tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-244756462024-03-07T22:38:33.444+00:00Dominic Hannigan's blogSenator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.comBlogger189125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-11820226254734601302010-10-17T11:43:00.002+01:002010-10-17T11:46:25.874+01:00I've Moved Blogs!I've moved my blog to incorporate it into my website. You can see it at :<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dominichannigan.com/blog">www.dominichannigan.com</a>Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-69038621726394043002010-06-07T11:25:00.001+01:002010-06-07T11:25:29.956+01:00Anglo gets another €2bnDespite the fact that this week the government gave another €2,000,000,000 to Anglo Irish bank (that’s €500 from every man, woman and child in the country) there has been little debate on the subject. It’s almost taken as a given now that every few weeks or so we have to find another lump of money to put into the bank. You have to wonder is this just more good money going after bad. If this was any other business in the private sector it would have been let go to the wall long ago.<br /><br />Instead of discussing Anglo, the airways have been consumed with the Gazan flotilla and with Ivor Callery’s driving expenses, leaving little room for anything else. <br /><br />On Wednesday Donie Cassidy arranged for a debate on the subject of Gaza in the Seanad. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was present, as were about 6 or 7 Senators from the different parties. I thought that we had a good debate on the issues, which included discussion about the Goldstone report, Israel’s invitation into the OECD, Operation Cast Lead (from Christmas last year) and of course the attack on the flotilla. Minister Martin was on top of his brief, and I think it was a very useful exploration of the whole issue. <br /><br />On Thursday we were meant to have the Israeli ambassador come in to our Foreign Affairs Committee. He pulled out at the last minute so instead we had Shane Dillon, one of the travellers from the flotilla, come in to recount his experience. The place was packed with TDs, Senators, journalists and members of the public. It’s not often we get such an attendance at our committee!<br /><br />On a blog posting a few weeks back I mentioned that I was looking for help over the summer months. There are a few projects I want to get done and we don’t have the capacity in the office to carry them out ourselves. Well, a large number of people applied for the position, I’m glad to say. The calibre of the applicants was excellent and it was difficult to reduce the total number of applicants down to a select set for interview. We held the interviews on Thursday last and we are now making some tough decisions about who to offer the positions to. The reality is that all of the interviewees were very suitable, but the problem is that we haven’t room for everyone!<br /><br />Many thanks to Cathy in HQ for helping with the arrangements on this.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-41321096249229536682010-05-23T13:04:00.001+01:002010-05-23T13:04:44.830+01:00Canvassing in East MeathI’ve commented before on the impact that the new Garda communications system TETRA is having on the reception of some people’s TVs in the north east. The problem arises because the TETRA signal interferes with the signals for the BBC, UTV and Channel 4 coming in from Northern Ireland. <br /><br />We discussed the matter in the Seanad a few weeks back. At the time Minister Conor Lenihan agreed to arrange a meeting with TETRA to see what could be done. We held that meeting on Thursday last in Leinster House.<br /><br />After our pre-meeting in the Minister’s office we went across to meet TETRA. On the way we managed to get stuck in a lift, and if it wasn’t for the Irish Army we’d probably still be there! I tweeted about it and the matter was subsequently reported in Miriam Lord’s article in Saturday’s Irish Times.<br /><br />The meeting went well, but the key point for TETRA is that their systems are working as planned, and hence they are not accepting any responsibility for the issue. Us public representatives are most concerned about those people who cannot afford the fix (there’s one available at a cost, including installation, of between €50 and €400, depending on your TV equipment). We’d like to see something done for them.<br /><br />What was interesting to note however was that the issue of not receiving the BBC and ITV is going to get even more widespread in a couple of years time, when the signal switches from analogue to digital. At that stage every home will need to buy a decoder box if they want to continue getting Northern Ireland programs.<br /><br />On Friday evening I went along to The Rose Ball in Dublin. It also doubled as Eamon Gimore’s 21st year as a public representative. There was a big crowd there, and it was good to see so many familiar faces. It felt like our annual conference all over again. I was on the water because I had an early start the next morning. I stayed until just after twelve and then drove home.<br /><br />Saturday was the hottest day of the year. We had canvassing arranged for East Meath so despite the day being more suited to lying on the beach, we carted ourselves from estate to estate. There were lots of people at home, with frequent smells of BBQs from back gardens. Without exception people were in good form, enjoying the balmy weather. Let’s hope it lasts until September. I think we could all do with a respite from the miserable climate we’ve had for the last year. Also, it might have a positive effect on the home tourism market, which we’re all concerned about due to the ash cloud.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-57269545650607245672010-05-16T12:50:00.002+01:002010-05-16T12:50:35.878+01:00Looking for an Intern....I was fortunate to attend an opening this week – the new Le Ceile school on the Mill Road in Mornington had its official opening on Friday and I was asked along.<br /><br />The school has been in the planning stages for many years, so it was great to see the efforts of the parents and teachers finally come to fruition. Over the years I’ve been at meetings, fundraisers and also spoken about the need for the school in the Seanad, so it was great to see the building in place. <br /><br />The pupils and teachers put on a show for the assembled guests, which was very enjoyable. Around the room I recognised parents from across East Meath – the catchment area for the school would stretch from Drogheda to Bettystown, including areas such as Grange Rath. It’s places like these that have seen significant population growth over the last decade; these permanent school buildings are needed to cater for this growth.<br /><br />The next campaign in the area will be for a secondary school. I attended a meeting a few weeks back with parents who would like to see an Irish speaking secondary school in the area. Currently there is none in the region. It’s something that needs to be looked at, because we have new Gaelscoileanna starting up in many of our villages and towns in the area and yet once the students are finished primary school they have no options to continue learning through Irish.<br /><br />During the week I also posted an application looking for someone to come in and work with me for the summer months. They would be working at least 3 days a week throughout July and August. The intern position would suit someone in full-time education who would like to get some research and marketing experience on their cv. The key requirements are for them to be enthusiastic, a team player with a grasp of EXCEL, WORD and the internet. If you know anyone interested that might be suitable then perhaps you could ask them to drop me an email.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-49757691068319763342010-05-09T12:31:00.000+01:002010-05-09T12:32:05.337+01:00Packed out at The SnailboxOn Wednesday I attended a public meeting in The Snailbox Pub at Kilmoon Cross to discuss the Dog Breeding Establishment Bill and the forthcoming Wildlife Bill. The evening was arranged by RISE (Rural Ireland Says Enough) and a crowd of about 350 were present.<br /><br />Apart from myself and the other local Oireachtas members there were several Councillors present. We listened to the views of speakers from the Ward Union Hunt, a vet, a representative from fishermen and a representative from a Gun Club, amongst others. <br /><br />The key issue coming out of the meeting was the worry of many that these two pieces of legislation were just the thin edge of the wedge, and that further legislation would come in later, to ban things such as shooting, fishing and even sports such as horse-racing.<br /><br />I spoke in relation to this. I explained that there is no appetite amongst any politician on our side of the house to ban fishing, or ban shooting. I also updated the audience on the position in relation to the Dog Breeders Bill, including the Labour Party’s tabling of amendments on the inspection regime and on trying to get rid of the dog microchipping proposal. In relation to the Wildlife Bill, the Party has yet to conclude our discussions on the matter and on how we will deal with the government’s proposals.<br /><br />Despite the strongly-held views of the crowd, it was a pleasant, well-arranged and well-managed meeting. Everyone was very civil to each other, and the evening flew by. I left at about 11:20pm. Rather than eating dinner I went straight to bed, since I had a 6am start on Thursday.<br /><br />I was already quite beat by the time I got home on Thursday evening, just in time to tune in to the exit polls from the UK. Straight away they were predicting a hung parliament. The Lib Dems spokespeople were all dissing the polls, trotting out the situation of 1992, where the exit polls were way out. I didn’t buy it. Polling has come on considerably since then. A sample of 18,000 people across the country was going to give a fairly accurate prediction of the result, and did, as we subsequently saw.<br /><br />I was disappointed but not surprised by the result. It was a pity to see Dawn Butler lose her seat. I was glad to see John McDonnell get back in (I did a bit of work on his campaign) and also to see Stephen Twigg get elected after a five year absence. I was particularly pleased to see Yasmin Qureshi become one of the first two Muslim women in the parliament. I worked on Yasmin’s campaign in 2005 when she was narrowly defeated by the Lib Dems. In the north it was great to see Margaret Richie elected in South Down. She had taken time out of her campaign to come to our Galway conference. I was glad to see her absence didn’t impact on her chances.<br /><br />The next few days and weeks promise to be interesting. For us in Ireland, the key issue is how the new UK government will deal with the economy there – the UK is hugely important to our own economy so we need to watch developments closely.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-60137297962003832392010-05-02T12:53:00.002+01:002010-05-03T12:57:38.559+01:00Access for Pedestrians on M3 BridgesThere was a lot of coverage during the week on the issue of pedestrian links across the new M3 in Dunshaughlin. Basically, there are six new roundabouts linking in to bridges crossing the M3 in the vicinity of Dunshaughlin. It turns out that the designers of the road have two different standards for roundabout design in Ireland depending on whether they are in an urban area or a rural area.<br /><br />Urban roundabout designs allow for local pedestrians to cross the road. However, rural roundabout assume that there are no pedestrians crossing in the area. On the basis of this assumption roundabouts in rural areas do not come with pedestrian access, such as footpaths and pedestrian crossings.<br /><br />The problem is of course that in Ireland many people live outside urban areas – In County Meath for instance the urban rural split is probably around 50% / 50%. So, although the M3 is outside the Dunshaughlin urban area, there are still lots of people living alongside it and lots of people who need to get from one side of the M3 to the other.<br /><br />These people have now formed an action group to protest for footpaths to be added in advance of the M3 opening – scheduled for about 3 months time. On Monday night myself, Cllr Niamh McGowan and others attended a meeting in Dunshaughlin Community Centre organised by the action group.<br /><br />The group showed a video of how parents and children have to battle their way around the roundabouts – this is before the M3 opens and before traffic levels increase significantly. They also distributed proposals for how the situation could be resolved – putting in new footpaths around the roundabouts. <br /><br />I spoke from the floor to the meeting, as did others, paying tribute to the work the group has done to date and offering support to get the situation resolved. They are impressive as a lobbying force. Later that week they got the front page of the Daily Mail and the Pat Kenny Show also covered it. We’re all hopeful that a sensible and safe resolution can be achieved in the near future.<br /><br />At the weekend I attended the Ashbourne Fare Day on Killegland Street. It was organised by the Chamber of Commerce and the intention was to attract as many people into the street as possible. Most of the businesses in the area put up stalls on the closed-off street.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44031413@N05/4574626042/" title="Ashbourne by dominichannigan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3323/4574626042_a354548203.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Ashbourne" /></a><br /><br /><em>Dominic, Aine Lee of the Chamber and Cllr Niamh McGowan with Catherine and Charlie</em><br /><br />It was great to see so many residents out on the streets. The weather wasn’t great – a lot of rain early on. But it did brighten up in the afternoon and I think everyone had some fun.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-20264849720830084812010-04-11T18:02:00.000+01:002010-04-11T18:03:33.151+01:00Councillors Conference in Sligo – Who pays for work in Unfinished Estates?Senators are elected by local county and city councillors. The “trades association” of these councillors is known as LAMA (the Local Authorities Members Association). It’s a very important body for Senators, since they have the clout and influence to determine many elections to the Seanad.<br /><br />LAMA holds conferences for its members every six months or so. I was invited to attend and speak at this Saturday’s one in Sligo by a member of the LAMA executive, Labour Councillor Pat Hayes from Waterford. Pat gave me a free rein to talk about whatever subject I thought would be of interest to the Councillors.<br /><br />I know from my emails and telephone calls that currently one of the biggest issues in relation to councillors is the proposed new Planning & Development Bill, and how that impacts on local councils, councillors and their constituents. So, I decided to focus my contribution on this Bill. <br /><br />I got on the road at twenty past seven and motored along serene and empty roads all the up through up the M1 from Drogheda, through Monaghan and across via Eniskillen to Sligo. I arrived in time to hear local Senator Mark McSharry finish his contribution and then listened to the comments of Kerry-based Senator Paul Coughlan. Both of these also addressed issues in relation to the Planning & Development Bill.<br /><br />Whilst most people welcome the new bill in principle, there are some issues that are of concern. I focused on some in particular, including the need to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the costs of completing unfinished estates. <br /><br />The Bill has new powers in relation to finishing estates and allowing local residents to push for them to be taken in charge. The question arises though, if a developer cannot finish the works in an estate (say they go bust, an increasingly frequent phenomenon) then how are the completion works paid for?<br /><br />This eventuality was meant to be covered by forcing developers to put a bond in place with a bank. Some councils are cagey as to what exactly this entails, but from what I can ascertain often this meant the developer purchased some sort of insurance for X euros from the bank, which guaranteed to pay out 100x euros or 500x euros if the bond was ever called in. It did NOT mean that the developer lodged a cash sum equal to the bond required into the bank.<br /><br />Roll on a few years, to 2010. The recession is biting and many developers are going to the wall. Picture an unfinished estates first occupied in the middle of the decade in 2005. Residents are sitting in their reasonably new homes, built five years ago, now in negative equity, and they want their estate finished off. They petition the local authority to finish the estate.<br /><br />In Meath alone there are probably a hundred estates waiting to be taken in charge. If say a third of them require further works then that could amount to 30 estates in Meath alone. Gross that up nationally and we could be talking about 500 estates requiring completion works. If each taking in charge costs say €200,000 then this would be a requirement of possibly €100 million. The bank bonds are meant to cover these costs. <br /><br />This is not a huge amount of money, but if no allowance has been made within the coffers of the banks then it makes it less likely for these completion works to be carried out.<br /><br />So, I’m going to table a question to Minister Lenihan, asking him can he give information on the amount of completion bonds still outstanding which are held by the main Irish Banks. I don’t expect to get too far with the question, but at least it might concentrate a few minds on this issue.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-66327081462527515962010-03-29T12:02:00.000+01:002010-03-29T12:05:10.723+01:00Littering Problem gets worseThe instance of illegal dumping seems if anything to have got worse over the last number of months. Apart from being disgusting, littering also brings more rodents into an area. Close to where I live in East Meath there is a small laneway know locally as “Graves Lane” or as “Blackberry lane or as “Bryanstown Lane.” The laneway has suffered illegal dumping problems for many years, but right now it is worse than at any time I can remember. Here are some pictures to illustrate the impact.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44031413@N05/4472958866/" title="Picture 018 by dominichannigan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4472958866_295237644e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Picture 018" /></a><br /><em>Household rubbish at the side of the road</em><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44031413@N05/4472958732/" title="Picture 020 by dominichannigan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4472958732_bbe39bbb1f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Picture 020" /></a><br /><em>Tyres discarded at a gateway</em><br /><br /><br />Often these litterers will sit down at home before hand and remove any identifiable markings from the litter, so that it can’t be traced back to them. They will then load up the car, drive to their selected spot, and discard their rubbish at the side of the road. Their defence is along the lines that they can’t afford to pay the bin charges because of their own economic situation. However, the law is the law and this is no excuse. <br /><br />And while there are calculated litterers such as those above, there are other grades of litterer too. For instance, why do many smokers still think it’s ok to dump cigarette butts and packets on the street? Why do some drivers just throw their empty tumbler out the window? Such littering has been happening regardless of the economic situation.<br /><br />From what I can see if a laneway is out of the way and not many people use it then it is more prone to littering. That’s certainly the case with the particular location illustrated above. Also, the laneway is full of potholes. The fact that the council has left the lane surface disintegrate has added to the general air of neglect about it.<br /><br />Over time, areas such as the one above get a reputation for littering. If an area is particularly bad then at some stage the council will come and clear it up. That often can provide a “justification” in the mind of the litterer, in that they know that the litter will eventually be taken away. They see it like a bring-bank for rubbish. <br /><br />Up to know the Council has been quite good about keeping the situation under control. However, Council staff are suffering from an increase in workload and a cutback in funding. So, there are limited cleaning resources to go around. The lack of council action is often made up for by the generosity of our fellow citizens. I’ve met many local residents who take it upon themselves to pick up litter from roads and pathways that are often quite some distance from their houses. These civic-minded people are often all that is stopping an area deteriorating into a littering eyesore.<br /><br />But these people are also fighting a losing battle. Without action the littering problem is likely to get worse here and elsewhere. This will continue to go on until there is a real fear of getting caught. Many litterers think that the council will never prosecute. That’s where they are wrong. They do prosecute, and they have now instigated a policy of “Name and Shame” on their website – see <a href="http://www.meath.ie/LocalAuthorities/NewsandEvents/Name,41009,en.html">here</a><br /><br />But a question that needs to be asked whether sufficient prosecutions are being made. A problem is that quite often it’s difficult to get sufficient evidence to make a successful prosecution. If you see someone dumping then your word alone is not enough. You need a corroborating witness. Alternatively, you need some photographic evidence. <br /><br />I’d like to see the following four ideas implemented, which I believe would help tackle the problem:<br /><br />• More CCTV cameras at key locations to enable more prosecutions to take place<br />• A bin charge waiver system introduced for those who genuinely cannot afford to pay<br />• More regulations limiting the amount of packaging that manufacturers can use in their products<br />• Better education in schools and on the airwaves about the impact of littering on our environment.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-81928374120984705422010-03-21T21:46:00.002+00:002010-03-21T21:47:50.666+00:00IT needs to be put at the heart of the Health Sector<em>My article below appeared in today's Sunday Times</em><br /><br />The recent disclosure that GP referral letters are often left unopened in hospitals is inexcusable in the 21st Century. It raises the question of why we still organise our referral system in this out-of-date manner.<br /><br />A review carried out in Tallaght discovered that a typical GP referral goes through 20 stages before it results in a consultation for the patient. The patient is seen by the GP, who decides that an appointment with a consultant is necessary. The GP informs the practice secretary, who writes a letter to the consultant. Once received by the consultant, the letter is (normally) opened and a date found in the consultant’s diary. An appointment letter is then sent out, suggesting a date and time for the patient’s consultation. Of course, if the suggested date does not suit the patient then they must ring up the consultant and seek a different date, adding more steps to the process.<br /> <br />Under this current process it can take weeks before a consultation date is agreed on. Meanwhile, the patient gets more concerned about their condition, or worse, they get sicker. The system needs to be redesigned, availing of modern technology when doing so. I can check myself on to a flight from Miami to Lima from the comfort of my office in Meath. Why can’t I book an appointment with my hospital consultant online? <br /><br />That’s what the UK’s National Health Service did with their GP referral system, as part of their Better Care, Without Delay initiative. I worked as a management consultant within the health care system during its introduction in 2002. I saw at first-hand how the system was changed from focusing on the health care professional to focusing on the patient.<br /><br />The initiative has completely changed the referral process. A patient still goes to their GP, but now if it’s felt that a consultation is needed, the GP enters this on the computer, which then prints out a password on a sheet of paper. The GP passes this to the patient. When the patient gets home they log on to the NHS website, enter the password and are directed to the consultant’s online diary, where they select a time and date that is convenient to them. So, within 12 hours of seeing their GP they have a confirmed appointment with a consultant. No more weeks of waiting in worry. For those who don’t have a PC there is a helpline appointment system.<br /><br />Other countries have also embraced IT systems in their health service. For a decade now the Danes have stored their health care records electronically. Studies show that their system is the most efficient in the world, saving GPs an average of 50 minutes a day and saving the system €100million a year. They have even brought innovation into the home of the patient. By providing patients with their own electronic pulse readers, software and some training, patients can take their own weekly readings at home and send these via the internet directly into their online patient record. Frail patients, or those with limited mobility, can complete their regular check-ups without having to leave their own home.<br /><br />I’m glad to see that some Dublin hospitals are starting to pilot similar home testing systems here. It’s easy to do, quick to implement and simple to understand. Patients can be seen sooner and their condition treated sooner. <br /><br />But it’s not just in the health service where IT needs to be put to more use. In a report published in February, Kathleen O’Toole, Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate, called for more investment to plug serious gaps in Garda technology. Computer aided dispatch systems and resource information systems have been used by most police agencies in Europe and North America for decades – yet we still don’t have them here.<br /><br />There are other areas, too where technology should be considered. Next year’s census will require thousands of surveyors to call to homes across the country. Often several visits are needed to a house, because the owners are away. Why not look at the potential for people to return their census information online? That would cut out the need for someone to call and cut out the need for subsequent data coding. <br /><br />We do have some positive examples of how the internet is being put to good use. Engineers Ireland is using the internet to broadcast online maths tuition on Saturday mornings to leaving cert students. They say that by webcasting these grinds they can help maths students in a time-efficient manner.<br /><br />Technology is all around us. Where possible we need to use it to reduce our costs and free up staff to carry out other tasks. Other countries have embraced IT across a range of public services, so we don’t even have to invent; we can just copy.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-66693478379063531902010-03-14T12:29:00.001+00:002010-03-14T12:32:34.106+00:00Innovation Taskforce suggests the way forwardThe launch of the Taskforce on Innovation report this week provided a roadmap for how Ireland needs to refocus in certain areas if we are to create jobs for the future. The taskforce recommends faster broadband speeds, which we all agree with, but it also suggested other measures which may not be universally supported.<br /><br />For instance, the <a href="http://www.innovationtaskforce.ie">report</a> is absolute in its belief that Irish students must be better trained in Maths. It calls for extra points for Maths students at leaving cert level. <br /><br />This concurs with a recent <a href="http://www.engineersireland.ie/public/20100211-Mathematics_and_Science_at_Second_Level.pdf">report</a> by Engineers Ireland on the need to improve the quality of teaching of Maths in Schools and the need to increase the number of students taking maths. I had a meeting a week ago with Engineers Ireland to discuss this issue. I was a bit surprised to learn that there are as many students taking geography to higher level as there are Maths, Applied Maths and science combined. Now of course we need geographers – we have significant mining interests, planning issues and climate change worries to concern ourselves with, but in relation to innovation, creation of new jobs etc, we need to make sure that we have a sufficient number of maths and science graduates as well.<br /><br />The report lists 18 proposals for how we can improve the quality and quantity of Maths graduate. I mentioned one in the Seanad this week – banning calculators at junior cert level. The purpose of this would be to try to increase the ability of students in the area of mental arithmetic. There are other ideas worth supporting as well. Fighting our way out of this recession and creating new jobs will be easier if we have a higher number of well-qualified maths and science graduates on our team.<br /><br />Locally, I attended new branch meetings in the Slane electoral area and in the Navan electoral area. It’s part of our work to expand the party within Meath and to deepen the links between the party and local residents.<br /><br />The Bru na Boinne branch will be covering that part of the Slane electoral area which remains in Meath East. Up to now this area was covered by the Jimmy Tully branch. This branch will continue to represent members in the East Meath areas of Laytown, Bettystown, Mornington and Julianstown.<br /><br />Our new Bru na Boinne branch will be open to members from Stamullen, Duleek, Donore, Bellewstown, Slane and the townlands around these places. Our first meeting was in Dalys, in Donore, and it was attended by members from across the area. One of our first actions was to elect a chair – this position went to local resident James Bell. The main focus of the branch in the short term will be to get new members into the branch, thus providing input into the party from the ground up.<br /><br />Later on in the week I attended the inaugural meeting of another branch. This time the meeting was in O’Connell’s pub on Skryne Hill. It is not for nothing that this pub was named one of the six best Irish pubs in the Sunday Times a couple of years ago. It’s very atmospheric and set in beautiful surrounds. The branch (which has the working title of “The Tara Valley branch” will cover the areas of Kentstown, Rathfeigh, Skryne, Cushenstown, Wilkinstown and Kilberry – all of those parts of the Navan electoral area that are in the Meath East constituency. <br /><br />Both branches and indeed all other branches are looking for new members on a continual basis and if anyone would like some information then give me a ring at the office.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-27501732773705702782010-03-07T13:00:00.005+00:002010-03-07T13:14:08.442+00:00Starting Our Report on Overseas AidI launched our online survey into Overseas Aid at the beginning of the week. The survey is part of a study my office is undertaking this year into the Irish Overseas Aid programme. <br /><br />The study will be looking at the Irish Aid program and the work will involve desk-research, consultation with relevant bodies, case studies and gathering of opinion and views about the aid programme itself.<br /><br />The research for the report is now underway, and I am being assisted in the work by my intern, Sam. During the course of the study we will be carrying out reviews of what other countries are doing. We will be speaking to people within the industry (including non-governmental organisations such as Trocaire, Bothar, Concern etc.). We will also be talking to representatives of groups and countries that have received aid, including ambassadors and representatives of local groups. The analysis will focus on our nine priority countries, although we will also include some other case studies, including one from Bolivia and one from Niger.<br /><br />Part of the study will also examine Irish attitudes to aid. The survey asks a range of questions to members of the public on their perceptions of the Irish aid programme. <br />The survey is quite short and takes only two or three minutes to complete. It can be found <a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GGSPQPP">here</a>.<br /><br />To avoid any bias of self-selection we will also be carrying out face-to-face interviews on the street as well as telephone calls to random people. The idea in any of these surveys to get as wide s a cross-section of opinions as possible. That way the results are reflective of society as a whole, and not of any one particular group within society.<br /><br />Also, we will be carrying out a separate survey of politicians. A survey form will be send to all County and City councillors in the country seeking their views on the aid programme.<br /><br />There’s quite a lot of work involved in a study such as this and we reckon it will be another six months or so before we complete the survey. Our aim is to get the report finished and released before the end of this year.<br /><br />On Tuesday I attended a Careers Advice night in Greenhills School in Drogheda. The event was arranged for all schools across the Drogheda area, so it catered not just for Louth students, but Meath students also. I was talking from some students from Mornington and also from just outside Slane.<br /><br />The event was well attended and I managed to have a chat not just with the students, but with a few of the teachers as well. My former Physics teacher, Joe Sweeney, was there and I had a quick word with him. He looks like he hasn’t aged a day in the last 25 years!<br /><br />The students were very interested in how one becomes a Senator. The most common question was “<em>What qualification do you need</em>”. Of course, when they heard the answer (“<em>None</em>”) their eyes lit up and they got very interested. I explained to them the process of having to get elected, and that if you don’t do your job well then you lose it. I also advised them to get some qualifications first, so they would have something to fall back on if politics didn’t work out.<br /><br />Cllr Sirena Campbell was also in attendance. I hadn’t seen her since the election count last June. It was nice to catch up with her. She seems to be settling in at this stage.<br /><br />The latest Oireachtas video was launched this week, featuring yours truly. You can see it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/oireachtasfilm#p/f/3/wOTd1f5GGA0">here</a>.<br /><br />Smartasses can stand down – I’ve already heard the jibes – <strong>YES</strong>, that is me running, it’s not a double, and <strong>NO</strong>, I am not being pursued by some out-of-shot disaffected branch member.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-28953539382526962502010-02-28T11:53:00.002+00:002010-02-28T11:59:41.810+00:00The Coursing of Gormley in the SeanadThe Dog Breeding Establishments Bill continues to work its way through the Seanad. It’s now at committee stage and on Wednesday we held the second committee stage session. The Minister representing the government on Session One was Minister Finneran. This time we had his boss, Minister Gormley in the house.<br /><br />In principle, we are in favour of the legislation, in that it regulates the operation of Puppy Farms – Ireland is seen as the puppy farm of Europe. But it appears that Minister Gormley is using the opportunity of the new legislation to include regulation of hunting dogs and greyhounds within the remit of the act. This has made the legislation contentious, with organisations such as RISE, the Greyhound Board, the Dog Breeders Association and others contacting politicians to discuss the issue.<br /><br />A number of amendments have been tabled to try and improve the legislation. One of them would give breeding establishments 12 months to register, as opposed to the 3 months specified in the Bill. We all think that 3 months is too short, in that establishments may have to seek planning permission for improvements, or might have to get finance from the banks to upgrade their premises. In the current climate this takes time. However, the Minister seems unlikely to accept the amendment. The most he would do is agree to go away and think about it again, and tell us what he intends to do at the next (Report) stage of the Bill.<br /><br />His main point in response was that the legislation has been in gestation for the last 5 years, so establishments have had lots of time to get their houses in order.<br /><br />Later on we had a discussion about greyhounds, and whether this new bill would supersede previous legislation (the 1958 Bill) or would the new legislation be in addition to the regulations already in existence. Greyhound owners already are subject to inspections on their properties – would this new legislation mean additional inspections? I put that to Gormley and for some reason he refused to give a straight answer. On the one hand he tells us that owners had 5 years to prepare for the legislation and on the other he can’t answer a simple question about whether the number of inspections is going to be doubled!<br /><br />The Minister was like a chased hare at a coursing event. He was getting attacked and questioned from all sides on this. This session of committee stage had to finish by 1:30pm and I reckon it couldn’t come soon enough for the Minister. He was taken away by his minders and we all went back to our kennels. He returns to the house next Wednesday for the third session and I’m hoping that he will have had time to gather his thoughts in the meantime.<br /><br />That evening I attended the re-opening of the Conradh na Gaeilge premises on Wednesday evening at Harcourt Street. I got a tour of the building and got to meet many of the staff. They seem all geared up to Irish fortnight, which starts next week. <br /><br />It was a good opportunity to practice my Irish. Also, as it turns out there will be an attempt in the next few weeks to set up an Irish circle in Leinster House. I’m intending to join it and will attend as often as possible.<br /><br />On Friday morning myself, Joanna Tuffy and Bronwen Maher hosted an event on Sustainable Planning in The Mansion House. We invited Non-Government Organisations from the Environmental sector to come along and discuss issues in relation to sustainable planning. I spoke about the issues facing development in the commuter belt, along the way describing the lack of school places, the lack of playgrounds, Garda stations. I also suggested some changes that could help to improve the live of people in the commuter belt. <br /><br />We sat through presentations from organisations like FEASTA, Just Forests, An Taisce and others, all talking about key issues in relation to their organisations. I think it was a worthwhile event and in my view we should continue with events such as these to deepen our mutual understanding of how best to move ahead on these issues.<br /><br />I had some good news during the week, in that my blog has been nominated for an award at the forthcoming Irish Blogs Awards. I had a nomination a few years back but didn't win then. That was when the field of blogging politicians was quite small. There are a lot more on the nominations list now, some of them big hitters, so I don't fancy my chances. However, it's really nice to get considered :)Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-29090176694228091442010-02-21T15:52:00.000+00:002010-02-21T15:53:36.823+00:00Coughlan - time to move on?I’m already bored of the O’Dea resignation. Enough of that. What is still simmering at the surface though is the clear need for change at the top. I’d love a complete change of government, but it’s unlikely that we’re going to see that too soon. In the meantime, Cowen simply has to replace some of his senior ministers. <br /><br />The most obvious of the lot is the Tainiste, who appears to be totally out of her depth. She just doesn’t seem to get it at all. Take the case of SR Technics. Others have talked about the Hanger 6 issue, but one other matter that she may think is too small for her, but yet affects scores of people, is access to the EU Globalisation Fund. This is a pot of money which goes towards paying for back to education courses to retrain people who have lost their jobs to places outside of the EU. Recently the former DELL workers in Limerick were able to access this fund; we’re all hopeful that this will also be the case with the former SR Technics workers.<br /><br />Over 60 former workers had signed up to do a degree in Engineering Maintenance at DIT. The college was all set to start this new course, tailored to the past experience, skills and needs of the former workers – all that was needed was the EU Globalisation Fund. But because of delays in the application (where the blame rest on this we don’t know, but it appears that the government is at least slightly to blame) the fund has not yet been approved. In the meantime the DIT asked for some sort of guarantee to be put in place until the money comes through. This is where Mary Coughlan could have helped. Surely, everyone thought, she could work out some sort of guarantee deal?<br /><br />But out of Coughlan’s office came nothing. Silence. I wrote to her during the week to explain the urgency of the task. No response yet. Meanwhile, the college can’t wait any more and has had to cancel the course. That’s dashed the hopes of the 63 former SRT workers who had hoped to do the course. No doubt many of them will go on to find other suitable courses, and the best of luck to them. But for me the worrying thing is her seeming inability to want to involve herself or her office in an attempt either here or elsewhere to stem job losses or improve retraining opportunities.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-28933902940680380412010-02-14T12:17:00.002+00:002010-02-14T12:19:46.898+00:00Water Works Day in AshbourneThe resignation of Deirdre de Burca came as a bit of a surprise on Friday. Up until recently she had been an active member of the Seanad. Sure, in the run up to the European elections (when she was a candidate in Dublin) she was not around all of the time, but apart from then, NAMA week (when if memory serves me correctly she was absent for all 18 NAMA related votes – she was ill I believe) and the last week or so, she was a regular contributor.<br /><br />On a personal level I also found her very pleasant, and I wish her well in her future role. Now that she is gone it makes the numbers a bit tighter for the government in the Seanad. However, speaking as the Labour Whip, It won’t have a huge difference on the outcome of any votes. When Alan Kelly won the Ireland south European seat his Seanad seat was captured by the government parties. Realistically, it will be extremely difficult to win any more Seanad votes – it will require an almighty mess-up on the part of the government whips.<br /><br />The bigger question is what this tells us about what’s going on inside the Green Party. I don’t buy the spin being put around that she was miffed about not getting the European job. That might be part of the picture, but it’s not the full story. It’s clear that there is a growing sense of dissatisfaction within the Green Oireachtas members. It can’t be nice for them to see the party they joined and built be one election day away from disaster. For a few of the oireachtas members there can be little hope. However, for a few others there’s still a chance of retaining their seats. Paul Gogarty has a fighting chance. So too does Eamon Ryan with George Lee now off the pitch. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if either or both of these decided that their future is best served by pulling the greens out of government. I think that ministerial pensions kick in after three years in office, which is in just four months time. Could we see them break out soon after then?<br /><br />My time in Leinster House this week was filled up with various meetings and speeches. I took the committee stages of the Dog Breeders Establishments Bill on Wednesday, I spoke about unemployment on Wednesday evening. I also spoke about the reconstruction of Haiti, Greece and the Euro and the need to protect mature students from the swingeing cutbacks being proposed by the government. The last contribution was on the back of a meeting I had with some students from NUIG, who explained to me that because of the proposed changes to the grants system, many access students have lost several thousand of euros in maintenance support. <br /><br />On Friday I dropped over from my Ashbourne constituency office to visit St Declan’s school. The children were holding an Open Day to highlight the need to conserve water. This Water Works Day consisted of plays, a fashion show, as well as songs. The children were pressing the message that with just ten small changes we could make significant water savings at home. These included checking for leaks, taking quicker showers, not filling the bath and using a basin to wash the car, not a hose. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves. I got the opportunity to talk to the teachers and some parents. I’d say that any Ashbourne parent who mistakenly leaves a tap on this weekend will get a right telling off from the kids!Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-86720215599389975312010-02-07T12:47:00.001+00:002010-02-07T12:47:45.742+00:00We visit Dunshaughlin Community CollegeThe Leader of the House, Donie Casssidy, made one of his (not unusual) slips of the tongue during the week on the Order of Business. The subject of the Jack & Jill Charity had been raised by several Senators. In response Donie referred to it as the “Jekyll & Hyde Foundation” A few of us picked up on it and corrected him. <br /><br />Poor Donie, he was slated in the press for the following few days. He’s also doing something similar in the past – constantly referring to the LISBURN Treaty as opposed to the LISBON Treaty, and to LAMA rather than NAMA (LAMA is the representative organisation of councillors across the country – his electorate!). Sometimes I wonder if he makes these mistakes on purpose, because it’s guaranteed to get publicity. <br /><br />I spoke a number of times during the week. I brought up the issue of the increase in the applications for CAO places, I brought up the delays in bringing in legislation to regulate management companies (people in Ashbourne, Dunboyne and Ratoath were on to me about this) and I spoke on Lessons to be learned from the extreme weather in January. I also spoke with Minister Sean Haughey about the Dunboyne College of Further Education – I put videos of both of those speeches on my website.<br /><br />I also got around to setting up my twitter account. So, from now on I am going to try and tweet at least 3 times a week. I’ve been warned against overdoing it - let’s see how it goes.<br /><br />On Friday I was in Dunboyne Community School with local MEP Nessa Childers and local Councillor Niamh McGowan. It was the first time I can remember when there was an address by the local Labour MEP, the local Labour Senator and the local Labour Councillor in the same place. It shows how far the party has come in Meath in the last few years.<br /><br />The students were great and asked some interesting questions. We had a bit of a debate about the benefits / disbenefits of nepotism in politics. Myself and Niamh have no family histories in politics, and Nessa does, so there was a range of opinion on this one. We also dropped into the staff room. I was shocked about the cramped conditions that the teachers have to put up. The room was far too small for the amount of teachers working in the school. I was glad to hear that there are plans to extend facilities at the school in the near future.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-21796533875625755012010-01-31T18:19:00.000+00:002010-01-31T18:20:29.170+00:00An Electrifying Meeting in SlaneAnother busy week in Leinster House. I had a range of speeches to give and meetings to attend. I spoke about the new Dog Establishments Bill – it seeks to regulate puppy farms, and I also gave a speech on the aid relief effort in Haiti. We also had a Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on Haiti, which I contributed to, as well as a meeting with our Ambassador to Tanzania, Her Excellency Anne Barrington.<br /><br />I asked the Ambassador a few questions about issues such as corruption, tourism development and the treatment of Albinos in Tanzania. There’s an old superstition there that the bones of albinos are good for the health. In recent years scores of Albinos have been murdered and cut up. Our Ambassador confirmed that she has raised the matter with parliamentarians in Tanzania, who are frustrated and angry that the practice continues. They vow to put an end to it.<br /><br />On Wednesday I had the honour of hosting a group of second year students from Greenhills school in Drogheda. There were almost 30 girls in all, including the teachers. Father Iggy also attended. The girls were great fun and asked lots of questions about the workings of the house. One girl was particularly “exercised” about the state-subsidised gym that politicians and staff could use. She wanted to know if I used it. I explained to her that the gym was mostly used by staff, since most politicians had their own private gyms at home. (I quickly pointed out that I was joking on this point!). <br /><br />One question that came up several times was whether there would be jobs for them when they leave school in a few years. I told them that my view was that we are coming out of recession and that by the time they leave school things should be a lot better.<br /><br />It was great to entertain the girls, and once again you could see at first hand the intensity of the classroom experience. People probably don’t realise how intense and demanding a teacher’s career can be. <br /><br />My assistant in Leinster House also helped to show the class around. For whatever reason he became the subject of some attention from the group. He was so exhausted and traumatised at the end of it that I had to send him home early, just in time to hear the request played for him on Spin FM from the girls.<br /><br />On Saturday I attended a meeting in Slane in relation to the proposed route of the bypass. I was there to listen to the views of the 100 or so people who attended. Whilst one speech was being delivered I leant back and my hand touched a fence. Unfortunately for me it was electrified. I received a large jolt, and the sound caused everything to stop and stare. Luckily for me the shock passed quickly, and if anything I felt rather better after it!Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-2895408404765070142010-01-28T19:45:00.002+00:002010-01-28T19:47:23.630+00:00Race Hill – No way for a through wayWe held the AGM of the Ashbourne branch of the Labour Party on Thursday. The meeting was well attended and we talked about many local issues, including the proposed nursing home on Hunter’s Lane. At the meeting we elected the Chairman, secretary, treasurer and PRO of the branch. The branch is always looking for new members to get involved. If you would like to join then call my office at 01 835 3871 and we will sign you up!<br /><br />One major concern for Ashbourne residents at the moment is the proposal for an industrial development in Ashbourne which would be served via the Race Hill Road. I agree with the local residents in Race Hill and in Tudor Grove – this access road is totally unsuitable for industrial traffic. I made that point to the residents who contacted me.<br /><br />I also met with some Ashbourne residents and discussed the proposal. I also spoke to local councillor Niamh McGowan. Niamh lives very closeby (just off Hunter’s Lane). It’s clear that there is a depth of local dismay about the proposal. I am hopeful that the local planners will see sense and will reject the application. Not to do so would not only be a traffic nuisance, it could potentially be very dangerous to have trucks and the like travelling up and down this quiet residential road.<br /><br />The issue of general road safety is also coming up a lot lately. Because of the recent atrocious weather the road surface in many parts of the county has been severely affected. For instance, the junction of Kilmoon Cross on the N2 has suffered significant rutting since Christmas. As a result you have to drive much slower than usual to avoid the potholes. I was driving home the other night from my Ashbourne office and was travelling particularly slowly to try and dodge them. Some other motorists don’t seem to worry about them – the bloke behind me decided to overtake me at speed. Maybe he can afford new tyres, or maybe my eyesight is getting worse, I don’t know! What’s clear is that more money is going to have to be found for repairs to our local road network. The current situation has to be improved on – a point I made in the Seanad during the week when I called on Minister Dempsey to make additional funding available for local councils to repair the roads.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-82976692522651147872009-12-15T17:17:00.004+00:002009-12-15T17:24:42.722+00:00Looking for Solutions from Copenhagen<em>This article appeared in The Irish Daily Mirror on 14th December 2009</em><br /><br />If we were in any doubt as to what climate change could mean to Ireland then last month’s floods will have washed that away. Cities, towns and rural areas across the country were underwater for days. Normal life was put on hold. That’s why this month’s conference of 110 world leaders in Copenhagen is so important. We need to agree together on measures to take that will protect our planet and our people.<br /><br />Copenhagen is an excellent choice for the conference. World leaders will be impressed by the public transport system and by how easy it is to walk and cycle around. The Danes have been doing eco-friendly for decades.<br /><br />The organisers have brought the conference onto the city’s streets. Dotted around the city are climate change event tents. In one of the city’s biggest squares, Kongens Nytorv, a tent hosts a photographic exhibition called “Hard Rain”, named after the Bob Dylan song. Each line from Dylan’s song is represented by hard-hitting pictures from around the world, illustrating the impact of climate change, poverty and inequality. The book, also called Hard Rain, will be a great present for a few friends for Christmas.<br /><br />The impact of climate change on our coasts is particularly worrying. Ireland could face a rise in sea levels of half a metre by the end of the century, meaning that many of our coastal towns and villages would have to be abandoned. My local scout group from East Meath recently came into Leinster House to express their worries about the impact of rising sea levels in Laytown and Bettystown. The issue faces many communities across the world. Some islands, such as the Maldives, and Tuvalu, could disappear altogether. <br /><br />To highlight this issue Friends of the Earth arranged for thousands of people to turn up dressed in blue outside the Danish Parliament. I joined this ocean of people. To make a wave we all knelt down and then first the front section of the crowd stood up, then the middle section stood up and then the back section. We repeated this a few times, mimicking giant blue waves hitting the sea shore. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44031413@N05/4179416225/" title="Dane Warrior by dominichannigan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/4179416225_1c3bba5b3f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Dane Warrior" /></a><br /><em>Campaigners take to the streets in Copenhagen</em><br /><br />Around the city thousands of campaigners and pressure groups are hosting and attending events like these, trying to make their voices heard. The vast numbers of TV and media people are helping to get that message on the world stage too. The crowds on the streets are mostly young and seem to be good-natured. However the local police are taking no chances. Police vans are everywhere. On every pavement are officers armed with what appear to me to be tear-gas canisters. They look like they mean business.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44031413@N05/4180183918/" title="Police Wagons by dominichannigan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4180183918_0cdff12472.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Police Wagons" /></a><br /><em>Police Wagons at the ready</em><br /><br />At the Klima centre the range of climate change workshops and seminars is impressive (think of The Late Late Christmas Toy Show for environmentalists). Their aim is to showcase how local communities can work to make a difference in their own town or village.<br /><br />One seminar focused on how sheep farmers in North Wales got together to form a co-operative to erect three wind turbines to provide electricity for 1,600 homes. The project has been so successful that the farmers plan to put up another seven turbines, in the process generating enough energy to power a further 7,000 Welsh homes. For me it shows that local people, acting as a community, can really make things happen.<br /><br />That was also the message from Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Wangari Maathai, who spoke to us at an evening seminar in the Danish Film Institute. She won the 2004 peace prize for setting up Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, which has planted over 35 million tress in Kenya and helped to combat illegal logging and deforestation. <br /><br />I raised this issue in Leinster House a couple of months ago. I want our Government to stop using illegally logged timber in public buildings. The answer I got from the Minister was that “he would look at it”. After listening to what Professor Maathai said I’m going to table a parliamentary question next week to try to put pressure on the government to do this sooner rather than later.<br /><br />Professor Maathai’s advice on what each individual can do is clear. She says that we cannot just leave matter to the politicians. Action by people in their own communities, combined with political will at a national and international level is what is needed, and it’s needed soon. As Martin Luther King once said, we are faced with the Fierce Urgency of Now. That should be the message coming out of Copenhagen.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-8202220690588154132009-12-06T11:22:00.005+00:002009-12-06T11:48:10.102+00:00North-South MattersOn Monday I accompanied Eamon Gilmore to Stormont in Northern Ireland. The purpose of the visit was to meet with the various party leaders in the north, and to receive an update on the current situation there.<br /><br />At the moment there is a bit of an impasse in the devolution of policing and justice powers. It is hoped that the situation will improve soon, because we are about to enter the Westminster election, which by law has to be held before next summer. If things go on much longer then the issue will probably get parked until some time after those elections.<br /><br />Eamon and I had separate meetings with First Minister Peter Robinson, Martin McGuinness and Gerry Kelly of Sinn Fein, Sir Reg Empey of the Official Unionist and Conservative Party and with David Ford of the Alliance Party. We also met Mark Durcan, Alistair McDonnell and Margaret Richie of the SDLP.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44031413@N05/4155566058/" title="Robinson, Gilmore & Hannigan by dominichannigan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/4155566058_72e91ea797.jpg" width="500" height="363" alt="Robinson, Gilmore & Hannigan" /></a><br /><em>First Minister Peter Robinson, Eamon Gilmore and me at Stormont</em><br /><br />Apart from talking about issues in relation to the ongoing peace process, I also brought up the issue of north-south shopping and of cross-border tourism.<br /><br />It was a fascinating two days for me. I had not been in Stormont previously, even though it's only 90 minutes from my front door in Drogheda. It's a beautiful building, the setting is great and it seems a lot smaller inside than Leinster House. I'd say the politicians are bumping into each other all the time (something with an updside and a downside!)<br /><br />The next day I met some of the same people again, this time at a meeting in Leinster House. The Sub Committee on Overseas Development, of which I am a member, met with our northern counterparts to discuss our aid programmes. Among the northern delegation were Carmel Hanna of the SDLP (who was a VSO volunteer with me last year), Alliance Party Leader David Ford and Mr Jim Wells of the DUP. I met Jim a few years back when I brought him around the Battle of the Boyne site at Oldbridge - he was concerned about the impact of the Duleek incinerator on the site.<br /><br />We had a mutual exchange of views on our aid programs. Later that day I spoke to a Scout Group from East Meath about our aid programme. They were in Leinster House to lobby for the protection of the aid budget. Apart from myself and other local politicians, we were also addressed by Minister Peter Power. The scouts made a great presentation and it was nice to see the commitment and effort they made to make their case for the continuation of development aid.<br /><br />Finally, flooding continues to be an issue around the country. I attended a residents association meeting for The Northlands on Thursday evening. Residents are concerned about the lack of adequate drainage, as well as of safety issues in relation to children managing to get in to the stream in the estate. We will be following up these issues with the council over the next while.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-77494409298475104632009-12-01T17:57:00.001+00:002009-12-01T17:58:46.882+00:00Ireland leads the fight against AIDS in LesothoThe Kingdom of Lesotho is one of the most unspoilt and beautiful countries in the southern hemisphere. But it’s also one of the poorest, with a shockingly low life expectancy of just 44 years. Almost one out of every four adults has HIV, the third highest rate in the world.<br /><br />Irish Aid has been in the country since the early ‘70s and it remains one of our nine priority countries. The 2 million inhabitants occupy a land area roughly the size of Munster. Landlocked by South Africa, the country is largely mountainous, apart from the lowland region where the capital, Maseru, is located. <br /><br />During the apartheid years many countries kept an embassy in Lesotho, preferring to monitor developments in South Africa from here rather than from Pretoria. Once apartheid ended many countries closed their embassies and moved out. <br /><br />Ireland stayed. Our Ambassador to Lesotho, Paddy Fay, is now the only ambassador from a European country. Our support here has been consistent over the years. Through Irish Aid every Irish man, woman and child gives around €3 a year to Lesotho. Last week as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee I visited Lesotho to see the Irish Aid programme in action.<br /><br />Ambassador Fay and his Head of Development, Pat Curran, guided us through the Irish Aid program during our visit. Our programme is focussed on several different strands, including the fight against HIV / AIDS. The disease has permeated the entire country, reaching deep into isolated rural mountain areas. It is thought that the spread is linked to returning migrant workers from the South African mines.<br /><br />Working with the Ministry of Health and the Clinton Foundation, our programme has built 7 new health clinics in these rural areas, which can often be hours away from the nearest road. Typically each clinic serves about 100 local villages, providing health cover to about 100,000 people. In each clinic we visited there was just one doctor, supported by a handful of nurses. The staff undertake HIV testing and monitoring, and proscribe and provide the Anti-Retroviral Therapies (ARTs) to patients. The clinics also provide other general health care to the local population. Two more clinics are in the pipeline, which will mean that coverage is extended to a further 200,000 people.<br /><br />Because of the remoteness of the areas the recruitment and retention of staff has proved difficult in the past. Irish Aid has assisted with the recruitment of over 100 nurses and has provided a “mountain working allowance” of 10% of salary to encourage nurses to remain. The recruitment and retention problem also affects doctors. I spoke to the doctor at the Nkau clinic. Originally from Maseru, he left Lesotho to study in South Africa. He came back to practise, but many of his fellow doctors stayed in South Africa. They didn’t just stay for the money, he told me, it was also that the opportunity for professional development, for instance in radiology, cardiology, or other fields, was greater in a more developed health system. “If I stay in Lesotho then I can only ever be a GP”, he said.<br /><br />The clinics can be up to two days walk away for some – too far for many ill people. Where possible these are served by outreach health workers, who travel on the dirt roads by motorbike. These bikers provide a service that would otherwise not be available for many. Last year the singer Elton John donated 120 motorbikes to these health centres, saying “We want to improve the transport system by bringing health care to millions of people living in the most rural areas and thus make a difference in their lives.” <br /><br />Our aid money also supports a rural food security project run by the Catholic Relief Services. Their Head of Programs, Adam Weimer, described how he works with families affected by HIV to improve their access to fresh vegetables. Beside their homes they build “Keyhole gardens” - small waist-high beds of about 2m in diameter - which the patients can tend to with little exertion and without bending. These beds provide a plentiful supply of onions, carrots, potatoes, maize etc, thus ensuring that the patients have a healthy diet whilst undergoing ART.<br /><br />The programme has worked with households to establish about 5,000 of these gardens in rural areas. The costs of the gardens are largely up front: once built the gardens can last for years. Adam pointed out that a budget cut of €50,000 would prevent him from extending the program to another 2,000 people.<br /><br />Walking around the villages and the health centres it is evident that the combined approached being taken by Irish Aid and our partners is having a significant impact on the health of the local population, and that the results have been dramatic. The only loser appears to be the local coffin maker. Ambassador Fay recounts how when he first visited here, people were literally coming in the front door of the clinic and being taken out the back shortly afterwards by the local undertaker. With the success of the ART drugs that undertaker has now gone out of business. “I just wasn’t getting customers anymore”, said the undertaker. “It’s time for me to move elsewhere”.<br /><br />The advent of ART has had a large impact on the how the disease is perceived. Before drugs were available there was a huge stigma associated with the disease, which meant that many people failed to seek treatment. This denial no doubt helped to spread the disease. Now, with treatment so readily available, carriers feel less stigmatised and seek tests and treatment sooner.<br /><br />The fact that the Irish mission is one of the oldest, largest and most giving is not lost on the government of Lesotho. At a working lunch at the Embassy Ambassador Fay hosted the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Health and the Minister for Public Works. Their joint presence illustrates the importance that Lesotho attaches to the continuation of the Irish Aid programme.<br /><br />The Minister of Health asked that we take a clear message of gratitude back to the Irish people, adding that “without Irish help thousands of people who are alive today would be dead. Thousands of children would be orphans.”<br /><br />The fight against HIV / AIDS has come a long way in the last decade. Just ten years ago the impact of stigmatisation, the lack of access to drugs, and food insecurity were huge problems. Now the hopelessness has gone. Because of the Irish Aid program thousands of HIV sufferers and their children have a chance of having a healthier, longer life.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-56952627425842775482009-11-22T06:55:00.008+00:002009-11-28T15:59:37.174+00:00Foreign Affairs Committee gets report on the assault on GazaThis week the Foreign Affairs Committee was lucky to have one of the authors of the Goldstone Report on the invasion into Gaza by Israeli troops come in to speak to us. Colonel Desmond Travers is a retired Colonel of the Irish Army and full credit must go to Senator Mark Daly for arranging for Col Travers to brief the committee.<br /><br />Col Travers went through the report and drew out some key messages. The report found evidence that some Israelis had intentionally killed Palestinian civilians during the assault. The report said that the Israeli military assault on Gaza was “a deliberately disproportionate attack designed to punish, humiliate and terrorize a civilian population, radically diminish its local economic capacity both to work and to provide for itself, and to force upon it an ever increasing sense of dependency and vulnerability.” <br /><br />I brought up the subject of the ongoing hardship that is being experienced by Gazan civilians. This is particularly the case given the damage to food production (30% of the agricultural land has been ruined) as well as the image of the war on the water and sanitation systems. In my view we must do what we can to ensure that there life is made more bearable for the people living in the territory.<br /><br />As Col Travers pointed out, this is one report that is refusing to go ahead. It will not be buried and forgotten.<br /><br />We got an answer back to a parliamentary question we asked about children's teeth in Meath. It follows on from a meeting I had with the Irish Dental Association about a month back. The representatives of the IDA told me that because of the cutbacks to the School Dental Schmeme (whereby children of school going age get access to a dentist) less children are seeing their dentist fro a regular checkup. A result is that when they do go it because they have a bad tooth, but often it's too late for the dentist to do anything to save the teeth and as a result it must be extracted.<br /><br />It turns out that over 2,000 teeth were pulled last year from children in Meath. Some of these were baby teeth but others were permanent teeth. I can imagine that parents must be furious if one of their children has to have a permanent tooth extracted at a young age, all because of a lack of dentists to catch the problem in time. I have called for more dentists to be made available within the Meath area, so that the school dental program can do its job.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-13744310873521849112009-11-15T16:45:00.008+00:002009-11-15T17:48:56.503+00:00How Each Senator Voted on NAMANAMA took up most of the week in the Seanad. We discussed the Second Stage of the legislation on Monday, concluding just before midnight. We sat again on Tuesday morning from 10:30 right through until 2am Wednesday morning. On Wednesday Committee Stage continued for a few hours. We then went to Report and Final Stage. Our last vote was about a quarter to ten on Wednesday night. I got out of the House directly afterwards.<br /><br />I was exhausted by the time I got home an hour later. I turned on the TV to unwind and woke up at quarter past three in my chair! I carted myself off to bed and slept like a log. Next day (Thursday) returned to normality and I was in for the Order of Business, when I brought up the subject of the need to grow our foreign exports.<br /><br />The NAMA debate was fascinating. The Labour benches contain two of the finest legal minds in the country, Senator Alex White and Senator Ivana Bacik, and they were hugely impressive to watch up close. I was also impressed by other Senators from both sides of the House. I also have to say that whilst we don't agree with the fundamentals of the legislation, Minister Brian Lenihan gave a very accomplished performance. <br /><br />Lenihan was clearly on top of the detail of the Bill and as a result he was able to robustly defend his position on amendments. During the three days of debate he was unable to be there for the entire time and on occasions a different Minister sat in for him. Some of these were also impressive, for instance, Minister Peter Power gave a good performance. Other stand-ins did not appear to have as complex an understanding of the legislation.<br /><br />I was disappointed that one of my amendments on the need for NAMA to provide a social dividend was rejected. My amendment was to allow unused properties in town centres to be provided to community groups on short-term leases at minimal rent. This would help to address the shortage of facilities for youth and community groups across the commuter belt. I put the matter to a vote and unfortunately it was defeated.<br /><br />On the subject of the voting, I thought it would be useful to do a quick summary of the voting record of each and every Senator. The issue of NAMA is hugely important and has led to many emails from interested citizens to politicians and I thought that people might like to see an analysis of the votes.<br /><br />In total, there were 18 votes over the three days. These included votes on the Second Stage debate, Committee amendments and votes on the Report and Final stage of the Bill<br /><br />As expected, all of the Fianna Fail members voted with their government on every vote. So to did the Green Party and Fiona O'Malley.<br /><br />The 6 Labour Senators voted against the government 100% of the time. There was an abstention rate of just 3% (i.e. in the 18 votes, of the total 108 votes that could be cast by the 6 Labour members, they voted 105 times).<br /><br />The 15 FG Senators voted against the government 100% of the time. There was an abstention rate of just 2% (i.e. in the 18 votes, of the total 270 votes that could be cast by the 15 FG members, they voted 265 times).<br /><br />The voting patterns of the Independent Senators were varied and as a result I provide them by the individual Senator.<br /><br /><strong>Shane Ross</strong> voted against the government 10 times, with the government once and abstained on the other 7 votes.<br /><br /><strong>David Norris</strong> voted against the government 14 times, with the government 4 times and didn't miss a vote. <br /><br /><strong>Ronan Mullen</strong> voted against the government 9 times, with the government 6 times and abstained on the other 3 votes.<br /><br /><strong>Fergal Quinn </strong>voted with the government twice and didn't vote on the other 16 occasions. Fergal did not vote against the government on any vote.<br /><br /><strong>Joe O'Toole</strong> voted with the government 11 times, and abstained on the other 7 votes. Joe did not vote against the government on any vote.<br /><br />The government won every one of the 18 votes cast. However, some of the votes could have gone the other way had the six independent Senators voted against the government <em>en masse</em>.<br /><br />Please note - feel free to use / repeat / circulate this voting record to whomever you like. But just be clear that on the matter of abstentions above, one cannot tell whether these were deliberate or unavoidable. For instance, one Senator was unable to attend last week due to personal reasons. The fact that a Senator missed 0, 1, 2 or 10 votes may be very justifiable, and should be checked directly with the Senator in question.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-70759725640458402009-11-08T12:02:00.001+00:002009-11-08T12:05:19.416+00:00Simon Community warns on homelessnessLast week the Environment Committee, of which I am a member, received a presentation from the Simon Communities of Ireland in relation to homelessness.<br /><br />The organisation provides services to around 5,000 people annually. As well as this they campaign for better facilities and treatment of homeless people, and for the root-causes to be addressed.<br /><br />In attendance at the committee was their Chief Executive Officer, Mr Patrick Burke, as well as their research officer and staff from their Dublin, Cork and Dundalk offices.<br /><br />As part of their presentation we were provided with the results of a recent study of their clients. Some of the numbers were shocking to me. Almost 60% of those who came into Simon’s facilities had a mental health condition, a further 48% had a diagnosed physical condition and 77% of the total had both. <br /><br />Four out of five of their users reported using alcohol and almost half of that group described themselves as heavy users. Whilst in the past alcohol used to be the main feature, drug use is now becoming more common. <br /><br />Niall Mulligan, of the Dundalk Simon Community sees at first-hand how the current recession is hitting people who are vulnerable. He told us that “<em>People turning to us now, often have nowhere else to go, they have run out of options, are in poor health and are isolated, lonely and excluded. Many have experienced great trauma in their lives and at this point their only option is the Simon Community. The added tragedy is that in the current climate all the Simon communities around Ireland are under increasing pressure in terms of funding - with reductions in statutory funding across a range of budget lines and uncertainty in terms of voluntary donations.”</em><br /><br />Like the Peoples Resources Centers around the country, it is in times of recession that more people need these services. Currently, the Simon Communities have no idea how much funding they will get next year, other than that it will probably go down. If it does, cuts to services are likely to follow.<br /><br />The uncertainty of future funding could impact on the behaviour of homeless people within the shelters. In response to a question of mine I was told that the longer a person stays in an uncertain situation the likelier it is for a drug or alcohol addiction to take over. It becomes harder and harder for a person to break an addiction but stability in housing can help to address addiction.<br /><br />So, cuts to these services, such as to the amount of sheltered housing available can have a real impact on the ground, with more people likely to have to go without services, fewer people gaining access to rehabilitation centres, higher rates of medical interventions needed by homeless people. My view is that in the short, medium and long term such cutbacks are unlikely to be cost-effective.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-58401835173734954792009-11-01T18:29:00.004+00:002009-11-01T18:42:56.250+00:00Action Needed on Vulture FundsLast week the <a href="http://www.debtireland.org">Debt and Development Coalition of Ireland </a> came before the Foreign Affairs Committee. The aim was to update us on progress in relation to a Justice Centered Irish debt policy. <br /><br />The Coalition suggested six recommendations for action. These included one particular issue in relation to the existence of <strong>Vulture Funds</strong>. These funds buy up sovereign debt of poor countries, often paying very little for the “<em>face value</em>” of the debt, and then chase the countries for payment of the full amount. There have been some atrocious incidences in recent years. At the Committee I brought up the example of one Vulture Fund, Donegal International.<br /><br />The story began in 1979 when the Zambian government borrowed $15 million dollars from the Romanian government. Over time the Zambians realised they could not pay and so they attempted to seek a revised payment agreement with the Romanian government. However, early in 1999, just before a deal was done, the Romanians sold off the entire debt to a private limited company called Donegal International for $3.3 million. <br /><br />Over the next few years the Zambians started to pay off some of this money. By the end of 2003 they had paid off $2.4 million – 75% of what Donegal International had paid for the debt. At that stage, for various reasons, Donegal International took the Zambian government to court for the full amount owed. In 2007 The UK High Court found in their favour and awarded then $15 million. <br /><br />So, for their expenditure of just over $3 million on the loan they got almost $18 million back. Of course, the Donegal International <a href="http://www.donegalinternational.net/project">website</a> says that the actual profit, after costs, legal fees etc., is a lot lower than this, but it’s clear that they made a fair old whack from this.<br /><br />The issue was covered in depth by BBC Newsnight, and you can look at a video report <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_6360000/newsid_6363600?redirect=6363643.stm&news=1&bbram=1&nbram=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1">here.</a><br /><br />Their actions and their success are no doubt encouraging other vulture funds to do the same. Of course, the impact of this is that much of the debt relief that countries like Zambia are getting is just being eaten up in payments to these vultures. It has been asserted that the payment of $15 million to Donegal International meant that up to 100,000 Zambians went without medical care provision as a result.<br /><br />There is some hope on the horizon. A <a href="http://www.jubileeusa.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Resources/Policy_Archive/408briefnotevulturefunds.pdf">Bill</a> has been introduced in the States trying to get the process banned there. <br /><br />In the UK, Gordon Brown is strongly against allowing such companies to use UK courts to progress claims. But the EU needs to act as well. As part of their presentation to us last week, the Debt Coalition proposed the following recommendation:<br /><br />“<em>The development of internationally binding, just and responsible financing standards by supporting efforts at EU level to curtail so called “vulture funds” from making claims in EU member state national courts</em>”.<br /><br />In order to keep pressure on at European level, I have asked our MEP, Nessa Childers, to table the following questions in European Parliament <br /><br />“<em>To ask what the current policy of the EU is in relation to the curtailment of so called “vulture funds” from making claims in EU member state national courts</em>.”Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24475646.post-48672368841680124832009-10-26T13:31:00.004+00:002009-10-26T13:39:29.566+00:00President Blair? - Not in our name!It looks like the Czech President Vaclav Klaus is about to sign the Lisbon Treaty. That means the position of the President of the European Council will become available in the very near future.<br /><br />At the moment one of the most often-mentioned candidates is ex-UK Premier Tony Blair. The Taoiseach Brian Cowen has already intimated that he would be very happy to support a Blair candidacy. <br /><br />I think we need to sit back and think about things before we offer our support to any candidate.<br /><br />Our nation has just concluded a national conversation on our role in Europe. As someone who spoke to thousands of citizens during both Lisbon referenda I am very conscious of the importance which people placed on the whole issue of Irish neutrality, and the potential involvement of Irish troops overseas. The presence of the triple-lock mechanism in relation to our overseas involvement (approval of the UN, the Government and the Oireachtas before we engage in any military action) was reassuring to many people. So, if one of the first acts of the new, reformed European Union is to appoint someone who went to war without a UN mandate, then this will be a real kick in the teeth to many of our citizens.<br /><br />I recognise the many talents of Mr Blair. As a member of the UK Labour Party in the early ‘90s I had the opportunity to vote in the election for Leader of the Labour Party in July 1994. I cast my vote for Blair (and I voted for Brown for Deputy Leadership) and was delighted when both won their respective contests.<br /><br />I applaud the work he did on Northern Ireland. But let’s not forget that he came into power less than a year before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Much hard work had already been done by that time. He was like the fourth runner in a relay race. He finished well and never dropped the baton and he is deserving of credit for this.<br /><br />But I don’t think that he is owed anything by the Irish people because of this. And I would prefer if there was some sort of debate about his suitability as President of the European Council before the Taoiseach goes off anointing him on our behalf.<br /><br />Already many prominent writers are engaging in a sales pitch for Blair. Frankly some of them should know better. Will Hutton is supporting him, on the basis that “<em>It’s better to back our man, however imperfect, than refuse a prize that may not come our way again for decades</em>”. <br /><br />Jackie Ashley’s backing is less than wholesome. She says “<em>I think the Iraq war was such a big error that, morally, nobody who led us into it should be able to return to a position of leadership. There should be some mistakes too big to recover from</em>.” But she seems to reassure herself that all will be ok if he becomes president because “<em>He’d have no army. He’d be able to start no wars</em>”. Well that’s alright then. <br /><br />Blair made a big mistake. A huge mistake. The Iraq War. Politically he should be consigned to the graveyard because of it. <br /><br />Back in February 2003 I along with millions of others marched from Euston to Hyde Park in London on the day of the worldwide anti-war marches. I remember stopping off for a coffee break along the way in Bar Italia, in Soho, and watching live coverage from other European cities – the millions of people marching in Rome, 100,000 people on the streets of Dublin listening to Michael D Higgins and Christy Moore in Dublin.<br /><br />We were furious that preparations were being made for war. “<em>Not in our Name</em>” was our cry. Surely, we all thought, Blair will see the strength of opposition across Europe and call a halt to this madness! <br /><br />But Blair was not for turning. Blair would not listen. He was completely anti-european when he turned his back on us, as well as on the leaders of the rest of Europe. Instead he rushed off to war with his ally George Bush. <br /><br />Like millions of other, from then on I lost my faith and trust in the man. Now, just six years later, some people are asking us to support him again. We shouldn’t. He is too divisive to be considered for the position.<br /><br />Even in his homeland people are querying a potential Blair presidency. The Sunday Observer’s lead article this week was entitled “<em>Europe needs a president we can all trust. Blair is not the man for the job</em>”.<br /><br />What’s more, the past is creeping up on Mr Blair. In the same way that Mahon Tribunal might put a stop to Bertie Ahern’s Presidential ambition here at home, the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War awaits Blair. <br /><br />The purpose of the inquiry is to consider the UK’s involvement in Iraq, including the way decisions were made and actions taken. It has appointed Dame Rosalyn Higgins, one of the most renowned experts on international law as an adviser, in what is viewed as an indication that the Blair government's legal justification for the invasion is to come under serious scrutiny.<br /><br />The Inquiry's chairman, Sir John Chilcot, says he will not carry out a "<em>whitewash</em>". He has insisted the committee "<em>will not shy away from making criticism. If we find that mistakes were made... We will say so</em>." <br /><br />So, things are going to get a lot hotter for Mr Blair. Last week the father of a killed serviceman told the inquiry that "<em>I believe this country has been badly let down and been lied to. I would like to see some accountability... The prime concern I have is over the legality of the war</em>."<br /><br />A grieving mother told the Inquiry that "<em>Blair had to be held responsible for what he's done, to our children, and to our husbands</em>". Another mother told the hearing that "<em>I lost my son and he was only 18, and I blame Tony Blair</em>.”<br /><br />Blair himself will be giving evidence to the Inquiry. He will be pushed hard in relation to the evidence for weapons of Mass Destruction. A central issue is whether he took Britain to war on evidence he knew or suspected to be fake. <br /><br />Blair’s appearance in front of the inquiry will coincide with the first months of the new president’s term. Not the type of attention that a new president needs. And of course, when the report comes out, this will cast further spotlight on him. There’s also the potential of criminal charges afterwards.<br /><br />Do we really want to run the risk of having such a tarnished and controversial person figure as President of the European Council? I think the answer has to be no more Blair. Not in our name.Senator Dominic Hanniganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16192208445014208056noreply@blogger.com1