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 Latest official figures show that decentralisation plans for over 5,000 public servants have been deferred, while just 2,500 people have moved under the plan announced in 2003.
The figures from the Department of Finance show that another 3,500 public servants are still in the process of being decentralised but have not yet been moved.
Plans to move 5,140 people to 50 locations were deferred in the Budget and it is now widely accepted that the moves will never take place.
A number of locations with advance parties already decentralised will not now get the numbers originally planned. Among them are Athy, Co Kildare, where 180 officials from the Revenue Commissioners were due to join colleagues, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, where 83 members of the Health and Safety Authority were due to move, and Thurles, Co Tipperary, where 66 more people from Garda headquarters were due to transfer. A hold has also been placed on the transfer of 25 people from the Equality Authority to Roscrea, Co Tipperary, and the same applies to the move of 23 people from the Garda Ombudsman Commission to Roscrea.
 Approximately 2,975 North Tipperary people joined the unemployment register in the last year.
With 5,705 people now on the ‘Live Unemployment Register” in North Tipperary and a prediction that one in six workers nationally will be out of work by the end of the year, Deputy Noel Coonan is calling on the Government to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in North Tipperary to protect existing jobs.
Speaking to www.thurles.info, today Deputy Coonan said:
“There has been a 100% hike in the number of people signing on in North Tipperary over the last year. In the last month alone, 213 people joined the dole queue in the area. Roscrea witnessed the biggest jump in the last month of over 5% while 91 more people signed on in Thurles in the same period. Unfortunately, Nenagh did not fare well either with an additional 68 people joining the Live Register. Fine Gael has been proposing measures to help SMEs but they have not been implemented by this Government and those who support it in North Tipperary. Such measures include launching a PRSI exemption for companies taking on new employees and freezing local authority rates and charges to business. I believe a Government-backed loan guarantee for SMEs needs to be introduced as has been done in the UK. The rate of VAT has to be reduced if SMEs are to survive and the Travel tax needs to be abolished. I’m disheartened to see the Government voting against such productive and proactive proposals. Fine Gael is trying to plan for an economically secure future but we are not helped by a Government who seems determined not to support us no matter how fruitful our measures may be.”
Small & medium enterprises (SMEs) currently employ 800,000 people and represent 97% of Irish companies and North Tipperary cannot afford to lose its’ indigenous businesses who provide such vital employment at a time of economic turmoil.
Deputy Coonan also expressed deep disappointment that the Government, this week, voted down a Fine Gael motion to introduce an €18 billion stimulus package over a four-year period that would provide 100,000 jobs and build a modern infrastructure in the area of energy / telecommunications. The latter would have been achieved through the creation of a new State industrial holding company, the New Economy and Recovery Authority (NewERA). This company would co-ordinate, restructure and finance new and existing State companies in the best strategic interests of the Irish people in order to develop the most competitive economy in Europe.
Ireland now has the second highest unemployment in the Eurozone at 11.4%. By Christmas, there could be half a million people on the dole.
Shannon Development recently organised a special business function for Dublin based companies and influential management representatives from the accounting, legal, banking and venture capital sectors. The event was designed to forge new business contacts for the Birr Technology Centre, and Shannon Development’s four other Knowledge Network business and technology parks at Thurles, Tralee, Ennis, and Limerick.
Dr Vincent Cunnane, Chief Executive, Shannon Development, and acclaimed Offaly businessman Ray Leonard from Romaquip Ltd, a company based at Shannon Development’s business park in Birr which won a £45stg million UK contract, were key speakers at the event.
Demonstrating to the Dublin business audience that it is possible to work locally in the Shannon Region and still operate globally, Dr Cunnane said:
“Shannon Development’s knowledge network of five business and technology parks in Birr, Limerick, Tralee, Ennis, and Thurles are a vibrant and growing cluster. In 2008 over 20 new companies established businesses at our knowledge network, which employs over 3,000 people. These locations offer a great quality of life, access to third level research and development facilities and a pool of highly skilled graduates, as well as world class business infrastructure and facilities. We made a conscious decision to promote our knowledge network business locations and we are delighted with the response we have received.”
Romaquip Ltd located at Shannon Development’s Syngefield Business Park in Birr Co Offaly, is a manufacturer and supplier of road maintenance equipment, including salt spreaders, snowploughs to Ireland, the UK and continental European markets. They hit the headlines last year as one of two companies that secured a £45stg million contract to supply a new fleet of winter service vehicles to the UK Highways Agency – the largest contract ever awarded by the agency.
As the numbers claiming welfare increases significantly, the Department of Social and Family Affairs are introducing stricter identity checks in Post Offices throughout the country for people collecting Social Welfare payments. Minister and Thurles native Mary Hanafin T.D., stated:
“Tighter security checks are necessary as part of the crackdown on those claiming a jobseeker payment while not resident in the state. People legitimately collecting a social welfare payment should be able to produce valid photographic ID, such as a Driving Licence, Passport or National Identity card. Staff working in Post Offices have to be satisfied that they are giving the right payment to the right person.”
 Notices will be displayed in all post offices throughout the country in the coming weeks advising customers collecting Social Welfare payments such as Jobseekers, One Parent Family Payment, Back to Work or Child Benefit payments that they must be able to produce a valid ID to collect their payment. An Post staff must be satisfied that they are making the correct payment to the right person. All claimants should be able to produce valid photographic ID when collecting a payment.
Minister Hanafin also outlined preliminary results of particular fraud investigations in eight areas of the country which have been ongoing since the start of March. Over 2,200 claimants were investigated, through house visits or mailshot – of these some 275 have had their claims suspended and are no longer entitled to claim a benefit from the state or are under continuing investigation.
The potential savings from stopping these claims alone would be in the region of €2million – €3million.
Of the over 2,200 claims targeted for investigation, the vast majority were in the high risk category of non-Irish nationals claiming a payment. These pose a high risk because of their mobility between countries, they may not in fact be resident in this country. However, risk of fraud is always a factor for a system as large as social welfare, and ongoing investigations cover both Irish nationals and non-Irish nationals.
Minister Hanafin stated:
“Our investigators are tackling welfare fraud on a number of different fronts as we have to ensure that only those rightfully entitled to a payment are in fact receiving it. Inspectors have paid home visits to those who are being paid benefits into their bank account (pre July 2008 claimants) and to those who are more recently being paid weekly through the local post office. Inspectors have found evidence that some claimants are no longer resident in the country or money is being paid to an individual, who is not in fact a valid claimant. For this reason, tighter identity checks are being put in place in post offices throughout the country where payments are being made. An Post staff can also alert investigators in the Department if there are any difficulties with valid ID not being produced. These reports will also be followed up, along with the ongoing fraud control checks which Social Welfare investigators are conducting.”
Social Welfare Inspectors are also engaged in investigations along the border counties as part of the multi agency checkpoints operated by An Garda Siochana and Revenue Customs and Excise and recently have intensified investigations of cross border movements for new claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Inspectors are also attached to the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). These Social Welfare Inspectors work with the Garda Siochana in joint operations with UK Border & Immigration Agency, UK Benefits Agency and the PSNI to monitor patterns of movement through airports and ports around the country in order to detect and deter immigration abuse.
Recent investigations into 259 registered non Irish Nationalists in Co.Tipperary resulted in the payments of 32 individuals being immediately suspended.
 Recent speculation that Lisheen Mines near Thurles could be forced to close down following a global decline in zinc prices, have been totally dispelled by their company spokesman this week.
Recent media reports claimed that the parent company Anglo American PLC were planning a wind-down plan for its large zinc mine located between Moyne and Templetuohy, in the townsland of Lisheen.
The mine, which employs over 300 workers, 70% of whom are recruited locally,was reported to be losing money. Rumours may have been fueled, when Anglo American PLC announced they had completed a wide ranging review of its capital expenditure programme last December and reduced its 2009 capital expenditure by more than 50% to $4.5 billion. At this date in time the mining industry worldwide is experiencing an unprecedented period of rapid decline in commodity prices, all due to the present global economic uncertainty.
The Base Metals Division of Anglo American plc, Anglo Base Metals has interests in 14 operations in seven countries across South America, southern Africa and Europe. The company produces nickel, zinc, copper, phosphate and niobium, together with associated by-products including lead, molybdenum and silver. This division of Anglo American PLC has also several projects, across three continents, which have recently been commissioned, and are under construction. The corporate offices of Anglo Base Metals are located in London and Johannesburg, with regional offices in Santiago and São Paulo.
In September last year, Galmoy mine in Co Kilkenny, which is owned by the Canadian-based Lundin Mining Corporation, closed with the loss of 220 jobs. The operating costs at Lisheen Mine are the lowest of the three Irish zinc mines.
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