O’Donovan calls for all Govt departments to review payments to organisations following top-up controversy

Added December 10th, 2013

Fine Gael Limerick TD, Patrick O’Donovan, has called for all Government departments to examine organisations under their remit to ensure they are in compliance with public pay policy. Deputy O’Donovan was speaking during Topical Issues in the Dáil on the on-going controversy over unsanctioned top-ups to health chiefs.

“Members of the public have expressed their outrage to me in recent weeks, over the level of unsanctioned payments being handed over to senior managers in public and voluntary hospitals. While I would like to commend the Minister for Health, James Reilly TD, for initiating the investigation into these payments in the first place, I think it is time all Government departments took a closer look at all of the organisations under their remit.

“I do not believe that the health service is unique when it comes to unsanctioned payments. While it is important for Minister Reilly to expand the HSE investigation to include Section 39 hospitals, it think it is imperative that other departments also begin investigations to examine the level of compliance with public pay policy in all organisations receiving State funding. We must follow the money trail.

“It is also essential that simple governance principles are adhered to in all of these organisations. This would include the holding of AGMs, the publication of an annual statement of accounts, and proper scrutiny when board members are being appointed. I believe the appointment of public interest board members would also help to ensure proper principles are being followed. Regular auditing of accounts must also become the norm.

“Ultimately, it will be service users who will suffer if we don’t get to the bottom of this issue quickly. I am concerned at the report of a falloff in donations to charities; this means many worthwhile and honest organisations will suffer unfairly. And, more importantly, the people they support will feel the brunt. We must ensure transparency across all organisations which are receiving funding from the State, for the sake of taxpayers and service users.”

O’Donovan welcomes extra SNA’s

Added December 4th, 2013

Fine Gael TD for Limerick, Patrick O’Donovan has welcomed the decision of the Government to recruit an additional 390 new Special Needs Assistants. The decision means that the cap on the number of SNA’s which was introduced by the last Government will be lifted and will bring the total number of SNA’s to almost 11,000.

Deputy O’Donovan said that this was another concrete example of how the Government had delivered to education. “In the last three months we have seen the announcement recruitment of an extra 1,200 teachers, there has been no changes to the pupil teacher ratio, we have been able to reintroduce the summer works scheme and the emergency works scheme and now we have this news of funds being provided to recruit 390 extra SNA’s.”

Patrick O’Donovan said that he was delighted with the decision of the Government to proceed with the recruitment and it showed that given that there continues to be difficulties in the economy, the Government had shown a very clear commitment to education and in particular to education for people with special needs.

It is expected that the Department of Education will provide details of recruitment for the additional SNA’s in the coming weeks.

O’Donovan welcomes reopening of Japanese market to Irish beef for first time in 12 years

Added December 2nd, 2013

Fine Gael Limerick TD, Patrick O’Donovan, has today (Monday) welcomed the announcement that the Japanese market is being reopened to Irish beef exports for the first time in 12 years. It’s expected that the announcement, which was made by the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, and the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney TD, during their trade mission to Japan, will be worth up to €15 million for the Irish agricultural sector.

“This is a very positive result for the Irish beef sector, which is constantly seeking new export markets overseas. The decision means Ireland will be one of a select group of countries permitted to export beef to Japan, and is testament to Ireland’s reputation for producing high quality beef.

“There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes to deliver this decision; indeed I understand officials from the Department of Agriculture have been involved in negotiations with their counterparts in Tokyo for the last two years. I would like to commend Minister Coveney for his efforts in this regard.

“The reopening of the Japanese market is a further step forward for the Irish agri-food sector. Despite a difficult winter earlier this year and the ensuing fodder problems, the agri sector is going from strength to strength. Minister Coveney has been tirelessly restoring and promoting the reputation of Irish produce overseas, and this latest announcement from Japan is proof that this approach is working.

“Japanese consumers demand a very high quality of beef, and therefore the reopening of the market to Irish beef will be very important in further enhancing our reputation. Investment in our traceability systems is also clearly paying off, as we can stand over the quality and origins of all Irish beef products.

“The reopening of the Japanese market is a landmark decision for the Irish beef market. It’s expected it will be worth up to €15 million per annum, and I hope we can grow this figure in the years ahead.”

O’Donovan welcomes €435,000 for Special Needs facility in Granagh

Added December 2nd, 2013

Taoiseach’s visit to Japan is an opportunity for Limerick farmers and food producers

Added December 2nd, 2013

Fine Gael TD for Limerick, Patrick O’Donovan has said that the visit of the Taoiseach and the Minister for Agriculture to Japan this week is a hugely important opportunity for Irish companies to break into new markets and as a result help create more jobs here.

Patrick O’Donovan said that the fact that Enda Kenny was being accompanied by Simon Coveney was of particular significance to rural constituencies like Limerick, because the Minister will be trying to open new markets for Irish food products to Japanese consumers.

“Japan is a major market for exporting countries like Ireland. With over 125 million people there is huge potential for the producers of safe and traceable food, and that is the opportunity that exists for Ireland and Irish farmers and processors. Here in Limerick our local economy is very dependent on agriculture and related businesses, and therefore any expansion of markets for produce from Limerick farms in Japan will benefit Limerick farmers and the Limerick economy.”

Patrick O’Donovan wished Enda Kenny and Simon Coveney well on the trade mission during which the Taoiseach will meet the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, together with business and other political leaders in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. He said that the Government had already succeeded in opening up new markets in the Middle East and Africa for Irish food and agricultural produce, and he hoped that the news from the trade mission to Japan would also produce positive results and help to increase even further the number of new jobs being created in the economy, which was reported this week at over 1,500 per week.

O’Donovan welcomes go ahead for extension to Coláiste Iosaf, Kilmallock

Added November 29th, 2013

Fine Gael TD for Limerick Patrick O’Donovan has today welcomed the news that the extension to Coláiste Iosaf in Kilmallock has been given the go ahead for construction next year.

“I am delighted with the announcement this morning that the extension to Coláiste Iosaf in Kilmallock has been given the go ahead to proceed to construction phase in 2014. The provision of this extension will have a huge impact on the pupils, their families and the teaching staff.”

“Education is being prioritised by this Government within extremely limited spending options. The announcement was made this morning by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, when he announced the 70 school projects which are scheduled for construction in 2014, as part of the €2bn five year plan.

These school projects will deliver over 27,500 permanent school places and of these over 21,000 are additional places. The remainder will be the replacement of temporary or unsatisfactory accommodation. Ends. Please contact Patrick on 069 77998 for more information.

Forestry sector has potential to create jobs in Limerick – O’Donovan

Added November 29th, 2013

Fine Gael TD for Limerick Patrick O’Donovan, has said that the forestry sector has the potential to create jobs and drive part of the Co. Limerick economy. He was speaking in the Dáil where the Forestry Bill was being debated.

Deputy O’Donovan said that Co. Limerick in particular presented major opportunities for the sector and he urged the Department of Agriculture to engage with the stakeholders including the forestry advisors, landowners, farm organisations and others to ensure that those working in the industry had every opportunity to help shape the future development of the industry.

Patrick O’Donovan also said that it was important to bear in mind that because of the nature of land ownership in the country that achieving increased levels of forestry could only be done with dialogue and engagement. He welcomed the fact that the funding for the sector had been secured in the budgets that the Government had presented since taking office and he wanted to see this continue.

The Limerick TD asked Minister Tom Hayes to consider other issues which the bill doesn’t address including the need for the Department to bear in mind the damage caused to rural roads in the areas adjacent to the forested areas and he asked that the Department would consider the possibility of providing funds to those local authorities who have concentrated amounts of forestry.

He also raised the issue of Pillar II of the upcoming Rural Development Programme and asked that the Minister of State with responsibility for forestry would engage with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to ensure that the issues confronting landowners in areas of Special Areas of Conservation would receive particular attention.

He said that he had seen at first hand the positive opportunities that exist in the forestry industry in Limerick and that with a concrete relationship between the department and those involved locally in the industry that further opportunities would be realised.

O’Donovan calls for bonus points for Physics, Chemistry and Applied Maths

Added November 26th, 2013

Fine Gael Limerick TD, Patrick O’Donovan, has called on the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn TD, to consider introducing bonus points for higher level Physics, Chemistry and Applied Maths for students sitting the Leaving Certificate. Deputy O’Donovan raised the issue in the Dáil earlier today (Tuesday).

“We face a considerable challenge in increasing the number of students studying higher level Physics, Chemistry and Applied Maths. All of these subjects are important if a student is hoping to study a range of engineering, technology and science-based courses, which are increasingly in demand due to high levels of job creation in the tech sector.

“The low level of take up in these subjects is having a negative knock on impact in the third level sector. Many third level institutions are accepting students into engineering and science courses with ordinary-level leaving certificate maths and physics. The success rate of these students is then compromised, with many of them choosing to drop out because they don’t have sufficient competence in the required subjects.

“The introduction of bonus points for taking higher level Maths is clearly reaping rewards, as evidenced in the summer’s Leaving Certificate figures. If this approach is working, why not extend it to some other, more specialised subjects? For example, in 2011 approximately 1,000 students took Applied Maths in the Leaving Cert. Let’s do all we can to increase this figure.

“We need to recognise the level of difficulty associated with studying Physics, Chemistry and Applied Maths in particular. The results speak for themselves. In 2011, only 8.8% of Leaving Certificate students took higher level Physics, which was down from 10.2% in 2006. If we cannot encourage people to study these subjects at higher level, we will have a serious problem in filling the places on third level courses.

“I am urging the Department of Education, the Higher Education Authority and the various third level institutions to work together on this issue. The introduction of bonus points across the maths and science spectrum would be a good start in addressing the deficit in graduates in these disciplines.”

Creation of 58,000 jobs in last year shows Govt approach is working – O’Donovan

Added November 26th, 2013

Almost 5,000 jobs a month being created

Pro jobs measures in Budget will facilitate even higher job creation in 2014

Fine Gael TD for Limerick, Patrick O’Donovan, has welcomed the announcement by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) that 58,000 jobs have been created in the private sector in the last 12 months. Government’s Action Plan for Jobs is creating the conditions whereby almost 5,000 jobs per month are now being created in Ireland. Patrick’s comments were made following the release of the Central Statistics Office Quarterly National Household Survey Quarter 3 2013 report which showed that 58,000 jobs have been created in the last year.

“The announcement that almost 5,000 jobs a month are being created is hugely encouraging and shows that this Government’s plan to get Ireland working again is bearing fruit. The creation of 58,000 jobs in the last year is a welcome change to the situation under the last Government where 80,000 jobs per year were being lost in the private sector.

“This CSO report takes us up to the end of September 2013. The pro-jobs Budget announced on October 15^th by Minister Noonan contained measures which will, I believe, further incentivise small and large businesses to create jobs in Ireland in 2014. The 25 separate measures that support job creation as part of a €500 million pro-jobs package in Budget 2014 will help us build on the excellent progress being made in encouraging investment in Ireland and tackling our unemployment problem.

“The Home Renovation Incentive Scheme is a particularly positive initiative, which will allow homeowners to claim back VAT on improvements carried out on their homes. This will generate significant amounts of work for registered tradesmen and contractors and, I believe, create jobs for people who were laid off when the construction sector collapsed under the last Government.

“The retention of the 9% VAT rate is hugely welcome for the tourism sector, which has enjoyed a surge in visitor numbers over the last two years. The lower VAT rate was originally introduced as a temporary measure, but Minister Noonan has taken the very pragmatic decision to maintain the low rate in a bid to sustain and further encourage growth in this area.

“The scrapping of the airline tax in last month’s budget has already resulted in the introduction of new routes and extra flights on existing routes to Dublin, Shannon and Knock Airports. This will create more jobs and bring more money into those regions in 2014. Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary, has directly credited the scrapping of the airline tax for the creation of these new routes.

“The unemployment rate has dropped from 13.6% to 12.8% between July and September of this year. While we still have a long way to go, these figures show that we are moving firmly in the right direction. Ireland has experienced a fall in unemployment for the last 16 months in a row and is about to regain its economic independence by exiting the bailout. With a budget in place for next year which will further incentivise job creation, I firmly believe that we are heading in the right direction.”

O’Donovan to raise issue of pork labelling in the Dáil

Added November 25th, 2013

IFA DNA tests indicate consumers could be misled by ‘Irish’ labels

Fine Gael Limerick TD, Patrick O’Donovan, will this week raise the issue of the labelling of pork products in the Dáil. Deputy O’Donovan is calling for urgent measures to be implemented to ensure proper country of origin labelling.

“DNA testing commissioned by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has revealed worrying information about how pork products from outside the country are being presented as Irish produce. I am concerned that consumers are being misled, and that genuine Irish producers are suffering from a loss of business as a result.

“The IFA tests show that 52% of the rashers and bacon joints tested were not from Irish pigs. While nothing illegal has taken place here, I believe most people who buy pork labelled ‘Produced in Ireland’ would reasonably think they are buying Irish pork. But as the IFA tests have shown, this is often not the case.

“Irish meat producers adhere to strict quality controls, to produce the highest quality meat. Meat producers from outside the country should not be allowed to label their products in such a way that leads consumers to believe they are buying Irish meat. Country of origin labelling is the only way to ensure there is no confusion or ambiguity.

“It is also unfair to expect consumers to scrutinise packaging if they want to be sure that they are not being duped into buying meat that has simply been processed here, rather than produced here.

“Irish meat products are traceable; the importance of this measure was highlighted earlier this year with the horsemeat controversy. Irish consumers deserve to know what they are buying, and Irish farmers should feel confident that foreign producers will not get away with labelling their meat as Irish.

“Clear country of origin labelling is the only way to ensure consumers are not being duped.”