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Nenagh Hospital Action Group Chairman, Christy Hartigan has given a guarded welcome to a recent announcement by Deputy Michael Lowery and warned the people of Tipperary against listening to empty promises being peddled by politicians.
Earlier this week, North Tipperary Independent Dáil Deputy, Michael Lowry confirmed that following recent discussions with government officials, funding is to be immediately released to begin the necessary work on a new ‘Endoscopy Unit’ at Nenagh hospital. He also announced that funding is now also secured for a new lift system to ensure accessibility to the proposed new surgical theatre suite.
Mr. Hartigan stated:
“In my opinion this is a case of promised money being ‘recycled’. This money has been announced again and again on numerous previous occasions. This has been going on for years and years and its just constantly promise after promise, one after the other”.
He also confirmed that he and his committee would not believe one solitary word from any politician, even if they saw physical  proof of work actually beginning at Nenagh hospital.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) presently stands correctly accused of prematurely removing essential emergency services from North Tipperary, without firstly providing the promised extra capacity required at the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.
It emerged in October last, that the contract for the construction of a new critical care block promised for the regional hospital at Dooradoyle, Limerick, has not been awarded, while the board of the HSE has yet to even approve the project.
Under the reorganisation plan for hospital services in the Mid West Region, which was proposed in the controversial Teamwork Report, 24-hour accident and emergency facilities were removed from Nenagh hospital earlier this year.
The HSE had promised that the Critical Care Block, comprising an Intensive Care Unit, High Dependency Unit and Coronary Care Unit, would be fully provided at the Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle.
It had also been promised that the facility would be commissioned before the end of 2010. However, the HSE has confirmed that it is not now likely to be completed until mid 2011 at the very earliest.
I think our readers can fully understand that Mr. Hartigan’s views are more than justified on this occassion.
What do you our readers think? Your comments please.
By now you must have cleaned your glasses with vinegar at least once, just in case that excellent article published in our popular Tipperary Star newspaper, wasn’t just some trick of the flickering candle flame. What, you haven’t read it yet? Go out and buy a copy immediately, it’s further proof that the recession is over.
Having read this article several times myself, the words of the poet Willie Shakespeare “I know you all and will uphold the unyoked humour of your idleness“, suddenly sprang to mind. It also brought me to the startling realisation that I must now, humbly and profoundly, apologise to Mr Colm McCarthy of An Bord Snip Nua fame, who recommends rationalising the structures of local government by abolishing both regional authorities and town councils to provide a single local authority. Colm my old pal, I am truly sorry, please forgive me.
 Current state of footpaths at St.Mary's Avenue Our beautiful town of Thurles, Co Tipperary, which had a turnout of 4,166 voters at the last local elections, from a population of 7,000 unwashed residents, is just one of 80 towns throughout this messed up Green Land, which will, dare I say be relieved, if this An Bord Snip Nua recommendation is implemented.
Thurles Town Council, which has a staff, give or take, of about 25 and a budget for 2009 of a miserable, paltry €5.9 million, is responsible for ‘local rates’, ‘local litter prevention’, ‘local housing’, ‘street cleaning’, ‘planning’, ‘leisure amenities’ and a few ‘potholed local roads’. They have no responsibility for ‘fire brigade’, ‘national and regional road maintainance’, ‘water’, ‘libraries’ etc, as they come under the care of North Tipperary Co.Council.
Thurles town council has nine elected members and they meet once a month, suspiciously at night, except during the month of Sextilis (better known as August), because most of those we elected enjoy other daily profitable employments.
Continue reading Public Apology To Colm McCarthy
 NAMA Uncertainty Ireland’s largest, not for profit Housing Association, Respond, believe that up to 25,000 families countrywide face repossession of their homes because of the impact of the present severe economic slump.
Today, many householders in North Tipperary face repossession and a worrying and bleak future without a family home.
At national government level the National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) Bill has passed into its Second Stage and now goes to Committee Stage where amendments to the Bill will be finally decided.
The Fine Gael party have a total of 99 amendments to this Bill and in principal opposed it in its present state.
The Fine Gael amendments to the (NAMA) Bill include a ‘Home-Owner Support Scheme’ and speaking to Thurles.Info today, Deputy Noel Coonan outlined how their Party plan to protect homeowners and taxpayers.
The Deputy Stated:
“It is Fine Gael’s wish to help struggling homeowners through its amendments to the NAMA Bill. If agreed families who face repossession proceedings because they cannot meet mortgage payments will be able to apply to NAMA for support under the ‘Home-Owner Support Scheme’, to be operated by the National Assets Management Agency.
People in dire financial circumstances are continuously visiting my office and looking for help. They are obviously feeling irate at the Government’s NAMA proposal which bails out bankers and developers, the very people whose reckless greed landed us in our current mess.
If the Home Owner Support Scheme amendment is accepted the spectre of expected widespread repossessions can be avoided, NAMA will have an equity share in a portfolio of assets that is being serviced and some social benefit will be seen to flow from NAMA.
Fine Gael is determined that NAMA should be of benefit to homeowners and not just greedy and reckless banks. Our proposals are geared towards patching up as best we can what we believe to be an essentially flawed policy. ” said Deputy Coonan.
So how will the Fine Gael ‘Home-Owner Support Scheme’ work?
This proposed ‘Home-Owner Support Scheme’ would allow NAMA to take an equity share in houses facing repossession, after negotiating a write-down in the existing outstanding debt with the owners mortgage provider.
The home-owners would then service his or her remaining share of the mortgage and also pay a rental fee to NAMA for its share of the property. The home-owner would also have a clear option to buy back the NAMA equity share at any time in the future.
Those who do not meet the eligibility criteria under this scheme would immediately be referred to Local Authorities for alternative housing solutions.
Fine Gael believes there is a clear financial and social logic to ensuring that the extensive residential property portfolio that NAMA will acquire from bankrupt property developers be made available to Local Authorities for use to house families under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS).
In order for a property to be eligible for inclusion in the scheme it must have a market value of less than €750,000, be adequately maintained and insured, be a property mortgaged to one of the participating institution and the person must reside in the property as their main residence.
In making an application under this Scheme, an eligible person would demonstrate the following:
1. That they are at least three months in arrears on the their current mortgage repayments to their participating institution,
2. There has been a material change in their overall financial circumstances since the date of the original mortgage agreement,
3. They have taken all appropriate financial advice on every option available to them in their attempt to repay their outstanding loan.
4. They are in a current position to service at least one-third of their previous mortgage obligations, at current interest rates, out of 50% of their net income.
5. They have made reasonable efforts to agree an alternative repayment schedule with their participating institution.
6. They have not availed of the Scheme previously.
Some of the other amendments to the NAMA Bill proposed by Fine Gael include a proposal to abandon the payment of the so-called long term economic value for the loans taken on from the banks and the suggestion that the risk of NAMA could be shared more fairly by the State taking a bigger equity stake in banks, and in exchange giving an equity share in NAMA to the banks and their bondholders.
Fine Gael also wants a discoverable register created and made easily available, latter listing every non-performing loan taken on by NAMA, together with the establishment of an Oireachtas Committee which has the backing of a new section in the Comptroller and Auditor General office, that would fully oversee NAMA’s day to day operations.
Give us your views on NAMA, in confidence; we would like to hear from you. See the ‘Leave a comment‘ tab under this post.
The salaries of ministers in both governments of the 1920s were fixed at £1,500 a year, which would have the purchasing power today of around €100,000 per year. Éamon de Valera, coming to power in 1932, reduced this figure by one-third, to about €1,000 a year, which again would have the purchasing power today of around €70,000 in money terms.
With regard to Politicians expenses, here in Co Tipperary, 6 Dail deputies and 4 Senators have claimed, on top of their salaries, close to €1.2 million in allowances and expenses since the 2007 Irish General Election.
As to travelling expenses, after the civil war all ministers travelled to and from their offices using public transport, usually Dublin Trams.
 Back Row: Eamon de Valera, Kevin O’Higgins and Rory O’Connor at O’Higgins’ wedding in 1921. O’Higgins was later to sign and order O’Connor’s execution . Ministerial cars, as we know them today, were not introduced until after the murder of 35 year old Irish Minister for Justice, Kevin O’Higgins, as he made his way to Mass, on Booterstown Avenue in Dublin.
This murder was undertaken by three Anti Treaty members of the IRA in 1927, namely Timothy Coughlin, Bill Gannon and Archie Doyle, who were never apprehended, (IRA Amnesty) in revenge for O’Higgins part in the executions of 77 IRA men during the civil war.
At that point, the Defence Forces insisted that senior Ministers of State travel should in future be by an Army car, guarded by an armed escort.
Today Government Ministers must have a fuel guzzling Mercedes Benz together with garda driver on call at a moments notice to ferry them around like rock stars. If security be the issue, why not use the Army again, they appear to do a great job securing our bank’s money
Present cost of keeping the Government’s jet sitting on the ground is €4,500 per hour and this increases to €7, 100 per hour when in flight.
On Friday last the government stepped up its caointe (Irish for wailing) warning that the coming budget will be awful. Their propaganda being the expected mix of reassurance and fright delivered in the one breath before each budget. Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney has threatened us with the International Monetary Fund (IMF ) despite Brian Cowan’s claim some months ago that the IMF had no intention of interfering in our monetary affairs.
Meanwhile back at the ranch Professor Brendan Drum (HSE Chief ) has justified his 2007 €70,000 bonus, despite the fact that in 2007 Ireland was rated only 28th out of 29 countries in Europe, in relation to our health service delivery.
How our National Lottery funds have been doled out, now appears to be in question, following claims once again of political interference for political gain.
I wonder how many of our readers have actually read George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
The pig character Napoleon and his fellow pigs also became corrupted by the absolute power they held over the farm. To maintain their popularity with the other animals, Squealer secretly painted additions to some of the communities democratic commandments to make them more beneficial to the pigs, while keeping them free of accusation of law breaking. An example of this was the law “No animal shall drink alcohol” later appended with the words “to excess” ). The laws are eventually completely removed, and replaced with just one law “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others“.
To restore just a modicum of confidence in our political system these matters now need to be promptly resolved.
The Government’s greatest failure over the past year has been its total inability to provide any inspired leadership. This government has still not managed to convince the public regarding the sheer scale of the major problems facing this country and continue to govern under the law that states “Some animals are more equal than others“.
Leadership can only be shown by example, thus people in positions of wealth and power must be also fully accountable.
 Fine Gael's Enda Kenny and Noel Coonan discuss educational issues with Padraig Culbert at Tipperary Institute, Thurles. The renewed Programme for Government negotiated between Fianna Fáil and the Greens last week took the reintroduction of college fees off the table for the present, but there are now fresh worries that the Government will hike college registration fees instead.
Neither the Minister for Education, the Green Party Leader or the Minister for Communications have ruled out such an increase. This deception would not be above the bounds of this present government and one manipulative way of getting around their guarantee of not re-introducing college fees.
Last March Fine Gael outlined its position on the issue of higher education in a document called ‘Third Way’. The Party is committed to the introduction of a student contribution scheme based on students paying a certain percentage of their undergraduate degree course back to the state when they are in a position to do so.
North Tipperary Fine Gael Deputy Noel Coonan stated:-
“Cash-strapped families in North Tipperary are already struggling to send their children to college. Rising registration fees at this time will stop many from furthering their education. We have almost 1,500 people in North Tipperary under the age of 25 drawing the dole and the Government should be encouraging these people to upskill and instead of hindering them from doing so. Fine Gael believes that no new scheme of funding higher education is proposed by the Greens/FF and as such their response to the issue is totally inadequate. This Government hiked registration fees in the last budget from €900 to €1,500 which was a huge jump and a gargantuant blow to middle-income families. It seems to me that the Government will be considering a further increase which I believe is an inadequate way of funding higher education. We are opposed to the reintroduction of college fees because this would simply act as a barrier to required participation in higher education.”
Fine Gael has argued that the PRSI system provides a vehicle for ring fencing student contributions when a person has gained employment and can afford to make a contribution.
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