Tag Archives: Deputy Michael McNamara

DESPITE concerns about efforts to pursue a prestigious heritage designation for Inis Cealtra, it has been confirmed it is in the running for UNESCO recognition. Independent TD Michael McNamara congratulated Clare County Council on the news that two of its six applications to become part of a new Tentative List of potential World Heritage Properties have been adjudged to have potential. “I am happy to learn that the Cultural Landscape of the Burren Uplands and Holy Island (Inis Cealtra) were adjudged by the Expert Advisory Group (EAG) appointed by the Minister last June to have potential as a World Heritage Property,” Deputy McNamara said. The Clare TD said the potential benefits of either Clare site receiving World heritage Site designation by UNESCO would have significant positive impact on tourism in the county, particularly in light of the unprecedented challenges now facing the domestic and international tourism sector. “World Heritage Properties are sites of cultural and/or natural heritage designated by UNESCO …

VEGETABLE growers need to sell their produce for more than the cost of production, according to a local Dáil deputy. Speaking in the Dáil recently, Deputy Michael McNamara acknowledged the importance of replacing imported horticulture with Irish horticulture. However, he warned it would be difficult to do that when carrots are for sale at 49 cent per bag. “There has to be some correlation between the price at which products are sold and the cost of production. I grew up in Clare and there was extensive market gardening in Kinvara, presumably supplying Galway mainly, and in Ogonnelloe, supplying Limerick. “That is all gone because who can compete? People think they are doing the world a favour when they are buying organic carrots from Morocco that have been flown in here. “Unless there is some type of link between the cost of production and the price at which produce is sold, there will be a difficulty.” “A further difficulty is that …

STATE-OF-THE ART new facilities are to come on stream at Raheen Community Hospital by the middle of next year, according to Clare’s Independent TD. Scariff’s Deputy Michael McNamara told The Champion he has received confirmation from the Health Service Executive (HSE) that the proposed new build ward extension at the Tuamgraney facility will be fully operational during the second quarter of 2022. “The first phase of the works commenced in March and involved the relocation of the existing plant and boiler house which was sited on the footprint of the new build,” he said. “The HSE has informed me that these works have been completed and that work on the 420m2 extension to the new build is underway.” The additional unit will involve a number of new long-stay facilities. “The project includes the provision of seven long-stay replacement beds as part of an extension which will reduce the density of beds in the long stay wards and address deficiencies identified …

CLARE’S Independent TD has robustly challenged the Minister for Defence over the sector’s track record in tackling discrimination, following a ground-breaking RTE radio documentary. Deputy Michael McNamara said that while he believed that the abuse of power within the Defence Forces, and similar organisations with a command structure, is limited to a small minority, there was still a tendency to “circle the wagons rather than tackle the problem”. As Minister Simon Coveney answered Priority Questions (PQs) in the Dail last week, a number of deputies raised concerns about the revelations of sexual coercion and harassment detailed in the ‘Women of Honour’ documentary. Deputy McNamara noted that his own query for the minister was on a related theme, and he asked for an update on the Defence Forces’ process of implementing recommendations on anti-discrimination law. The Scariff-based TD drew the chamber’s attention to the findings, last December, of a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) hearing which made a series of recommendations on …

Pandemic not sufficient excuse for training backlog, claims McNamara YOUNG Clare apprentices are being told their four-year training programme will now take six years to complete due to chronic backlogs, a local deputy has claimed. Deputy Michael McNamara estimates up to 3,500 craft plumbing and electrical apprenticeships are being delayed throughout the country. Speaking in the Dáil on Tuesday, Deputy McNamara said he didn’t doubt the difficulties Covid-19 caused for vocational training in education and training boards, ETBs, and colleges across the State. However, he doesn’t believe that those difficulties are a sufficient excuse. “We need these workers to be trained and to enter the workforce. We also need to ensure they realise how valued they are, because 5,500 trainees left apprenticeships over the past five years. “I do not know why this happened. I am not saying all of it was because of delays or even any of it was necessarily because of delays. “However, I know many of …

A FUNDING plan for the long-awaited sewerage scheme for Broadford is due to be outlined in October, the Housing Minister has said. On a visit to Clare last Friday (August 27), Minister Darragh O’Brien met PJ Mason and other members of the Broadford Action Group and explained that a review of the National Development Plan will contain details of a funding stream for unserviced villages. Minister O’Brien commended the action group, which he described as “very organised”, and pledged that the situation of Carrigaholt, Cooraclare and Doolin would also be looked at. “Last year, I gave €188 million extra in capital to Irish Water,” the Minister told the media at an event in Ennis. “Now we got to look at the towns of villages where we want people to start living again, and to regenerate them. “We can only do that if we got the wastewater and freshwater capacity to do so… I’d expect in the National Development Plan review, …

THE founder of the Clare Pyrite Action Group has warned of the serious mental and physical impact of any delays in extending redress to homeowners in this county. Dr Martina Cleary welcomed the news week that, last Friday, the local authority made a detailed submission to the Department of Housing asking that The Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme, which is currently only open to Mayo and Donegal, be extended to Clare. She cautioned, however, that any delay on the part of the government would have a detrimental effect on the mental and physical health of those living in defective homes. “The minister now has everything he needs to make the decision to extend the scheme,” Dr Cleary said. “He has the proof that the problem is the same as in County Mayo. There is no reason now to delay. The longer we’re left out of the redress scheme, the more our homes are going to deteriorate. What’s worse is that …

ONLY nine extra Intensive Care beds have been provided nationally by the HSE in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, a local Dáil deputy has claimed. Speaking during Leader’s questions in the Dáil on Wednesday, Deputy Michael McNamara recalled Ireland imported the idea of lockdowns from China. However, the difference is health authorities in China managed to build hospitals in 14 days in response to Covid-19. The East Clare Deputy recalled the HSE’s Capacity Census last year showed ICU capacity increased from 255 to 280 from April to December 2020. “At the end of last year, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announced the government was going to increase ICU capacity to 446, of which 321 was supposed to be delivered by the end of this year. “However, to this date this year, the HSE has only provided nine extra ICU beds nationally.” He asked An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin what the government was doing to increase hospital ICU capacity. Deputy Martin recalled …