This is from a report in today's Irish Independent. This is also being discussed over on Politics.ie here.
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A Green Party TD today lodged an official complaint with the gardai about the expenses claims of controversial Senator Ivor Callely. Paul Gogarty, who has written to the Seanad complaining about the politician's alleged conduct, went to Dublin's Lucan Garda Station asking for an investigation to be carried out.
The Dublin Mid-West TD said he made the move because of public anger. "In that context, I went to the garda station... requested an investigation formally, acknowledge that I have no role in influencing the investigation in any way, except to bring it to their attention, and gave my details," Mr Gogarty said.
Mr Gogarty, who also handed in two copies of a Sunday newspaper report detailing the latest allegations, said a garda at Lucan told him an investigation would be carried out.
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Let me remind readers that this is the same Paul Gogarty who voted confidence in Willy O'Dea, and found nothing wrong with the expenses of John O'Donoghue.
So Paul, why report Ivor when you support Willy and John?
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Green Party support another cut to Education ... this time it's €2 billion
Fianna Fáil and the Greens have slashed school budgets by a massive €2 billion in the Capital Expenditure Programme announced this week and this will have a devastating effect on schools and children, according to Fine Gael Education Spokesman, Fergus O’Dowd TD link.
O'Dowd said, "Once again, Fianna Fáil and the Greens are targeting the most vulnerable and it is children who will feel the pain of this massive cutback. The Revised Capital Expenditure Programme has actually slashed schools budgets by 40% when compared to the National Development Plan. To add insult to injury, the Government have attempted to hide this cut.
The NDP provided for €5.1 billion in funding to the school building programme with €4.5 billion going to the Schools Infrastructure Sub-Programme, €318 million going on curriculum reform and professional development and €252 million being made available for ICT in schools. However, the Revised Capital Expenditure Programme merged these three spending areas into one budget as opposed to breaking them down into individual budgets as was done in the NDP. The Budget in the capital expenditure programme was €3.1 billion, a massive €2 billion write-down from what was pledged before.
It is clear that Fianna Fáil and the Greens merged the spending areas into one budget in an attempt to hide the cuts but there is no way that schools across the country will ignore a 40% cut in promised funds."
O'Dowd said, "Once again, Fianna Fáil and the Greens are targeting the most vulnerable and it is children who will feel the pain of this massive cutback. The Revised Capital Expenditure Programme has actually slashed schools budgets by 40% when compared to the National Development Plan. To add insult to injury, the Government have attempted to hide this cut.
The NDP provided for €5.1 billion in funding to the school building programme with €4.5 billion going to the Schools Infrastructure Sub-Programme, €318 million going on curriculum reform and professional development and €252 million being made available for ICT in schools. However, the Revised Capital Expenditure Programme merged these three spending areas into one budget as opposed to breaking them down into individual budgets as was done in the NDP. The Budget in the capital expenditure programme was €3.1 billion, a massive €2 billion write-down from what was pledged before.
It is clear that Fianna Fáil and the Greens merged the spending areas into one budget in an attempt to hide the cuts but there is no way that schools across the country will ignore a 40% cut in promised funds."
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Competition Authority rejects Poolbeg complaints
This from An Irish Town Planners Blog ...
The Competition Authority has rejected a number of complaints by the Irish Waste Management Authority (IWMA) about the planned incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin.
Dublin City Council said the Competition Authority had confirmed that 'there is no breach of Irish competition law' in relation to the Dublin Waste to Energy plant at Poolbeg. Four complaints made "have been rejected in their entirety by the Competition Authority,” the council said.
The IWMA said that the authority had stated 'one complaint merited further investigation at this time, one complaint was a matter for the EU Commission to consider further, three complaints raised future anti-competitive threats', one complaint was upheld, two complaints required further information for the authority to proceed further and one complaint 'did not give rise to competition concerns'.
The four main complaints rejected include -
* that the council and Dublin Waste to Energy Ltd entered into arrangements that could amount to a concerted practice in breach of the Competition Act;
* that the two bodies could engage in abuse of a dominant position to engage in predatory pricing for waste treatment;
* that the public-private partnership amounted to a State aid in breach of European law - and
* that there was a price-fixing arrangement in breach of the Competition Act.
The IWMA said that, with regard to some of the complaints, the Competition Authority “acknowledges that it does not have enough information to proceed further at this stage”.
A spokesman for Minister for the Environment John Gormley said - “We weren’t a party to the complaints, so we haven’t received the response at this stage”.
Dublin City Council assistant manager Séamus Lyons said - “We are delighted that the Competition Authority is the latest statutory agency to confirm that the Poolbeg Waste to Energy plant is fully within the law. It is also in line with best practice.”
Mr Lyons said the IWMA did not object to the Poolbeg plant in the 10 years it was going through the statutory processes, “when they had plenty of opportunity to make their views known.
"It is only since 2007 that the IWMA has sought, at every turn, to stop Dubliners from having the most innovative waste management system on a par with the best in Europe, with maximum recycling and minimum waste going to landfill.”
Link
The Competition Authority has rejected a number of complaints by the Irish Waste Management Authority (IWMA) about the planned incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin.
Dublin City Council said the Competition Authority had confirmed that 'there is no breach of Irish competition law' in relation to the Dublin Waste to Energy plant at Poolbeg. Four complaints made "have been rejected in their entirety by the Competition Authority,” the council said.
The IWMA said that the authority had stated 'one complaint merited further investigation at this time, one complaint was a matter for the EU Commission to consider further, three complaints raised future anti-competitive threats', one complaint was upheld, two complaints required further information for the authority to proceed further and one complaint 'did not give rise to competition concerns'.
The four main complaints rejected include -
* that the council and Dublin Waste to Energy Ltd entered into arrangements that could amount to a concerted practice in breach of the Competition Act;
* that the two bodies could engage in abuse of a dominant position to engage in predatory pricing for waste treatment;
* that the public-private partnership amounted to a State aid in breach of European law - and
* that there was a price-fixing arrangement in breach of the Competition Act.
The IWMA said that, with regard to some of the complaints, the Competition Authority “acknowledges that it does not have enough information to proceed further at this stage”.
A spokesman for Minister for the Environment John Gormley said - “We weren’t a party to the complaints, so we haven’t received the response at this stage”.
Dublin City Council assistant manager Séamus Lyons said - “We are delighted that the Competition Authority is the latest statutory agency to confirm that the Poolbeg Waste to Energy plant is fully within the law. It is also in line with best practice.”
Mr Lyons said the IWMA did not object to the Poolbeg plant in the 10 years it was going through the statutory processes, “when they had plenty of opportunity to make their views known.
"It is only since 2007 that the IWMA has sought, at every turn, to stop Dubliners from having the most innovative waste management system on a par with the best in Europe, with maximum recycling and minimum waste going to landfill.”
Link
The Green party will oppose education cuts in Budget 2011 ... oh really?
I've started (what has turned out to be a very interesting) Politics.ie thread on this here. This thread is definitely worth a read just to see the bare faced denial that there have been education cuts from Green Party members posting on the thread ... even in the face of irrefutable proof.
Paul Gogarty has claimed the education cuts from Budget 2009 have been reversed. He also claimed that his support of these cuts made him "vomit continuously", And what of poor old Trevor Sargent? He says the education cuts "turns my stomach".
According to todays Irish Times Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley made clear his party would oppose education cuts. “You can look at the renewed programme for Government and you can see there that there are priorities that have been put in place, for example education spending is extremely important,” he said.
Well I have some news for Mr. Gogarty, Mr. Sargent, and Minister Gormley... The education cuts have not been reversed. In fact, there were education cuts in the December 2009 budget, and there continue to be education cuts in 2010.
"Funding the University sector in Ireland" - The extent of the financial and operational crisis facing the university sector has been outlined in a stark letter sent to the seven presidents by Higher Education Authority (HEA) chief executive Tom Boland. He tells the colleges to brace themselves for an unprecedented range of cuts over the next year as the Government seeks to achieve €3 billion in overall exchequer savings. Colleges are advised to take “whatever action is needed’’ in advance of reductions in core funding.
Cutbacks in staff numbers and in the range of programmes on offer appear inevitable. The colleges have been told also they can expect no increase in student charges for the next academic year.
It is a bleak scenario. The colleges are being asked to manage record numbers of students with greatly reduced resources.
"30 disadvantaged schools to lose librarians" - It has been announced that up to 30 of the country's most disadvantaged schools are to lose librarian services that were granted in an attempt to boost literacy levels. Tánaiste and Minister for Education Mary Coughlan has confirmed that the contracts of many of the librarians working on the scheme will not be renewed over the summer. €9m has been invested to open the libraries.
"FF/Green Party announce 353 fewer SNA posts" - Minister for Education Mary Coughlan has told the Dáil that 353 fewer special needs assistants will be sanctioned following completion of a review of special education.
This document from UCD "Education policy choices in an economic downturn" outlines additional education cuts - “The economic turnaround has had immediate effects on education.” Professor Sheelagh Drudy says. “The December 2009 budget extended the cuts in education. The 2008 October budget set out a programme of cuts in services which included an increase in class sizes in primary and post-primary schools, and a consequent loss of teaching posts, cuts in the allocations to teacher professional development, cuts in higher education funding and cutbacks on a range of schemes designed to support disadvantaged and marginalised pupils.” Commenting on impact of the 2009 budget cuts, Drudy noted that, in addition to pay-cuts for teachers (along with all public servants), education cuts amounted to €134 million and included reduced funding for the Strategic Innovation Fund in education, further reductions in the allocations to higher education institutions, reductions in rates of student support grants and grants to Youthreach and VTOS, ‘rationalisation’ of teacher support services and ‘efficiencies’ in school transport.
The National Association of VTOS Co-ordinators - The loss of the maintenance grant for VTOS students doing PLC courses, uneven though it was, will make progression for our graduates more difficult
Further education cuts are outlined in the "Summary of Budget Measures 2010".
I'm not sure what planet Gormley and Gogarty are currently resident on, but the Green Party claim that "education will be protected" and that the "education cuts have been reversed" are clearly nonsense.
Keep on vomiting Paul.
Paul Gogarty has claimed the education cuts from Budget 2009 have been reversed. He also claimed that his support of these cuts made him "vomit continuously", And what of poor old Trevor Sargent? He says the education cuts "turns my stomach".
According to todays Irish Times Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley made clear his party would oppose education cuts. “You can look at the renewed programme for Government and you can see there that there are priorities that have been put in place, for example education spending is extremely important,” he said.
Well I have some news for Mr. Gogarty, Mr. Sargent, and Minister Gormley... The education cuts have not been reversed. In fact, there were education cuts in the December 2009 budget, and there continue to be education cuts in 2010.
"Funding the University sector in Ireland" - The extent of the financial and operational crisis facing the university sector has been outlined in a stark letter sent to the seven presidents by Higher Education Authority (HEA) chief executive Tom Boland. He tells the colleges to brace themselves for an unprecedented range of cuts over the next year as the Government seeks to achieve €3 billion in overall exchequer savings. Colleges are advised to take “whatever action is needed’’ in advance of reductions in core funding.
Cutbacks in staff numbers and in the range of programmes on offer appear inevitable. The colleges have been told also they can expect no increase in student charges for the next academic year.
It is a bleak scenario. The colleges are being asked to manage record numbers of students with greatly reduced resources.
"30 disadvantaged schools to lose librarians" - It has been announced that up to 30 of the country's most disadvantaged schools are to lose librarian services that were granted in an attempt to boost literacy levels. Tánaiste and Minister for Education Mary Coughlan has confirmed that the contracts of many of the librarians working on the scheme will not be renewed over the summer. €9m has been invested to open the libraries.
"FF/Green Party announce 353 fewer SNA posts" - Minister for Education Mary Coughlan has told the Dáil that 353 fewer special needs assistants will be sanctioned following completion of a review of special education.
This document from UCD "Education policy choices in an economic downturn" outlines additional education cuts - “The economic turnaround has had immediate effects on education.” Professor Sheelagh Drudy says. “The December 2009 budget extended the cuts in education. The 2008 October budget set out a programme of cuts in services which included an increase in class sizes in primary and post-primary schools, and a consequent loss of teaching posts, cuts in the allocations to teacher professional development, cuts in higher education funding and cutbacks on a range of schemes designed to support disadvantaged and marginalised pupils.” Commenting on impact of the 2009 budget cuts, Drudy noted that, in addition to pay-cuts for teachers (along with all public servants), education cuts amounted to €134 million and included reduced funding for the Strategic Innovation Fund in education, further reductions in the allocations to higher education institutions, reductions in rates of student support grants and grants to Youthreach and VTOS, ‘rationalisation’ of teacher support services and ‘efficiencies’ in school transport.
The National Association of VTOS Co-ordinators - The loss of the maintenance grant for VTOS students doing PLC courses, uneven though it was, will make progression for our graduates more difficult
Further education cuts are outlined in the "Summary of Budget Measures 2010".
I'm not sure what planet Gormley and Gogarty are currently resident on, but the Green Party claim that "education will be protected" and that the "education cuts have been reversed" are clearly nonsense.
Keep on vomiting Paul.
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