Earlier today I attended the launch of the Samaritans Ireland Impact Report 2015.
Samaritans Ireland respond to a call for help every minute.
In the 12 month period from October 2014 to September 2015 the
Samaritans branches across the State responded to 623,579 calls to its free helpline, 13,272 emails and 7,705 texts according to their Impact Report.
The Samaritans can be contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by calling 116 123 and their number is FREE to call.
It is a compassionate service and staff are there to listen and help with whatever’s getting to you.
You can read more from their report here: http://goo.gl/DIj16L
The announcement by Supervalu of the closure of the Clonmel store at Market Place is dreadful news for the 44 employees and their families coming up to Christmas. It follows equally devastating news for the families affected by the Caulfield SUPERVALU closure in Tipperary Town last month.
The workers and their union must be supported in their call for a fully satisfactory redundancy and redeployment settlement.
The company has cited a “drop in footfall” as a significant factor in the closure while the Mandate Trade Union, representing the workers, has cited a lack
of disposable income among workers and unemployed.
Austerity measures, involving the extraction of billions out of the economy of by successive governments in recent years, is the fundamental cause of this closure.
Disposable income in Co Tipperary is 5% below the national average and 16% below that in Dublin. The so-called recovery is mainly based in the big cities and has been directed into the pockets of the very rich who have no need to spend the extra money in our shops.
The reduction in unemployment is lagging 4% below the national average in Co Tipperary
Not 1 cent of 150 million to be spent on IDA advance factories and offices to be spent in Ireland over the next five years is to be spent in Co Tipperary!!!
Recent job announcements are barely sufficient to compensate for the nett 321 IDA jobs which were were lost in Co Tipperary over the last 3 years.
94% of all jobs created last year were in the Dublin area Tipperary needs a fair share of the IDA funding and there is a need for more spending on roads, house building and other infrastructure in the county.
The 15 million cut in Leader funding in the County must be restored.
Seamus Healy TD 087-2802199
Highest number from Independent TD Seamus Healy who has made 1,323 since 2011
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and former Minister for Health James Reilly have made more than 300 representations each on behalf of constituents in relation to medical cards since 2011, according to new from the Department of Health.
Mr Kenny has made 330 representations over the past 4½ years, while Dr Reilly, who was Minister at the Department for over three years until July 2014, has made 315.
They are both among the top 40 TDs who have made most representations.
Current Minister for Health Leo Varadkar is at number 100 of the 220 parliamentarians, having made 126 representations to the National Medical Card Unit dedicated contact channel.
The disclosure that both Mr Kenny and Mr Reilly made a higher than average number of representations may draw criticism from the Opposition, given that thousands of patients lost their right to discretionary medical cards during 2013 and 2014. The Government reversed the decision following its poor performance in the local elections in the summer of 2014.
The TD who has made the highest number of representations is the Tipperary Independent Seamus Healy who made 1,323, almost double the number of representations made by the second-placed TD, another Tipperary Independent Mattie McGrath, who made 741.
In third place is another Independent Michael Healy-Rae from Kerry, who made 670 representations.
The information was obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Sean Sherlock. The Cork East Labour Party TD is the fourth in the list with 664. He made the highest number of representations in his own party, one ahead of his Labour Party colleague and Minister for Environment Alan Kelly who made 646 representations.
Longford-Westmeath TD Robert Troy is the highest-ranked Fianna Fáil member on the list, with 622 representations, while Martin Heydon of Fine Gael, with 599, made more representations than any other Deputy in his party. Other Ministers who made a high number of representations include Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan (436); Minister of State for Sport Michael Ring (398) and Minister of State for Europe Dara Murphy (367).
The table is broken down between calls, emails and letters. Mr Healy made more than 650 calls and sent more than 650 emails but sent no letters. The most frequent letter writers were Barry Cowen of Fianna Fáil (44), Jack Wall of Labour (43) and Mr Sherlock (38).
Source: Taoiseach has made 330 representations for medical cards
Workers & Unemployed Action 