in Ireland that they are considering withdrawing from the Irish market.

Deputy Varadkar was speaking after former Bank of Ireland CEO Michael Soden raised fears about the future of National Irish Bank, owned by the Danish operation Danske Bank, and ACC Bank, which is owned by Rabo Bank of the Netherlands. This followed the announcement of 760 job losses at Ireland’s Halifax operations, owned by Bank of Scotland (Ireland).

“The loss of 760 jobs in Halifax has sent shockwaves through the financial sector and shattered hopes of a turnaround in Ireland’s unemployment crisis.

“Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny TD raised Bank of Scotland (Ireland)’s plans to close its Irish retail operation with Brian Cowen in the Dáil today. But the Taoiseach, in an underwhelming response, suggested there has been little or no contact with Bank of Scotland (Ireland) about its Irish retail operation. …[more]

A proposal by Dublin 15, Fine Gael TD Leo Varadkar that the vacant lands at the Abbotstown Sports Campus be provided for allotments has been rejected by the Minister for Sport, Martin Cullen (FF).

According to Deputy Varadkar “The start of building work at the Abbotstown sports campus is a significant number of years away and is unlikely to be completed within the decade. In the interim there is a large green belt of land in the area which is lying vacant and unused. Allowing this land to be used as allotments would have been a non-intrusive and productive use of the land which would have been of great benefit to the nearby residents.” …[more]

Quango sepnds €500K on PR

The spend by the National Consumer Agency (NCA) of €18,000 on average a month every month for over two and a half years to a public relations company cannot be justified Fine Gael Enterprise Spokesperson, Leo Varadkar TD said today (Sunday).

Deputy Varadkar made his comments after media reports highlighted the fact that €562,057 of taxpayers’ funds was paid by the State body despite the fact that it is being wound down.

“That this quango needs to spend any amount of money at all on outside PR is a mystery.
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