Tag Archives: Michael McNamara

THE crisis at Dublin Airport is due in part to short-term failings, but also flawed aviation policy which saw it cater for approximately seven out of every eight flights into and out of Ireland, according to Clare TD Michael McNamara. “If you put all your eggs into one basket and it breaks then you’ve got a big problem and that’s what the country has done. But the management of human resources at Dublin has also been inadequate, to say the least,” he said. He said that there are policy levers that can be pulled to rebalance aviation, taking pressure off Dublin and giving more traffic to the other airports that need it. “You could set a cap on the number of flights going into Dublin Airport or alternatively you could set maximum percentages. “For airlines, you could say that a maximum of 75% of your flights can be into Dublin, so if you have 100 flights a week you have …

WHILE the government managed to defeat a Sinn Fein motion looking to stop the introduction of new laws on fuel including a ban on the sale of turf, they remain under fire for the proposals. Plans to ban the sale of turf have been discussed for weeks now but there appears to be little support for the move around Clare, one of the counties where a significant percentage of people use it. Ryan responds that there are 1,300 deaths every year because of air pollution, compares the planned turf sale restrictions to the smoking ban, asks Doherty: 'What number of deaths should we tolerate?' pic.twitter.com/Q8VVxQUQOF — Rónán Duffy (@ronanduffy_) April 28, 2022 Clare TD Michael McNamara said that a degree of realism is missing from the Green Party’s approach to the issue. “The Green Party have correctly identified problems but I think their solutions lack reality. It’s all well and good to increase taxes on things like green diesel, ban …

THE future of the Spancilhill Fair is in jeopardy, because the organisers are struggling to get insurance, Clare TD Michael McNamara has told the Dáil. He said it is a signficant part of Ireland’s heritage, and could be lost if the Government doesn’t step in to protect it. “I wish to raise the fair at Spancilhill. I am sure everyone in the House knows it is on June 23. It is an important cultural institution in Ireland. It is obviously an important horse fair both nationally and internationally. It goes beyond that and is now a cultural icon. It was recently included in Ireland’s national inventory of intangible cultural heritage. Like much of our intangible cultural heritage, it is not only intangible but is endangered and will not be around for much longer unless the Government takes action to protect it because it cannot now get insurance. Insurance is a significant obstacle for any event. Occupier’s liability is an issue …

  A NEW Chronic Disease Management Hub delivering services to patients with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and Type II Diabetes is being rolled out in Clare.   The HSE confirmed this major health development to Deputy Michael McNamara in response to his parliamentary questions about lengthy waiting lists for podiatry services in County Clare. There are currently 542 patients waiting to be called for their first appointment and 3,461 patients on the active Clare database. It has emerged there are on only two senior podiatrists and one staff grade podiatrist delivering podiatry services in the county. The Head of Service for HSE Primary Care Services outlined 20 full-time specialist roles are to be assigned to the Chronic Disease Team in Clare. Based at the new Primary Care Centre on the Station Road in Ennis, services will be provided on a “hub and spoke model” across the county. The positions include specialist, senior and staff grade podiatrists; senior and staff grade …

CONGESTION during peak traffic periods on the Tulla Road and Gort Road areas of Ennis could be significantly eased with the completion of the Ennis North Inner Relief Road, according to Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara. Deputy McNamara has written to Clare County Council urging the Local Authority to revisit the proposal to link the roads, which he said would divert traffic away from the centre of Ennis and the Fair Green area and improve general traffic flow on the northern and eastern sides of the town. “It was originally intended that the Inner Relief Road would link the R458 Gort Road to Oakleigh Wood and The Maples Distributor Road and onwards to the Cappahard and Roslevan Roundabouts on the R352 Tulla Road,” he explained. “However, no progress has been made since 2018 when Phase One of the project, comprising a 520m road link from the Gort Road to the Clare Technology Park, was officially opened.” “While the Council has …

THE Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is closely monitoring the overcrowding situation at UHL, a Clare TD has been assured. Following a request from Deputy Michael McNamara for an inquiry into the ongoing overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has written to him and said the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) are looking at the situation. In a letter to Mr McNamara the Minister said, “With regard to your suggestion of an inquiry, HIQA has advised that they are closely monitoring the overcrowding situation in a number of hospitals including at Limerick over the last number of weeks. “With respect to Limerick in particular – HIQA has also been in recent correspondence with the Hospital Group CEO to seek further information and assurances from them relating to their evaluation of the current factors influencing crowding in the emergency department. “The resultant evaluation which HIQA received is very comprehensive and strongly highlights the Hospital Group’s view …

A FURTHER expansion of the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) in Ennis Hospital is underway with a staff recruitment process ongoing, writes Jessica Quinn. A non-consultant hospital doctor, clerical staff member, and additional members of staff in cardiology services are in situ, while three additional nursing staff are scheduled to take up their posts within the next fortnight. Additional resources in allied health, general support and radiology are also at various stages of an ongoing recruitment process, the HSE confirmed in a response to representations made on the matter by Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara. “The first phase of the expansion was effected in December 2020 with four additional slots being provided from Monday to Friday,” said Deputy McNamara. “Once the personnel that are currently being recruited are in place, the HSE says it will be in a position to increase the number of weekly slots in the MAU by a further 32 between Monday and Friday and 20 at weekends …

TD accuses State of having no plan as Aer Lingus’ Shannon commitment runs its course SHANNON Airport’s link to Heathrow could be removed from September of next year, with little sign that the Government has plans to preserve it. The Heathrow link is provided by Aer Lingus, the former State airline, but there is no guarantee that will continue beyond next autumn. In the Dáil Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said that whether Aer Lingus continues with it or not is a matter for the airline. Heathrow is a global hub airport offering connectivity to a massive number of onward destinations, and the fact that Shannon has a link to it (albeit one temporarily suspended due to Covid-19) is vital to foreign direct investment and tourism in Clare and the surrounding counties. In a parliamentary question, Clare TD Michael McNamara asked the Minister to outline actions that have been taken to ensure Shannon-Heathrow connectivity, given that the seven-year ownership of the …