Tag Archives: Opposition

Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune has warned of possible competition from other airports in the EU who may be granted customs and immigration Pre clearance by the US authorities in direct competition with Shannon and Dublin airports. Up until now, Ireland is the only EU country where passengers can pre clear US customs in both Shannon and Dublin airports. That means that passengers travelling from Shannon and Dublin Airports to America can save up to two hours of queuing at immigration in the United States by pre-clearing in Ireland. Passengers simply collect their bags once they land in the US and are free to go. The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) said pre clearance in Dublin attracted passengers from the UK and other European countries, many of whom use Ireland as a transit stop for pre clearance. Clune was speaking after the US department of Homeland Security named 11 airports this weekend as potential locations for preclearance operations. “Over the …

Former Defence Minister Willie O’Dea and Councillor Cathal Crowe have joined 125 residents to oppose the completion of 22 residential units and site works in Westbury. The largest housing estate in South-East Clare could get even bigger if Clare County Council grants planning permission for an extra 22 houses. According to Punch Consulting Engineers, planning permission for this development was granted under a previous application, which has now expired. Sixteen of the proposed units are located in the proposed cul-de-sac adjacent to No. 87 Bruachlan, while the remaining six units are situated in another cul-de-sac between properties 24 and 31. A comprehensive objection signed by 127 people was drafted by Councillor Crowe, following a recent public meeting he organised in Larkin’s Pub, Parteen to oppose this “NAMA planning application”. According to the objection, Westbury is a development of about 1,000 housing units, yet there is only a single entrance into the estate, which results in a “serious traffic problem” with …

Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O’Sullivan has dismissed as “misleading and grossly inaccurate” Opposition claims that recipients of the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) will not have a route to other forms of social housing. “The new Housing Assistance Payment is the most radical reform of social housing support in decades. It transforms the system of rent supplement which is widely recognised as not being fit for purpose.The new Housing Assistance Payment will benefit those households who require assistance with their housing needs,” she asserted on this Tuesday. The minister said:  It will ensure that all long-term housing support is accessed through each local authority, rather than the current fractured system that involves the Department of Social Protection making payments, with people joining waiting lists to access the local authority system; It will ensure that people can take up employment and still retain housing support; It will improve standards of accommodation for tenants, with a more coherent system of inspection under the …