Tag Archives: Martin Conway

AN announcement by the Minister of Health that the HPV vaccine is to be made available free of charge to all women under 25 has been welcomed by the family of the late Laura Brennan. Since Laura’s passing three years ago the Brennan family have fought tirelessly to increase awareness of, and access to, the life saving vaccine. The Brennans are now stepping away from the campaign with Laura’s father Larry saying, “As a family we feel that we have achieved what we set out to do.” Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has written to the HSE telling it to outline a vaccination programme for women, as well as a catch-up programme for girls and boys in secondary school who missed out for various reasons including the pandemic. In a message posted on social media confirming the move, Minister Donnelly paid tribute to Laura, who died from cervical cancer in 2019, and the Brennan family. “Our goal it to eradicate …

THE decision by Government to extend the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector is a positive boost for businesses coming into the summer season, according to Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway. Senator Martin Conway has also called on Government to examine the possibility of making the 9% VAT rate permanent to help the tourism and hospitality sector, particularly after the challenges brought by the pandemic. Senator Conway said, “The decision by Cabinet will help businesses in the hospitality sector which have started to recover following two years of upheaval caused by Covid, and now against the backdrop of a devastating war in Europe. “I know that my colleague, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, is committed to supporting businesses and to growing our economy, and I thank him for the measure he announced today. “Some tourism and hospitality businesses are encountering massive challenges with staff shortages as they try to prepare ahead for the busy summer period and retrain new staff …

CLARE Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway has been appointed to a panel within the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to promote political participation of people with disabilities. Senator Conway was officially appointed to the advisory panel of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) after impressing the panel with his commitment in encouraging people with disabilities to become involved in politics.  Senator Conway, who is the first visually impaired member of the Oireachtas, said, “As a life-long campaigner for equal opportunities and rights for those with disabilities, I am honoured to have been appointed to the ODIHR Advisory Panel on the Political Participation of Persons with Disabilities for a term of four years. “My role will involve providing advice, guidance and recommendations to ODIHR, and through ODIHR to the OSCE participating States, on matters related to the political participation of persons with disabilities. “The work includes the implementation of relevant OSCE commitments; legislation, policies …

CLARE County Council should be represented on the board of Shannon Group, Senator Martin Conway claimed in the Seanad, at a debate attended by Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Hildegarde Naughton. “Whatever future structure (for Shannon Group) is being considered, though, there must be linkages with people who know tourism. Clare County Council, in particular, has a fantastic record of building tourism numbers and products, for example, the Cliffs of Moher visitor experience,” said the North Clare Senator. “Clare County Council built the cliffs from 400,000 or 500,000 visitors per year to almost two million in 2019. That type of expertise will help to inform those of us in the region. Whatever new structure is put in place in Shannon, the input must be balanced and professional and have the linkages that we need,” he added. Clare County Council have long sought influence with Shannon Group and while former Chief Executive Tom Coughlan was …

All 120 registered beds in the public elderly care facility St Joseph’s Hospital are to be registered again, following the outcome of a long and complex regulatory process. “The decision announced today (Thursday) by the HSE is fantastic news for St Joseph’s, its staff, the local community and for the users of the facility,” commented Senator Martin Conway. “This confirmation shows the hard work and commitment of those working in St Joseph’s and the HSE to make sure the necessary changes were put in place so that this positive result could be achieved. “I have no doubt that the staff and management in St. Joseph’s will continue to make improvements and that they will strive to ensure they are a patient focused facility.The centre is currently earmarked for a major new build by 2021 under the Capital Programme approved by Government and I look forward to following the development of St. Joseph’s over the next few years,” the Fine Gael …

Oireachtas members last night enjoyed dinner blindfolded to raise awareness about the challenges faced by people with sight loss. Dine in the Dark is an initiative which has been promoted by the National Council for the Blind in Ireland (NCBI) and the Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI) to increase awareness of the challenges faced on a daily basis by people who are blind and visually impaired. The dinner was hosted by Senator Martin Conway, who is himself visually impaired. The fully booked meal included Ministers, TDs and Senators from across all political parties and is the first time in the history of the Houses of the Oireachtas that such an event was held. Senator Conway said, “The NCBI’s Dine in the Dark event is a fantastic initiative that challenges people to go outside their comfort zone and gives them an insight into what life is like with vision impairment. “Last year the event was a great success for the NCBI …

Fine Gael spokesman on Justice in Seanad Éireann, Senator Martin Conway, has said the new Garda Commissioner should be appointed from outside the ranks of An Garda Síochána. Senator Conway said, “Following the retirement of former Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan, I believe that it is in the best interest of An Garda Síochána that the Policing Authority begin a process of headhunting an individual with a proven track record of implementing radical reform. “This process can run in tandem with an open competition- the clear objective being to find the right candidate to drive radical reform and restore public confidence in the senior management of the force. “It is not uncommon in private industry that a headhunting process is used to find the right person for a senior position such as this as there are many who may not express an interest through an open competition. “This has been a particularly difficult time for the ordinary men and women of An …

Fine Gael’s Martin Conway will be Clare’s sole representative in the Seanad. The Ennistymon man successfully retained his seat on the Administrative Panel of Seanad Éirean. He was first elected to this panel in 2011 and was the Seanad spokesperson on Justice, Disability and Equality. He is the first visually impaired member of the Oireachtas. Conway’s first foray into politics was in 2004 when he won a seat on Clare County Council, representing North Clare. He was re-elected to the council in 2009, topping the poll. However, outgoing senator Tony Mulcahy from Shannon surrendered his seat. He was one of 23 candidates seeking the 11 seats on the Labour panel. He was eliminated in the sixth count. Following his unsuccessful bid Senator Mulcahy said that one of the first things he has to do is get a handle on his finances. He said that despite perceptions of politics being ultra-lucrative, most of those who have lost their Seanad seats face …