Those whom the gods seek to destroy they first turn mad. That sentiment comes to mind with regard to the bizarre contribution of a former Minister this evening. His story seems to be that it is all RTE’s fault. Whether that is an acknowledgment that former Workers’ Party people are no longer running RTE or whether it is more sinister, a blatant attempt to intimidate RTE to stop reporting the truth, I am not quite sure, but it certainly is bizarre. It is something that has arisen tonight and in line with something we heard last night from his colleague, the Minister, Deputy Kelly, who told us that those opposed to these water charges want everything but do not want to pay for anything. How dare the Minister say any such thing.
This is the same Deputy Alan Kelly who stood in the general election in 2011 in Tipperary North. He knocked on every door in that constituency and asked every voter to give him their number one vote so that he could make sure that Fine Gael would not impose water charges on this country and on the people of this country. This is the same Deputy Kelly, now deputy leader of the Labour Party, who stood in that election on a manifesto which opposed the introduction of water charges. It is the same Deputy Kelly who supported the infamous – or famous, whichever one wants to call it – Tesco advertisement which warned the people that Fine Gael had water charges in store for them. Fine Gael were going to impose water charges on this country while he and the Labour Party were going to stop it. This is the type of hypocrisy from people like the Minister, Deputy Kelly and former Minister, Deputy Pat Rabbitte and others in the Labour Party. It it the type of hypocrisy that has brought politics and politicians into disrepute over the years.
I say to Deputy Patrick O’Donovan, who spoke about rural Deputies, I certainly have not registered, I will not register and I will not be paying this unfair, unjust double tax. This is an attempt to make ordinary people, ordinary families, pay for a recession in which they had no hand, act or part in creating and it is a method of ensuring that very wealthy people who have earned huge incomes, assets and profits during the course of this recession, have been allowed to get off scot-free.
Last night the Minister, Deputy Kelly, also indicated – perhaps inadvertently – where these water charges are going. He said that England and Wales have charges of €540. That is where these charges are going – up, not down. They will be going up in the very same way as the refuse charges. In my county the refuse charges were introduced at £5 punts and they are now €350.
Press Statement 24 March 2015 – Seamus Healy TD 087-2802199
Co Tipperary is being Forgotten!Further Blow TODAY as Government Reduces Leader Funding by 15 million
Ministers Kelly(Lab) and Hayes(FG) Must Act Now to Stop Tipp falling Further Behind!
Disposable income per head in County Tipperary is more than 5% below the national average and more than 16% below the Dublin level.
Today Minister Kelly is to announce 10.2 million in leader Funding for Co Tipperary. This is a reduction of 15 million over the 2013 figure.
94% of all net new jobs in 2014 were created in the Dublin region according to figures published by the Nevin Economic Research Institute last Thursday.
The disposable income statistics were issued last week by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Disposable income is gross income less taxes and social welfare contributions. The lower the disposable income is, the poorer the family is.
The statistics are for 2012 but the situation in Co Tipperary has probably deteriorated since then as there was a net loss of 321 IDA jobs in the county over the last 3 years
County Tipperary languishes at number 12 in county disposable income league behind Dublin, Limerick,
Cork , Kildare, Wicklow , Meath, Galway, Carlow, Waterford, Sligo and Louth.
The decline in Disposable income in Tipperary between 2008 and 2012 at approximately 17% was greater than that in all other Munster Counties except Clare at 17.2%. The decline in Co Limerick was only 0.1%. The Decline in the Dublin area was 8.8%, half the decline in Co Tipp.
This shocking statistic underlines the urgent need for new job creation in the county.
The Nevin Economic Research Institute revealed on Thursday last that 94% of all net new jobs created last year were in Dublin and it’s the commuter belt. In 2012 Dublin had disposable income which was 13% above the national average and over 16% above the Co Tipperary level. Clearly the gap is continuing to widen.
There was a NET LOSS of 321 IDA JOBS In Co Tipp over last 3 years but the County Was Excluded from provision of new advance factories or offices in the Government Plan For JOBS
Minister Bruton Admitted to me in the Dail recently that only 2 (two) net jobs were provided by IDA in Co Tipperary in 2014!!!!! There were 64 new jobs and 62 job losses in the county. WORSE STILL-There was a net loss of 321 IDA Jobs in the county over the last 3 years. Yet the towns of County Tipperary were all omitted from the plan to spend 150 million euro on providing advance factories and offices to encourage inward investment in its plan for jobs issued yesterday!!!
Despite repeated questions from me in the Dáil recently Minister Bruton failed to give any assurance that any advance manufacturing and office facilities for incoming IDA supported industry would be built in any Co Tipperary location over the next five years.
Ministers Kelly and Hayes must demand fundamental change in the Government Plan for Jobs so that advance factories and offices can be urgently built in the towns of Tipperary.
The Labour/Fine Gael Government must not be allowed to forget and ignore the plight of Co Tipperary families!
Seamus Healy TD 087-2802199
Disposable income per Head by County
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/cirgdp/countyincomesandregionalgdp2012/#.VQ0oVdKsWQE
Order
Dublin 22,011
Limerick 21326
Cork 19,704
Kildare 19658
Wicklow 19009
Meath 18898
Galway 18890
Carlow 18670
Waterford 18610
North Tipp 18563 of state 95.4% of Dublin 84.4
Sligo 18456
Louth 18445
All Tipp 18383
South Tipp 18202 of state 93.5% of Dublin 82.7%
Leitrim 18096
State 19468 Dublin 22011
All Tipp 12th of state 94.4% of Dublin 83.6%
Drop in Disposable Income for Munster Counties from 2008 to 2012
The breakdown of figures for Munster show:
– Clare €22,185 (–€4,623) down 17.2%.
– Cork €24,832 (–€3,236) down 11.5%.
– Kerry €21,134 (–€2,062) down 8.9%.
– Limerick €26,590 (–€19) down 0.1%.
– North Tipperary €22,351 (–€4,757) down 17.5%.
– South Tipperary €21,976 (–€4,192) down 16.0%.
– Waterford €22,847 (–€3,597) down 13.6%.
By contrast, Dublin’s average income fell 8.8% (€2,835) to €29,278.
Seamus Healy ‘s contribution to the Dáil debate on the forthcoming Referendum
Deputy Seamus Healy:
I welcome the opportunity to speak on this legislation and I confirm my support for the Bill. I will be voting “Yes” in the forthcoming referendum on 22 May. The referendum arises from the Constitutional Convention vote of 79 to 19 in favour of same-sex marriage. This is a civil rights and equality issue and is about removing the barriers which deny some couples the chance of marrying and having relationships that are constitutionally protected. I believe that loving committed relationships between two consenting adults should be treated equally regardless of gender or sexual orientation. In a democratic republic based on equal citizens, such as Ireland, civil marriage should be open to all citizens, including lesbian and gay people.
As Deputy Pringle has just said, in the many countries where marriage equality has already been introduced, marriage has not been changed or damaged. There are no fewer marriages taking place than before, public perception of marriage has not been damaged and divorce rates have not increased. There is absolutely nothing to fear from allowing people to marry those whom they love and neither is there anything to fear from treating every committed, long-term relationship equally. A “Yes” vote in May will create a fairer society in which, regardless of one’s sexuality, one is not any different. By voting “Yes” we will tell all gay and lesbian people in our community that we want them to be treated the same as everyone else. By voting “Yes” we will tell them that we see them as equal citizens.
Father Iggy O’Donovan in a recent article in The Irish Times raised some issues which should inform this debate and our decision on the issue. He argued that “In Ireland, we have inherited a tradition which has associated religion and politics in a way that has excluded some of our fellow citizens” but that “the State is a secular reality whose principal duty towards religion is to ensure its freedom”. He went on to say, in the context of the referendum: “When we become legislators, though, as we do when we vote in referendums, we legislate for ALL our fellow citizens. We do not vote as members of this or that church or faith.” He argued that we need to remember the difference between civil and religious law and also that it is possible to have “deep and passionately held convictions without seeking to have those convictions imposed by the State on fellow citizens who do not share them and may have opposite convictions which are equally deep and passionately held”. He argues further that “Respect for freedom of others to hold religious or moral views which we ourselves find we cannot share is a sign of strength, not weakness”.
I support the Bill and will be supporting the referendum.
Thanks again,
Seamus Healy TD
Workers & Unemployed Action 