Speaking in the Dáil Deputy Seamus Healy has called on Minister Alan Kelly T.D. to commence an emergency house building programme to tackle the housing crisis now affecting over 2,500 families in Tipperary and almost 90,000 families nationally.
2,546 families now languish on Tipperary County Councils housing waiting list and face years waiting for accommodation.
Successive Governments have abandoned families to the tender mercies of the private market and that has been an abject failure condemning families to homelessness and years of waiting for accommodation in substandard conditions.
As President Michael D. Higgins said recently “You can’t leave the provision of housing to a residual feature of the market place. We have done that and homelessness is a consequence of that”
The previous Fianna Fail/Green Party Government stopped building local authority houses and that failed policy has been continued by the current Fine Gael/Labour Party coalition.
Minister Alan Kelly T.D. must reverse that policy and commence an emergency house building programme to tackle the issue.
There are huge social and economic benefits to such a programme.
It would be self-financing. Thousands of building workers could be put back at work saving on social welfare payments and increasing exchequer income through PAYE returns. Significant savings would be made on the €350m per year paid to private landlords through rent supplement.
Such a programme would boost local economies and retail trade, create sustainable employment and provide good quality accommodation. Rental income to local authorities would also be significant.
An emergency house building programme would be a win, win situation for all concerned, it is a no brainer and Minister Kelly should grasp the initiative immediately.
Seamus Healy T.D.
087 2802199
23/09/14
Deputy Seamus Healy has told the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister Leo Varadkar to keep their hands off the Emergency Department at South Tipperary General Hospital.
Cuts to services at South Tipperary General Hospital must not be allowed become a political football within Fine Gael between Taoiseach Kenny and Minister Varadkar.
A Document leaked from the HSE states that one of the measures which may be necessary due to budgetary cuts is the closure of several A&E services between 8 in the evening and 8 in the morning. These include the A&E service at South Tipperary General Hospital.
This would be completely unacceptable. It would amount to the effective denial of health services to those living outside the larger cities, a vicious form of discrimination. After dark, the nearest A&E services would be situated in Limerick, Cork and Waterford. Indeed the A&E service should also be restored to Nenagh General Hospital.
We have had enough health and hospital cuts, far too many in fact.
South Tipperary General Hospital Budget has been cut by almost 25% or €11million over the last few years and it has lost over 100 staff.
This year, 2014, has seen a further €1.7 million cut to the budget.
Over the same period, activity at the hospital and patient numbers has increased significantly and the hospital is operating at 120% capacity on an on-going basis.
The hospital has been put under severe pressure: staff are working above and beyond the call of duty and despite their best efforts are struggling to provide a safer service.
Deputy Healy has called on all Government Oireachtas Members in County Tipperary, Ministers, T.D.’s and Senators to ensure a full Accident and Emergency Department Service is maintained at South Tipperary General Hospital.
Many thanks to everyone that has messaged concerned about what is happening in Gaza and wanting me to raise this issue with the government. I have been a lifelong supporter of the Palestinian people. I’ve called for and voted for a full Dáil debate in support of the Palestinian people. I’ve taken part in protests. The Workers and Unemployed Action group fully support the people of Gaza and members protested again most recently in Cahir last Saturday. I will continue to pressure the Government and support freedom and dignity for Palestinian people. Seamus.
Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Seamus Healy called on the Minister for Health to personally intervene to ensure that a quality, safe Mental Health Service is available to the people of South Tipperary.
Deputy Healy complemented the staff providing the service who work above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. However, despite their best efforts, the Service has serious difficulties and is less than adequate.
Some would say the service is dysfunctional and others describe it as being in crisis. The reason for this is the changes over recent years by the Minister and the HSE to the mental health services for the people of south Tipperary. These changes were bulldozed through by the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, and the Health Service Executive. There was sham consultation and no engagement whatsoever with stakeholders by the Minister and the HSE.
Stakeholders who were 100% committed to A Vision for Change were dealt with in an arrogant and dismissive manner and it was suggested in a mischievous and dishonest manner that stakeholders were opposed to A Vision for Change, which could not be further from the truth. The staff associations, service users, general practitioners, consultant psychiatrists and public representatives were not listened to and staff felt bullied, threatened and intimidated. Indeed, the Minister of State, at a deputation, indicated that not only were the changes she was proposing set in stone, but that they were set in blood. Of course, the Minister of State and the HSE have refused to honour the various commitments they made at the time.
For instance, there are five community mental health teams in south Tipperary, including three sectoral adult teams. None of these teams is properly staffed. Not a single team has the staffing levels provided for in A Vision for Change. The rehabilitation team, for instance, has no allied health professional of any kind. Earlier this year, clinics could not be held because of the shortage of consultant staff. Indeed, the closure of the inpatient beds at St. Michael’s unit in Clonmel and the transfer of those beds to St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny has been a disaster. I am told by service users and family members that south Tipperary patients are being delayed in admission to that unit, south Tipperary patients are subject to early unsupported discharge from that unit, and family members find it difficult to visit and support their relatives who are patients in the unit. There is no continuity of care for south Tipperary patients at consultant level. The crisis house promised for south Tipperary has not been built and now, apparently, is on the back burner and the interim crisis house meant for short stay, a maximum of 72 hours, is being used for stays as long as weeks and months.
Particularly disturbing are the contents of a letter sent by nine consultant staff in the service in Carlow-Kilkenny and south Tipperary to the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, in June 2013. That letter speaks of the service in terms of being unsafe, of them having serious concerns, of excessive numbers of deaths, of inadequate local governance arrangements, of nine fatalities between August 2011 and January 2013, and of meetings having been a sham. No response has been made to that letter since then, over 12 months ago.
The people and the service in south Tipperary have no confidence in the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, or the Health Service Executive. I call on the Minister to personally intervene to ensure that a quality safe service is available to the people of south Tipperary.
Seamus Healy T.D
Tel 087 2802199
7/7/2014
Deputy Seamus Healy has called on Minister Phil Hogan to immediately instruct Irish Water to clear blocked sewers. This problem is now evident in several areas of Clonmel and further afield.
Very serious public health and safety issues are arising as a result of the failure of Irish Water to Clear these sewers.
Local authorities have done this work in the past and Irish Water which has assumed the water and waste water responsibilities of local authorities must now carry out this work.
Urgent and immediate action by Minister Hogan and Irish Water is now required.
Seamus Healy TD 087-2802199
Statement by Seamus Healy TD 087-2802199
A spokesperson for Irish Water has conceded that having no standing charge will push up the price of water per litre.
Head of Communications at Irish Water, Elizabeth Arnett, was responding to queries on whether people might have to pay above the predicted average bill of €240 a year.
She said the price of water per litre will be determined by the regulator.
Ms Arnett said: “The regulator needed the decision from the Government yesterday in order to take the process to the next stage.
“As soon as they do, we will operationalise, as the utility, the decision both from the Government and the regulator.”
Statement by Seamus Healy TD 087-2802199
Water Charges
Government makes NO Allowance for Hard Water
Household of 2 Adults and 2 Children to pay up to €363 per year!
Household of 3 Adults to pay up to €586 per year!
Households with more than one person to be penalised!
It is particularly shameful that Labour Leader Eamonn Gilmore, who built his political career on opposition to water charges , should have agreed to this unfair imposition of water charges.
The government statement is very weak on quality of water issues. There is no suggestion of a change in the designation of hard water, as fit for purpose. This water is damaging appliances in north Clonmel. Irish Water is only being asked “ to take account of the quality of services” such as the existence of boil notices which are in place in some locations in County Tipperary. There should be no question of householders being required to pay for hard water or water subject to boil notices.
Water Charges are double taxation as water provision is currently funded from general taxation. The Government has decided to withhold approximately 500 million from water provision in order to service debts incurred to bail out billionaire investors in banks.
All concessions announced by Minister Hogan are to be funded by greater impositions on all other water users as the projected average annual household bill has not changed. Those working on low pay, for example, will pay well above the average . Houses with more than one adult suffer severe discrimination under the proposals. This is because there is no free allowance per person, just one free allowance per household irrespective of the number of occupants.
Based on information supplied by Minister Hogan, a household of 3 adults, without any allowance (eg health issue) other than the household allowance or social welfare payment, will be €586.50 per year.
The annual bill for a similar household of 2 adults and two children under 18 yrs will be between €300 and €363 depending on usage of water in respect of children (“ child “ applies to a newly born infant and to a person of 17 years of age).
Seamus Healy TD 087-2802199
Notes for Editors
Charges for Water
Based on Information Given by Minister Phil Hogan in statements and Interviews:
Average estimated usage 78,000 litres per person per Year.
Household allowance=30,000 litres per year but not per person.
Child allowance = Maximum 38,000 litres per child per year ( (“this will be up to 38,000 litres per annum- the level of consumption underpinning this allowance to be verified from actual metering data provided to the CER”-Hogan);
Single adult household will have typical annual bill of 138 Euro (Hogan on RTE)= 2.875Euro per 1000 litre(138/48).
Irish Water to take account of the quality of services provided to customers, including circumstances where services are reduced or restricted (e.g. due to boil water notices);
Calculations Based on information above from Minister Hogan
Household of 3 adults without any allowance other than the household allowance and no welfare payment
Usage 78,000×3=234,000 L
Free Allowance=30,000 L
Chargeable= 204,000 L
Annual cost=204 x 2.875 =586.5 Euro
Similar household of two adults
Usage 78,000 x2=156,000
Free allowance =30,000 euro
Chargeable= 126,000 litres
Annual cost= 126×2.875=362.25 Euro
2Adults 2children –same as above if children use full allowance
IF children using 3/4 of maximum child allowance =0.75×38,000 x2=57000
Usage Adults 2×78,000=156,000
Children 57,000
Total Usage =213,000
Free allowances =106,000
Charge =107×2.85 =304.95
The cost to two Adults and two Children will be between €300 and €363 depending on usage of water in respect of children (“ child “ applies to a newly born infant and to a person of 17 years of age).
