Louth Fianna Fáil Senator James Carroll has urged local students to make an early application for grants.
“The details have just been announced for the student maintenance grant schemes for the coming academic year and I would encourage students to get their applications in early.”
“This year’s student maintenance grant schemes have undergone a number of changes to make the application process easier and to ensure that students receive their grant on time.”
“The positive changes will mean that students can apply earlier for their grant; the grant application form is now more user-friendly and can be downloaded from www.studentfinance.ie; and advance payments will be made to awarding authorities to allow prompt payment to students.”
“The income limits for maintenance grants and payment of the student services charge will remain unchanged despite the downward trend in average earnings. Those parents or guardians with fewer than four dependent children can earn up to €51,380 without having to pay the student service charge.”
“For families on low incomes, the annual income threshold for students getting the higher special rate of maintenance grant is being increased from €22,308 to €22,703 ensuring that students from families on the lowest incomes and in receipt of an eligible long-term social protection payment will continue to qualify for maximum rates of grant.”
“All CAO applicants will be contacted directly to encourage early grant application. As almost two out of every five students qualify for some sort of financial support I would encourage students and their families to explore all of the options,” concluded Senator Carroll.
Free of Charge
Tuesday 1st June @ 6.00pm
Crown Plaza, Dundalk,
Co Louth.
Theme
“Business Finance, Financial Planning and Grants”
• Speakers are representated from each SFA, the CEB’s, EI, IBEC and the Irish Taxation Institute. Each speaker will talk for 10mins, with attendees offered the opportunity of a one-to-one meeting at an information desk after the presentations.
• There is no charge to attend
Objective
• The objective of the seminars is to keep S.M.E.’s appraised of funding and services currently available. The presentation also includes Tax advice and information on the graduate programme run by IBEC. Advice on working with banks will also be mentioned.
Organised by Enterprise Ireland, the Small Firms Association, IBEC, the Irish Taxation Institute and the County Enterprise Boards, the seminars will be held at locations across the country from Monday 24th May to Friday 4th June 2010.
The seminars will coincide with European SME Week, which will see a host of entrepreneurship and business events taking place country-wide from 25 May to 1 June.
Conor Fahy, Regional Director for the Border Region, Enterprise Ireland when welcoming the initiative said:
“This series of seminars is an important opportunity for S.M.E.’s in the North East to hear about the full range of information and supports that are available to help them deal with the issues that have a real impact on how they can effectively manage and grow their business. It links closely to a key priority of the Louth Economic Forum.” Conor continued: “Whether it is starting or expanding a business, accessing funding, improving competitiveness, exploring new product or market opportunities –right across the spectrum of business activities, there is support available.”
‘These finance seminars are all about assisting businesses gain a greater understanding of financial and taxation information, business development supports and employment initiatives’.
’These areas can be confusing for many firms as they are often unsure of where to access relevant information; what form of funding, employment or tax incentives might be available to them or the process involved in accessing and applying for funding or tax reliefs.
‘At the Seminars businesses will also have an opportunity to network with other business people who are dealing with similar issues across all sectors and markets, and to engage with business experts, in their own locality,’ said Minister Kelleher.
Avine McNally, Acting Director, Small Firms Association said: “In an increasingly challenging and competitive environment for SMEs it has never been more important for owner-managers, to have every possible advantage in ensuring the survival and growth of their business.
AIB have announced that they are to make €500 million available to viable small businesses. However, this must be backed up by actual lending here on the ground in Louth and Meath, Senator James Carroll has added.
Senator James Carroll said: “AIB’s move is a welcome response to the meeting the new Minister for Enterprise Batt O’Keeffe had with AIB. Time and time again, I have implored publicly and privately the need for working capital to viable small businesses as many of them are being blocked when it comes to accessing credit to keep going in these straitened financial times.”
Minister Batt O’Keeffe has said that the bank’s pledge must be honoured. “I will be demanding that nothing less than this is accepted. I have had business people in my Drogheda constituency office that have never missed a repayment have had their overdraft wiped out overnight by banks; indeed, by banks that would not exist except for us, the taxpayers”.
The Government have said that they will be closely scrutinising the proposals submitted by the two main banks, AIB and BOI to the Department of Finance last week to ensure that they are appropriately geared towards providing a credit supply to small businesses.
It is the role of the new credit reviewer, John Trethowen to monitor the supply of credit and adjudicate on a new appeals process on behalf of borrowers. “I want to see our banks, which have been saved at enormous cost to the taxpayer, acting responsibly and in the best interests of small businesses so that we can create jobs in the domestic economy and advance our recovery as a nation,” Senator Carroll added.
“The reality is that small businesses employ some 700,000 workers here out of a total Irish workforce of 1.9 million. Locally, with big industries having left south and mid Louth in recent years, small businesses are the lifeblood of employment here locally and unless, we see credit moving in real terms, more jobs will be lost across the whole north east,” Senator Carroll concluded.
I support colleagues who raised the issue of the redress scheme for Dr. Neary’s victims. A number of Members have raised the issue in both Houses. With Oireachtas colleagues in the north-east region, I have met victims who are excluded owing to the current parameters of the redress scheme. It is such a unique and heart rending case in many respects that I hope the Leader will take on board the request for statements on the matter because the Minister for Health and Children should address the issue in the House. It is most unfair and arbitrary to make a date of birth the barrier to access the scheme. As previous speakers said, deliberately leaving some women out will make them feel even worse and this doubles the harshness of the unfair treatment they received at the hands of the heath service, an arm of the State. It behoves the Members of both Houses to put in place a structure to accommodates the women concerned and their families and gives them an opportunity to address the stress and suffering they have endured throughout their lives. I urge the Leader to take on board our concerns. I thank colleagues for raising the issue here today and in the Dáil last week.
Le Chéile NS Mornington had its official opening last Friday, 14th May. Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern officially cut the ribbon and declared the school open.
“The Prinicipal Fiona Rock coordinated the day and it was a magnificent success. The incredibly talented Jennifer Cassidy was musical and dance director for the day. The students sang, danced and displayed all their varied talents during the official opening ceremony,” said Senator James Carroll who was in attendance.
Principal Fiona Rock and National CEO of Educate Together Paul Rowe gave the local public representatives a tour of the new building after the ribbon was officially cut by Minister Ahern.
“I wish all the staff and pupils all the best into the future and I am sure they will enjoy their new surroundings which are excellent. Credit must be given to the Parents Association and the original Start Up Committee without whom this school would not be here today”, concluded Senator Carroll.
ENDS
The Seanad is discussing today,Thursday 13th May,the Croke Park Agreement. One of the most important, recurring topics of discussion in recent weeks has been the Croke Park Deal with the public sector unions. There have been thousands of words of newsprint published on this subject, along with countless minutes of radio and television coverage dedicated to the subject.
Yet throughout all that media coverage there has been barely a peep out of the Labour Party and their leader Eamon Gilmore has been unnaturally quiet on the subject. Deputy Gilmore has never been one to pass a microphone without stopping to pontificate on the subject of the day. Yet on this particular subject we’ve heard virtually nothing from him.
This is despite that fact that this is one issue where the Labour Party has an opportunity to show REAL leadership; not just talk, but serious action. The fact is that Labour, under Eamon Gilmore, remain the political party with the closest ties to the trade union leaders. They have strong, close bonds with the head people in all these unions and invariably whatever the leader of the Labour Party has to say on any national agreement, will have a strong influence on the decisions they taken by the trade unions.
Yet with this instrumental influence in his hands, Deputy Gilmore is walking away from the issue, choosing not to exercise his responsibility and climbing up on the fence.
Only a few weeks ago, Deputy Gilmore was telling the country that he and his party were ready to lead. Yet when the opportunity comes to show us they know what leadership is, they flounder on the rocks of decisiveness.
It took a former Labour Party leader, Deputy Ruairi Quinn, to break the Labour silence and encourage the trade union leadership to back the Croke Park deal. As Deputy Quinn said during a discussion on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, “The alternative is a period of strife and a period of uncertainty and that’s the last thing that we [the country] need.”
I completely agree with that point and I along with my colleagues in Fianna Fáil hope the various trade unions will sign up to it in the coming weeks.
However to help us achieve that goal, I urge Deputy Gilmore to back the Croke Park deal. He can’t be allowed to duck his responsibility on this issue if he wants to be treated as a serious political leader.
So let’s hear you, Deputy Gilmore, speak up, climb down off the fence and show leadership.
ENDS
The new National Solidarity Bond commenced selling this week from all local Post Offices. Senator James Carroll welcoming this week’s official launch by the National Treasury Management Agency of the National Solidarity Bond said: “I was hearterned to hear Minister Lenihan announce this new bond in his Budget 2010 speech last December. This bond is an innovative product from which everyone can benefit.”
“Ordinary people who invest can play their part in supporting the economy through this bond which will help to fund the capital investment programme to develop important infrastructure”.
In return, the Irish Government, acting through the National Treasury Management Agency, will provide a return on investment of 50% gross over ten years. After tax the net return will still be a very healthy 47.5%.
“This bond is directly invested with the Irish Government for 10 years under the management of the National Treasury Management Agency and there are no fees, charges or sales commission attached to the bond,” added Senator Carroll.
While the minimum investment amount is €500 there is also a provision for regular savings of €25 which will be automatically invested in the Bond when your savings accumulate to €500. The maximum individual investment is €250,000 or €500,000 from two joint investors.
Investors can have their money back at any time without penalty.
The longer you leave your money invested the greater the return:
• At the end of 5 years you will earn 15% Gross
• or the end of 7 years you will earn 29% Gross
• or at the end of 10 years you will earn 50% Gross
Senator Carroll said “I would encourage people to look at this option. The SSIA was a great success and here is a new scheme to which people can make money and also contribute to the recovery of the economy”.
All details including brochures, application forms and Terms & Conditions will be available from this evening on their website www.StateSavings.ie or call them at 1850 30 50 60 or email them at Service@StateSavings.ie or via post to State Savings, GPO, Dublin 1.
ENDS
Senator James Carroll has endorsed the Tanaiste and Minister for Education Mary Coughlan’s comments that she intends to introduce bonus points for higher level Leaving Cert maths.
“I believe that with the collective focus on the ‘Smart Economy’ into the future, it is essential that students who do well in Leaving Cert higher maths be awarded accordingly. The representative business, engineering and maths bodies have called for this and I strongly urge the new Minister for Education and Skills Mary Coughlan to implement this swiftly”.
The Minister has said that for Ireland to succeed in our ambition as the innovation island, we must not be shy in targeting any skills gap we identify in our labour force.
“It is evident that maths is somewhere we could do better, so it is important that we embrace that challenge and take steps to remedy the situation,” added Senator Carroll.
ICT Ireland, the IBEC group that represents the high-tech sector, have urged Ms Coughlan to introduce it as soon as possible. Paul Sweetman, ICT Ireland director, said: “The reintroduction of bonus points will send a clear signal to national and international industry leaders that Ireland is serious about developing a smart economy.
“Higher-level maths provides students with key skills needed for the high-tech jobs Ireland is working to attract. The opportunity of achieving bonus points will encourage more students to take the course”, said Senator Carroll.
ENDS
The Health Service Executive today (Tuesday 4th May 2010) presented its new public consultation document entitled The HSE and You. The HSE is seeking the input from people from all parts of society as part of a public consultation for the development of a Patient Charter for the health services.
Everyone comes into contact with some aspect of the health services, whether directly or through friends and family. This public consultation is an opportunity to have your views heard and to contribute to a new Patient Charter that will define what service users can expect from the HSE and what the HSE can expect from service users.
The HSE and You aims to inform and empower individuals, families and communities to actively look after their own health and to influence quality healthcare in Ireland. If you would like to be a part of this process the HSE would like to hear from you. Participating simply requires you to complete the questionnaire provided and return it to the HSE by Monday, 31st May 2010.
The consultation document sets out supporting arrangements for a partnership of care between everyone involved in healthcare – patients, families, carers and healthcare providers. Developed by the HSE and the Department of Health & Children in consultation with patient advocates the consultation document sets out what a service user can expect from the HSE and what service users responsibilities are in relation to maintaining their personal health and in contributing to the efficient running of the health service.
Nine key areas of responsibility of the health services to patients are identified – access, respect, safety, communication, information, participation, privacy, being heard and prevention. Patients too have responsibilities which are identified across 7 areas or values – access, respect, safety, communication, participation, prevention and giving feedback. Seeking feedback from the public and from health service staff on their areas of responsibility, values and expectations is central to the consultation process and will deliver a Patient Charter which responds to the needs of service users and their care providers.
The public can view the consultation document at www.hse.ie or www.dohc.ie or request that a copy to be emailed or posted to them. The consultation questions are detailed on page 20 of the document and the deadline for receipt of submissions is Monday 31st May 2010.
The public can then return their feedback/submissions as follows:
By post to the Advocacy Unit, Oak House, Millennium Park, Naas, Co Kildare
By email to june.boulger2@hse.ie or yoursay@hse.ie
By telephone at 045 – 882544
The publication of the final Guide/Charter will be available in leaflet format and will be distributed widely once completed.
Contact Senator James Carroll, Seanad Eireann, Leinster House, Dublin 2
Tel: 01-6184374
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