O’Donovan welcomes new Shannon Airport Chief

Added January 23rd, 2013

Fine Gael TD for Limerick and member of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, Patrick O’Donovan said that he is confident having listened to the new Chairperson of the Shannon Airport Authority, Rose Hynes, that the future of the airport is in safe hands and that the decline in numbers will be reversed.

In his contribution to the committee Patrick O’Donovan recalled that a previous member of the Dáil said that “Rabbits would be one day running around the runway at Shannon” and he said in order to make sure that this did not happen the government had to act and act decisively in order to ensure the future of the airport. “This has been done now and the airport is getting ready to embark on a new course. There are opportunities in the areas of cargo transport, aircraft leasing, maintenance, training and engineering that have the opportunity to create badly needed jobs for the region. The creation of a new Limerick Authority with Shannon Airport at our door step is key changes which I believe will bring change.”

Speaking after the committee questioned Ms Hynes on her appointment as Chairperson, Patrick O’Donovan said that there were questions and concerns that he had in relation to the land bank of Shannon Development which is located across the region, and how the new Shannon Airport Company could develop that while also maintaining a much needed strong influence on the airport itself. “We in Co. Limerick, and I am sure the same can be said for North Kerry, North Tipperary and South Offaly want to know that these assets will be made more attractive for both foreign and direct investors and Irish companies to create jobs in. The airport will be a key driver in that, but we must make sure that we have good people leading the change to deliver to the region.”

Patrick O’Donovan rejected suggestions that the changes in Shannon were to the detriment of other airports. “Shannon is the trans-Atlantic airport for the whole of the West and South of Ireland, an area from Malin Head to Mizen Head. It is also the link from the west to Heathrow. It is a strategic airport and is a different model to the other airports and I believe that working together they have nothing to fear from each other.

Patrick O’Donovan wished the new Chairperson and the Board of Shannon Airport well and said he looked forward to theme delivering to the Mid West and to Ireland as a whole.

Funding approved for Nicker National School – O’ Donovan

Added January 22nd, 2013

Fine Gael TD for Limerick Patrick O’ Donovan has welcomed the decision of the Department of Education and Skills to approve additional funding for Nicker National School so that works at the school can get underway. The funding will go towards the provision of mainstream classrooms and associated ground works.

Deputy O’ Donovan who had worked tirelessly to ensure the funding would be awarded said he was delighted that the long awaited work would now go ahead.

“A lot of hard work has gone into this project by the Board of Management, Parents Association and teachers in Nicker National School in securing this funding. Also this announcement comes in no small part to the role played by local councillor and teacher at the school Cllr. Mary Harty, who has played a key part in advancing the project.”

“Anyone who has ever worked on getting funding for such work to be carried out knows that it is no easy task, particularly given our current economic situation, but funding such as this is a sign of our Government’s commitment to the education of future generations.”

O’ Donovan welcomes 2013 Roads Allocation for Limerick County Council

Added January 22nd, 2013

Fine Gael Deputy for County Limerick has welcomed the announcement by Transport Minister Leo Varadkar of the allocation towards works on Limerick Roads in 2012, totalling nearly €5.3m.

Minister Varadkar announced the allocations for all of the Councils across the country this Tuesday. “I want to thank Minister Varadkar for this allocation to Limerick County Council, given the tight financial constraints within which he has been asked to operate,” commented Deputy O’Donovan.

“In particular, I was very much welcome the near €1.8m that has been allocated to continue the works on the Newcastle West to Barnagh Road, this stretch of road has been the site of several tragic accidents in recent years and I have been calling for safety measures to be introduced since my days on Limerick County Council.”

“This will come as a relief to many to see this long-awaited project finally completed. I have no doubt the voluntary committee set up in wake of the tragic accidents will welcome this announcement and I would like to commend them on their work done over the years.”

Elsewhere in Limerick, similar roads projects that I have been working on with my Fine Gael Colleagues on Limerick County Council aimed at improving safety are also due to begin. Funding has been secured for works to begin on the Ferrybridge and on bends in the road in Bolane, Kildimo. Construction work will also commence in Dromkeen with traffic calming measures to be put in place.

Local Authorities will be advised by the NRA during this week of the exact amount of each individual allocation for roads projects. Senior Engineers will provide more detail for each of the projects in the coming days. Grants for regional and local roads will be announced in the coming weeks.

O’Donovan welcomes almost Half Million Euro for Castlemahon

Added January 22nd, 2013

Fine Gael TD Patrick O’Donovan has welcomed the decision by the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan TD to approve and allocation of almost €500,000 towards the construction of a new community centre in Castlemahon. “I am delighted for the community of Feohanagh and Castlemahon, this is a major announcement for them and is a massive investment for both current and future generations in the area.”

Patrick O’Donovan said that the announcement by the Minister comes after a long process led by the local community to provide a centre in the parish of Feohanagh-Castlemahon that would serve as a focal point for the whole community and would allow for indoor games, activities, PE for the local national school, night courses, meetings, concerts, dramas and parish events. “This is a fantastic announcement for the parish of Feohanagh-Castlemahon and I have no doubt but that the entire community will, as they have shown up to now, be well capable of delivering, and managing, what is a very significant project in West Limerick. This announcement will also be an important for employment in the parish during the construction of the centre and will create additional activity in the heart of the village of Castlemahon.”

Patrick O’Donovan paid tribute to all those in the community who had led the initiative at local level and he praised their professionalism and commitment as volunteers, which was mentored, supported and helped in every way by the board and staff members of West Limerick Resources Ltd.

The total budget in the rural development programme for 2013 is €105million and speaking after allocating the funds to Castlemahon, Minister Phil Hogan said that the “It is critically important that communities continue to come up with ideas that will reinvigorate their localities and avail of the resources available to develop all aspects of their communities into the future.”

The total amount allocated to the community centre in Castlemahon is €499,670.29 and final approval for the project to proceed will be made by the board of West Limerick Resources Ltd.

Mortgage interest relief provided welcome boost for home buyers – O’Donovan

Added January 22nd, 2013

Fine Gael Limerick TD, Patrick O’Donovan, has said that the mortgage interest relief scheme, introduced by the Government last year, provided a welcome boost for home buyers. Figures obtained by Deputy O’Donovan in a Parliamentary Question to the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD, show that there was a sharp uptake in the scheme in the second half of the year.

 “These figures issued by the Department of Finance, show that the number of people applying for mortgage interest relief almost tripled in December, compared to the beginning of the year. The scheme was designed to encourage first time buyers to enter the housing market; it clearly had the desired effect.

 “More than 7,000 buyers benefitted from mortgage interest relief last year; with more than 1,000 people applying for the scheme in both November and December.

 “A functioning property market is a key component of any healthy economy. This Government has no intention of engaging in the inflationary tactics employed by Fianna Fáil, which led to the property bubble. However, short term measures like the mortgage interest relief scheme will help to give those in a position to buy, the confidence to do so.”

Progress on improving IT system to monitor children at risk is welcome – O’Donovan

Added January 21st, 2013

New system in UK will help A&E doctors spot abuse

Fine Gael Limerick TD, Patrick O’Donovan, has urged the Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald TD, to examine a new child protection system in the UK, which will use online technology to make it easier for A&E doctors to spot and monitor child abuse. Deputy O’Donovan raised the issue in a recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister.

 “Under a new system introduced in the UK, every child who visits an A&E unit or has out of hours GP care will be logged on a national database, to make it easier for doctors to spot instances of child abuse. Essentially, it means that health professionals will immediately be able to check whether a child is known to social services or has been seen at other emergency departments, which may indicate abuse.

 “I am glad to receive confirmation from Minister Fitzgerald that progress is being made on the implementation of a new centralised IT system here to support social work services and monitor children at risk. Minister Fitzgerald has recognised the need to improve the quality and accuracy of information available within the HSE in relation to child protection services, while also ensuring timely information is available.

“The National Child Care Information System (NCCIS) will be the new central system to support social work services. The system, which is currently at contract stage, will be used to record and store the case history of every child in receipt of social care. The introduction of the NCCIS has been identified by the Minister as a priority which will help to significantly improve the level, quality and accessibility of information in respect of Children and Family Services.

 “This new system will be underpinned by the establishment of the new Child and Family Support Agency, which is due to be launched shortly. The Government has also committed, as a priority, to the introduction of legislation to underpin the Children First Guidelines. The combination of these reforms will ensure we have a child protection system that is fit for purpose.”

Limerick projects receive funding for the Gathering 2013 – O’ Donovan

Added January 17th, 2013

Fine Gael TD for Limerick Patrick O’ Donovan has welcomed the announcement by Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring TD, that Limerick International Fashion and Design Weeks 2013, Limerick City: Weekend of Welcomes and the Gathering Race Meeting and Concert in Limerick has received funding for Gathering events and activities.

 “I am delighted with today’s announcement that funding has been allocated to three Gathering events and activities in Limerick. 2013 is shaping up to be a big year in tourism for this country and with today’s announcement of €2 million in funding for Gathering activities nationwide, people right across Limerick can get involved and encourage friends and family living abroad to come home and celebrate these fun-filled events.

 “A total of 1,322 funded events, made up of 82 county flagship events and 1,240 local community events, are due to take place across the country in 2013, marking one of the biggest tourism events to take place in Ireland in recent times.

 “This is a wonderful opportunity to not only reunite with friends and family living abroad, but to show the world that Ireland is a fantastic place to visit, with something for every type of tourist. Tourism is a vitally important growth sector and it is important that everyone comes together to support this initiative as much as possible.

 “I would like to congratulate Minister Ring and Minister Varadkar for their hard work and dedication in bringing this innovative project to fruition. 2013 kicked off with a bang on New Year’s Eve and I’m looking forward to seeing families and friends reunite at Gathering events across the country throughout the year.”

O’Donovan welcomes Coveney’s statement to Dáil

Added January 17th, 2013

Fine Gael TD for Limerick has welcomed the manner in which the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has moved to reassure people of the safety of Irish Beef. Speaking after the Minister addressed Dáil Éireann on reports from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Patrick O’Donovan said he believed that the response from the Department of Agriculture was measured and was done to ensure that people were reassured.

Patrick O’Donovan welcomed the Minister’s commitment to have the matter fully investigated and his assurance that he would present the findings of the investigation to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture.  Patrick O’Donovan said “We have a safe food industry here in Ireland with the highest standards of traceability and food safety. The food industry as a whole makes a huge contribution to the national economy and the local economy of Co. Limerick, that is why the response from the Minister for Agriculture to this issue is proportionate and measured to reassure consumers of Irish food that it is among the most traceable and safest of any country in the world.”

“Irish food producers and processors go to great lengths every day to ensure that the food they produce is traceable and safe. The Minister has given a commitment to investigate fully this issue and the related matters that were raised in the Dáil and I believe that the industry can be assured of his leadership on this.”

O’Donovan welcomes Vistakon announcement of 100 jobs

Added January 17th, 2013

Limerick Fine Gael TD, Patrick O’Donovan has welcomed the announcement of the expansion at Vistakon Ireland that will see the creation of 100 production jobs and 200 temporary construction jobs. He said that the investment by Vistakon of over €100 million in the expansion of its manufacturing operations is very positive for Limerick and the Mid West. It is anticipated that recruitment of these third level positions will be completed by mid year. In addition, it is expected that the 18 month construction phase will create 200 temporary positions.

“The work force in Vistakon is drawn for a wide geographical area, and a large proportion of the staff employed in the Limerick facility is from the County. This is a hugely important announcement for the region and a commitment by the plant’s parent company, Johnson and Johnson to Limerick and the Mid West. Vistakon Ireland has been a major provider of employment and an important exporter since 1996, and this is a significant boost to the overall numbers of people that are employed both directly and indirectly at the plant.”

Patrick O’Donovan added that the decision to expand the Limerick operation was being supported by IDA Ireland and he said that he looked forward to further and similar announcements by the IDA in the Limerick region.

“Limerick City and County are ideally situated with strategic infrastructure like Shannon Airport, Foynes Port, UL and LIT in the area. We need to ensure, given the establishment of the single authority for Limerick that the attractiveness of Limerick as a place to do business is promoted and that all of the agencies, local and national based here in the region, promote Limerick as a destination for further Foreign and Direct Investment.”

Healthy flags for schools could help combat obesity – O’Donovan

Added January 17th, 2013

Fine Gael Limerick TD, Patrick O’Donovan, has today (Friday) called for the Government to consider introducing a healthy flag system for schools, similar to the Green Flag scheme for the environment, to encourage schools to adopt healthy eating programmes for their students. Deputy O’Donovan has also repeated his call for an obesity tsar to be appointed to front a national campaign to combat obesity.

 “The Green Flag programme, which encourages schools to be environmentally friendly, has been a huge success over the last number of years. Incentives work; and I think the incentive of being offered a ‘Healthy Flag’ could encourage schools to introduce healthy eating and exercise programmes for their students.

 “The ‘Healthy Flag’ system would be primarily focussed on education, and it would not have to result in any extra cost for schools. Students could be encouraged to complete projects on the importance of a balanced diet and exercise.

 “Obesity is an ever increasing problem. For Government, it extends far beyond the Department of Health. Obesity is linked to a range of serious illnesses, putting additional strain on already burdened health service, and on our public finances in general. A recent study by University College Cork, found that the annual cost of obesity is more than €1 billion.

 “I also believe the appointment of an ‘obesity tsar’ could help to raise awareness about this spiralling problem. A well-known personality could help to front an anti-obesity campaign, similar to the way in which Gay Byrne acts as a spokesperson for the Road Safety Authority. This obesity tsar could help to hold policy makers to account to ensure this issue is given the prioritisation it deserves.

 “About two thirds of adults and one in five Irish children are overweight or obese. This in turn is leading to higher rates of cancer, diabetes and other serious conditions. It is only through education on the impact of our lifestyle choices that we will curb this extremely damaging epidemic.”