Tag Archives: Pat Breen

A grant of € 8,528 has been approved for Coláiste Eoghan Uí Chomhraidhe summer boarding school, in Carrigaholt. Minister of State Pat Breen said this grant will meet the costs incurred in relation to essential security and safety works, as the school looks to welcoming more students to this picturesque area of west Clare this summer. “I will continue to work with Minister Joe McHugh, and in the meantime I very much welcome this interim funding to assist the school for the coming season,” he added. Local County Councillor Gabriel Keating commented,“Coláiste Eoghan Uí Chomhraidhe is a fantastic amenity here in Carrigaholt with huge potential and I am delighted that both Minister McHugh and Minister Breen are so supportive of the school.” The grant is being approved under the Gaeltacht action of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030.

A total of €63,000 has been allocated to help the county clean up its act when it comes to littering and illegal dumping. A total of €40,000 in funding has been approved to tackle illegal dumping in Clare, with a further €23,000 pledged to crack down on litter, dog fouling and graffiti. Minister of State Breen said the aim of this funding, allocated by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment under the Anti-Dumping Initiative, is to reduce illegal dumping and nuisance litter by providing finance for projects tackling the problem. “The idea is to develop an integrated and effective combined approach with local authorities, communities and other state agencies. “This funding will empower people across Clare to take action against those in society who commit criminal acts against their communities by wilfully and irresponsibly dumping their waste and spoiling the most valuable asset we have – our natural environment,” added Minister Breen. “A wide range of clean-up and …

Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen is looking forward to seeing the next wave of “exciting and innovative initiatives” that will be supported by the Regional Enterprise Development Fund and drive employment creation in the regions. The Minister of State was speaking at the launch of the second call for proposals under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund (REDF) which is worth a further €30 million. Last December €30.5m was awarded to 21 collaborative projects right across the country under phase one of REDF. Minister Breen said, “The Regional Action Plans for Jobs have provided a structure for collaboration so that individual counties can work together, harness collective abilities to support enterprise growth, and respond to economic challenges. The €60 million Regional Enterprise Development Fund builds on and supports this structure. It puts regional investment into the hands of local stakeholders, and encourages local groups to develop and drive enterprise growth and employment …

Aer Lingus has announced that its Shannon / New York JFK service will operate year-round in 2019. Shannon is set to operate it largest Transatlantic service in 17 years with eight transatlantic services operated by six different carriers across seven destinations from Shannon in 2018. Matthew Thomas, Shannon Group CEO said, “We are delighted that Aer Lingus will be operating a New York / Shannon service year-round in 2019. With 40% of US foreign direct investment in Ireland within Shannon’s catchment area, this is great news for our business community, and makes our region much more attractive for future US FDI.” Andrew Murphy, managing director, Shannon Airport said, “We welcome the decision by Aer Lingus to restore it year-round New York service, which will benefit the business community and leisure travellers who will have more options to avail of onward connections to over 90 destinations at the JFK airport, JetBlue’s largest hub airport.” Describing the Shannon / New York JFK …

The Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen is on a four-day official visit to Scotland, as part of the Government’s St Patrick’s Day “Promote Ireland” programme. During his visit, Minister Breen will meet with senior Scottish Government representatives in Edinburgh, undertake a range of engagements to support Irish companies operating in the Scottish market, and represent the Government at major St Patrick’s Day Festivals in Glasgow and in the town of Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire. The programme for the Minister’s visit has been developed by the Consulate General of Ireland in Edinburgh in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland and Tourism Ireland. Today, (Wednesday) Minister Breen met with Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown MSP, to discuss Irish-Scottish economic cooperation and shared economic challenges. On Thursday, he will speak at a St. Patrick’s Day Business Breakfast in Edinburgh before travelling to Humbie in East Lothian to visit …

The Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen is today (Monday) meeting the European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel. Minister Breen will be in Brussels to attend a meeting of EU Single Market and Industry Ministers at which a range of issues related to EU competitiveness, including the digitisation of the EU Economy, the 25th anniversary of the Single Market and EU Industrial Policy, will be discussed. Minister Breen said he would be emphasising Ireland’s commitment to the digital agenda and, in particular, to the pursuit of the EU Digital Single Market (DSM) strategy. “Digitisation is increasing on a vast scale and Ireland continues to be regarded as one of the EU’s digital frontrunners. We fully support the overall DSM agenda and the Government sees obvious synergies between digital policy initiatives at EU level and national policy. “In particular, we want to underline the benefits to Small and …

Primary and second level schools in Clare will receive a total of €53,1454.35 funding for computer equipment, it has been confirmed. The grant, which will be received by all schools built prior to 2014, is worth in excess of €4,100 for a 100 pupil school and almost €13,000 for a 500 pupil school at primary level, according to Minister of State Pat Breen. A total of 115 schools in Clare are eligible. At post-primary level, the grant is worth almost €18,000 for a 500 student school, and over €33,000 for a 1,000 student school. Minister Breen said, “I am delighted that schools in Clare will receive more than €53,000 for computer equipment. “The funding can be spent on desktop PCs, laptops, tablets or hybrid devices. Schools can also purchase projectors and cloud based tools and software applications to support learning. “I know this will make a huge difference to school communities at both primary and secondary level across Clare, and …

Start-ups and small businesses from across the country that have been supported by the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) have delivered a net total of 3,700 new jobs in 2017. This brings the total number of new jobs created by LEO-backed companies to 15,000 since the LEOs were set up in 2014. The jobs results by the LEOs were welcomed by the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys and the Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen, the opening of the annual LEO Forum in Athlone today (Monday). The 31 LEOs nationwide, run in partnership by Enterprise Ireland and local authorities, provide a ‘first stop shop’ for the supports available to entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses. Minister Breen said, “In a challenging environment, LEO clients have contributed substantially to economic development up and down the country, especially outside of the main urban centres. I would encourage the Local Authorities and …