Tag Archives: Deirdre Clune

Everybody must play their part in ensuring the internet is a safe place to go. “On Safer Internet Day the focus is on ‘Together for a better internet’ and I believe we need to make sure we are all working towards a safer online world. It could be parents protecting their children, companies protecting their employees or users themselves making sure that they are safe online,” commented Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune this week. “Figures show that almost 80% of children aged between eight and 10 own a smart device with access to the internet and 40% of eight are speaking to strangers online. These figures show what a major role the internet is playing in the lives of young people and we must do all we can to ensure they are kept safe.” The first Safer Internet Day was held in 2004 and is recognised in around 140 countries around the world. Meanwhile, four more IT companies decided to …

The CEO of Norwegian Airlines, Bjørn Kjos met Ireland South MEP and member of the EU Transport Committee, Deirdre Clune in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss transatlantic flights from Cork and Shannon to the US. Kjos, a Norwegian aviator, lawyer, and business magnate is best known as the founder and CEO of Norwegian Air. He agreed to meet MEP Clune in the European Parliament, as the approval process for Norwegians transatlantic license continues. Ms Clune described it as a constructive meeting. “I invited Mr Kjos to the European Parliament to discuss Norwegians flights from Shannon and Cork. He has told me that the process of granting a licence will take time and that there is a procedure to be followed. Ultimately, he wants to begin flying from Cork to the US from August 1 and has also reaffirmed his committemnt to flying from Shannon to the US, but did not give me a specific date on those flights. “The US …

County Clare stands to benefit from an amendment to a tourism report passing through the European Parliaments Transport and Tourism committee today (Tuesday), which calls on EU member states to provide free Wi-Fi in tourist towns and areas. Supporting the initiative, Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune commented, “Dublin and Cork already provide free Wi-Fi in parts of the cities and I don’t see any reason as to why we should not be rolling this out to more tourist towns and cities. Tech-savvy tourists would appreciate a way of checking emails, booking attractions, managing their flight bookings, posting pictures and keeping in contact with loved ones back home. In an increasingly competitive global tourist market, Ireland needs to ensure it is leading the way with its tourism offering. “What better advertising can we get than having tourists posting pictures and reviews of our towns on their social media sites? They are posting where they are and talking about their experience, free …

The Government has made seven submissions for funding under the new EU Juncker investment plan for Shannon Airport. The European Commission under the auspice of Commission president, Jean Claude Juncker announced a €315 billion investment plan last November to get Europe growing again. Member states have been asked by the European Commission to submit an initial list of projects, which they felt could be suitable for the programme. Commenting on the inclusion of projects from Shannon Airport, Ireland South MEP, Deirdre Clune described it as “a vote of confidence.” “The seven projects include the construction of three c.6,751 square metre wide body hangers, full renewal of the Shannon airport runway, development of a corporate aviation and cargo terminal infrastructure, fourth generation office blocks in the Shannon Free Zone and refurbishment of the main Shannon airport terminal building,” observed Ms Clune. “One of my main concerns is that we would submit a fair balance of projects from outside the sprawling Dublin …