Politics « Thurles Information

Closure Announced Of Immigrant Investor Programme.

Programme to close to all new applications.
Existing applications will continue to be processed in the normal way.

The Minister for Justice, Mr Simon Harris TD has today obtained approval from Government to close the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) to further applications from close of business tomorrow, February 15th 2023.

The Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) was a pathway for non-EEA nationals to secure an immigration permission in Ireland on the basis of long-term investment in a range of options approved by Government under the Programme.
The IIP was introduced by the Irish Government in 2012 to encourage inward investment for the creation of business and employment opportunities in the State.
The programme was designed to encourage investors and business professionals from outside the European Economic Area to avail of opportunities of investing and locating their business interests in Ireland and acquire a secure residency status in Ireland.
Applicants to the IIP were required to be high net worth individuals with a personal wealth of at least €2 million. The IIP required applicants to invest a minimum of €1 million for a minimum of three years or €500,000 as part of an Endowment (or €400,000 as part of joint endowment). The funds used for an investment had to be from the applicant’s own resources and not financed through a loan or other such facility.

Announcing the closure of the Programme, Minister Harris stated: “The Immigrant Investor Programme was established over a decade ago during a time of unprecedented economic difficulty to stimulate investment in Ireland that would be of strategic and public benefit to the State.
Since its inception, the Programme has brought significant investment to Ireland and has been operated by my Department to the highest professional standards.
However, it is important that we keep all programmes under review including any implications for wider public policy, such as the continuing appropriateness and suitability of this programme for cultural, social and economic use.
We have also taken on board a number of reports and findings from international bodies such as the EU Commission, Council of Europe and OECD on similar investment programmes.
Taking all of this into account, and informed by both internal and external reviews, I have recommended that it is now timely to close this Programme to new applications, and have received Government agreement to close it for further applications from close of business tomorrow, February 15th 2023.”

Since its inception, the Programme has approved investment of almost €1.252bn that has benefited many enterprises, both economic and social, including community and sporting organisations.

Applications will no longer be accepted from close of business tomorrow, February 15th 2023. The closure of the Programme will not affect existing projects or individuals already approved under the programme. The Department of Justice will continue to monitor existing approved projects in relation to the delivery and for compliance with the terms of the Programme. Current applications on hand at the time of closure will continue to be considered.

The Government also operates the Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP), which was established in 2012, as a way for entrepreneurs with an innovative idea to apply for a residence permission in Ireland, and this will continue.

March 2023 €200 Energy Credit To Proceed Despite Call By European Central Bank To Desist.

The current roll-out, by the Irish Government, of €200 energy credits for March is now expected to proceed, despite instructions from the European Central Bank (ECB), for Ireland to roll back cost-of-living supports.

An Tánaiste, Mr Micheál Martin has stated that the call by ECB boss, Ms Christine Lagarde, will not affect the March payment, same the third payment since October last, but said that the Government must look again to intervene next winter, should inflation rates require further intervention.

Mr Martin confirmed that the Finance Minister, Mr Michael McGrath, together with Public Expenditure Minister, Mr Paschal Donohoe are both working on recommendations to place before all three party leaders, to discuss and approve in the coming days, on the expiry dates at the end of February, for all cost-of-living measures put in place, just last year.

He further confirmed that there would not be a ‘cliff edge’ ending to the measures, but government would continue to examine all past cost-of-living evulations; to determine which ones if any should be continued, while keeping an eye on the full year, including the coming winter of 2023.

While calling on energy companies to pass on lower costs to consumers; the Finance Minister Mr McGrath pointed out that while he would consider calls by the ECB to roll back cost-of-living supports, any extension of future measures would remain a national decision.

Neglect Of Thurles Town Continues.

It was Charles Dickens’s character Wilkins Micawber who warned eloquently of debt’s downside.

“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen and six, result happiness.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.”

For tourists headed southwards into Thurles this coming holiday season, the pictures shown here, on left and right of this text, are enough to encourage the visitor to quickly move elsewhere, rather than “Dwell A While” as our town website encourages.

This road, highlighted in the pictures, is the N62, a busy national secondary route in Co. Tipperary, which forms a junction with the M7 motorway, south of Roscrea, latter, unlike Thurles, an acknowledged heritage town, which attracts a large amount of both domestic and foreign tourism.

While our two resident politicians and Municipal District councillors and Municipal District officials continuously regurgitate details learned of a few new funded projects; maintenance of past projects are forgotten and permitted to decay.

The above permitted dereliction and neglect within the town, is evidence of poor quality administration, and once again begs the question amongst residents; “What do we get in return for our Local Property Tax payments, not to mention Rates and Vehicle Parking Charges?”

More on this and the continued waste of taxpayer’s funds, by Tipperary Co. Council, in the coming days.

Tipperary County Council Continue To Waste Taxpayers Money.

Once again taxpayers money continues to be wasted by Tipperary County Council. The most recent wanton waste can be viewed at Bowes Corner, west of the town. (See image hereunder).

Note, Chinese granite stone has been laid around the ESB metal standard and a new Belisha Beacon pole; (no fault of the contractor), undertaken on the instructions of highly paid engineers and overpaid consultants.

It would appear that engineers and consultants have both failed to keep up to date on guidelines laid down by the National Transport Authority with regard to the basic principles governing universal access. (Note again the picture attached.) Universal access principles mean the avoidance of obstacles and impediments for people with disabilities; thus ensuring that adequate width and clearance is provided to enable them to have unimpeded access to pedestrian facilities. Imagine the confusion these obstacles, at Bowes Corner, will cause to a blind person using a guide dog, or a disabled person using a mobility power chair device.

the Chinese granite stonework will now have to be ripped up, the metal standard shifted and all financed by the stoically patient and long-suffering taxpayer.

Placing the cart before the horse.

Tipperary County Council and their officials within the Thurles Municipal district continue to “Place the cart before the horse.”

Recent developments within Thurles are now seen by local residents as superficial. Take the half developed upgrade to Liberty Square for example. Yes, it has the veneer of development. Certainly things look nicer around the town, but have failed totally to have a really deep and meaningful impact. Traffic congestion is worse. The nightmare, that is traffic, would have been substantially alleviated with a Ring Road/Bypass, and consumers would have been attracted to shop on our Liberty Square and other areas in our town centre, rather than, as it is now, avoiding Thurles altogether, because you can’t get through its increasing congested streets.

The removal of parking from the square and elsewhere, has not incentivized locals to pay for parking in car parks, instead they are heading to find the free parking readily available at Thurles Shopping Centre, Lidl and Aldi; choosing convenience and practicality over notions that are better suited to large city centre life.

The developments applied to Liberty square and surrounding streets are great in theory, but in practice ask yourself “Are they meeting the needs of a rural town, it’s business and consumers?”
A central square with spaces for pedestrians and eating outside is lovely, but in reality, seem more appropriate to Dublin City and places that have an efficient and well established public transport network. Pedestrianised streets; reduced parking, together with wooden picnic benches, latter for 8 weeks of the year, were never a priority for Thurles; the Thurles Ring Road/Bypass was; same now not expected to be included in any National Development Plan at least until 2030, if ever!
We may welcome the half provided, aesthetic improvements to Liberty square, but many of us would have waited for those, and taken a Ring Road/Bypass first.
Things have and are been done in totally the wrong order!

Unfortunately, the real people making decisions don’t walk the streets of Thurles town, nor appreciate what we need, to develop it, based on our unique rural needs; the Ring Road being a long standing local priority, and proving yet again that our two local resident politicians have absolutely no clout.

At Last A Call To Protect Ireland’s Hedgerows.

Upwards of 3,000km of Ireland’s hedgerows are removed each year, and now at last a group of stakeholders including the ‘Irish Wildlife Trust’, the ‘Federation of Irish Beekeepers’, and ‘Hedgerows Ireland’, have come together; calling on the Irish State to protect this richest of ecosystem.

We, residing in Thules, have watched helplessly as almost 2.4 kilometres of Hedgerow in the past 20 months was removed in the town, during the nesting season, with local Municipal District councillors highlighting such removals on social media, in an effort to give the impression that they are hard at work benefiting their electorate.

Despite every effort to call a halt to this wanton destruction, our best exertions fell upon deaf ears both locally; at the National Parks and Wildlife Service and at government Ministerial level, [exempli gratia, Ministers Mr Malcolm Noonan and Minister Mr Eamon Ryan.]

We have watched helplessly the removal of a 150 meters long, 50 year old mature Whitethorn hedgerow, situated east of Lidl supermarket, in the recently constructed new town centre area; the destruction at the walkway on ‘Lady’s well’; and the now totally destroyed historic “Great Famine Double Ditch” at Mill Road, in the town.

Members representing ‘Hedgerows Ireland’, latter a non-profit organization formed to protect against hedgerow removals, has now rightly claimed that such continuing removals could change the Irish landscape, beyond all current recognition.

It is no secret that Ireland’s hedgerows host a rich ecosystem, acting as Irelands rain forestwithin which some two third of our native birds use to roost, nest and feed.

Currently, to our shame and the shame of our present collision government; Irish current rules regarding any hedge removal, facilitate the eradication of half a kilometre (.62mls) of hedgerow, without any environmental assessment or scrutiny.
Some 95% of all applications for hedgerow removal are approved, thus eradicating a huge pollinator and wildlife reservoir, not to mention an area supporting massive carbon storage.

Sadly, their calls; to quote a line from William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, will be “More honoured in the breach than the observance.”