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21/06/2008
HALLINAN HITS OUT AT CUTS TO RURAL TRANSPORT
Paraic Hallinan, the Sinn Fein representative for Dromore, has strongly condemned the local government T.Ds over the government’s announcement that they intend to cut all funding for night time transport initiatives in rural Ireland.
“Throughout my canvass during the local election campaign” stated Mr Hallinan, “ many people expressed concern over reports of an imminent cut to the rural transport scheme. This scheme is a lifeline to many elderly people who need it for their only social occasion during the week. It is a necessary service to allow elderly people in rural areas to continue to live independently.”
“The cuts announced by the government will affect rural evening and night time transport in Sligo, Donegal and Cavan, services will expire on July 10th and will not be renewed by the department. As we have seen earlier this year when it comes to cuts in public transport it is regional and rural areas that are first in the firing line. The local government T.Ds have been silent on this issue and it appears that they have no understanding of the importance of rural transport to people throughout rural Sligo. The loss of this vital service will be detrimental for the rural community, for jobs and most of all to those at risk of social exclusion.”
In conclusion Mr Hallinan called on the Minister to “end his short sightedness, West Sligo has suffered enough neglect from the government, it is high time to stand up for the area, these cuts must be reversed now.”
CRIOCH
For confirmation contact Paraic Hallinan @ 087 2853064
Massive Blow to Rural
Ireland
-- Hallinan
April 2009
The Sinn Féin candidate for the West
Sligo area, Padraic Hallinan, has described the Budget as a massive blow to rural Ireland.
Speaking in Dromore West he was responding specifically to the cuts in REPS
payments and to Sustainable Energy research as well as to the overall
impact that the tax increases, income levy and the range of cuts will have on
ordinary families.
Mr Hallinan said: “The specific cuts in
the agricultural sector, most notably the reduction in REPS
payments, will add further to the downward pressure on
incomes, particularly of smaller farms in the west and northwest
which rely greatly on REPS. The cut to sustainable energy research
will also mean the ending of renewable energy projects that promised
to create jobs. Above all perhaps it underlines the absolute hypocrisy and
bankruptcy of the Greens.
“The diesel increases and the cuts in the subvention
to CIE will obviously affect peoples’ mobility and increase
isolation, and in combination with all the other cuts
we have had to date, to schools, the Sports Capital grant and
so on will have a devastating impact on rural communities and force
many many thousands to once again leave. Ironically,”
concluded Mr Hallinan, “they will be joining in exile with the
wealthy elite of this state who refuse to pay tax, who are untouched by
the Budget and who in reality employ very few people here. It is good to know
the Government knows who their real friends are.” ENDS
For confirmation contact Padraic Hallinan @087 2853064
E.U. CANDIDATE TO
SUPPORT SLIGO ROAD
During his visit
to Sligo last Wednesday the Sinn Fein E.U candidate Councillor Padraig Mac
Lochlainn joined local election candidate Mr Thomas Healy on an inspection of
the Collooney to Castlebaldwin stretch of the N4.
This section is
widely regarded as being the most dangerous part of the Dublin road and has
witnessed many serious accidents. Despite promises from both government and
opposition elected representatives there is as yet no firm commitment to
upgrade this roadway.
During the
inspection Mr Healy pointed out the particularly dangerous junctions to Cllr
Mac Lochlainn along with poor visibility areas. “This section of the N4 is a vital
artery for the entite region”, stated Cllr Mac Lochlainn. “Despite years of
promises the project is still at the
draft preliminary design stage and will only be progressed following the
completion of the Tubbercurry Bypass documents by Sligo County Council. This
amounts to blatant discrimination against infrastructural projects in the west
and demonstrates the lack of strategic balanced planning to this region from
successive governments. When I am elected as an M.E.P” concluded Cllr Mac
Lochlann, “ I will seek priority funding for the Collooney to Castlebaldwin
section of the N4 and will also campaign to provide a single Governmental
Department with overall responsibility for Regional Development”. CRIOCH
MacManus--Farm
Cuts Are Attack on Rural
Ireland(23-Oct-08)
Sligo Sinn Féin
Councillor Sean MacManus has described the savage cuts in the Budget allocation
for agriculture, fisheries and food as an attack on rural
Ireland. In
particular Councillor MacManus was scathing in his criticism of the cuts
proposed in the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme and Disadvantaged Area Payments
which will hit low income farmers worst.
Councillor MacManus
said: “The outcome of this budget amount’s to an all-out attack on farming, the
most successful and largest employing indigenous sector of our economy. It is
an industry that was almost sacrificed at the WTO and is now being undermined
by the wholesale withdrawal of investment in research, disadvantaged areas and
land transfer that will be directly responsible for forcing more people out of
farming and that, in turn, will cost more jobs. Fianna Fail and their new
friends the Green Party don’t seem to care about the future of the Irish
farming industry.
It appears that
Minister Smith will cut the ¤80 payment on the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme in
half from next year, this is estimated to cost
Sligo
farmers over ¤500 on average. This cut, coupled with the decision to cut the
Disadvantaged Area Payments which will see farmers in Co. Sligo facing a cut of
¤1015 on average, is a direct attack on many areas of rural
Ireland. In
particular it will directly affect the income of the most vulnerable farming
sector, many on low income and situated on marginal land-holdings.
“Coupled with the
miserly government decision to cut the Early Retirement Scheme and Young Farmer
Installation Scheme, both of which were scrapped in last weeks Budget, this
adds up to a sorry message to Irish farming.
“These cuts—which may
cost up to ¤400 million-- represent a vote of no confidence in the rural
economy. Instead of building on our advantages in the food sector and the
potential for expanding the production of energy crops, this Government is
opting for short term savings that will result in the loss of jobs and the
further undermining of farm households and rural communities in general.”
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