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 …
Read More »Sod’s law: Greens defend turf sale ban on health grounds
NEWS that the sale of turf is set to be banned from September has drawn criticism from one Clare Oireachtas member but been defended by another. The proposed ban is being justified on environmental and public health grounds by the Green Party, but Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe has said it is excessive. Green Party Senator Róisín Garvey defended the move and said that people will still have the right to save their own turf and will be allowed to rent a bank if they wish to do so. She also said that people who would have bought a load of turf for the winter can purchase timber instead, which she said is more cost effective and provides more warmth. “It has a higher calorific value, so you get more heat off it.” Senator Garvey said that 1,300 people per annum die due to air pollution, and that turf is a particularly problematic fuel. “The people burning it in open …
Read More »Clare Greens welcome €347,216 funding for Local Sports Partnerships
SPORT Ireland has announced €347,216 for sports in Clare as part of a €40 million investment in National Governing Bodies for Sport (NGBs), High Performance athlete support and the network of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) for 2021. This includes funding of €9.5 million for the network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships across Ireland, representing an increase of 15% on 2020 funding. This increase in investment provides an opportunity for Sport Ireland to support a locally led, safe return to sport and to further build the capacity of LSPs, increasing their reach and impact across Ireland. Welcoming the investment in Clare Sport, Inagh Senator Róisín Garvey said, “The pandemic has highlighted how important sport is in supporting our physical, mental, emotional and social health and providing us all with enjoyment and it is good news to see this funding coming to Clare” This funding will work alongside the Covid-19 Grant Scheme announced in December 2020. Under Covid-19 restrictions, many sports at …
Read More »Senator shares concerns over mental health impact of lockdown
CLARE’S Green Senator has shared her experience of trying to help a woman who was experiencing suicidal feelings during the lockdown earlier this year. Speaking at the meeting of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC), Senator Róisín Garvey said she was concerned for the woman, as well as the time it took to access emergency support services. She called for more detailed figures to be made available to members on the number of mental health issues Gardaí had responded to. “There has been an increase in the number of people experiencing mental health crises because of Covid-19,” she native said. “I met a woman who was suicidal and after speaking to hear for an hour, I phoned the Gardaí. I rang one of those stations that we have spent a lot of money on. The Garda couldn’t come out for 40 minutes and after that, the woman was seen by a GP. I found the whole situation deeply disturbing.” Senator Garvey …
Read More »“You get carried away sometimes”
INAGH based Senator Róisín Garvey has apologised after comments she made about Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin in a Whatsapp group. Reports emerged last week that after Eamon Ryan, who Ms Garvey supported, had defeated Ms Martin in the Green Party leadership contest, she wrote, “She tried to bring him down and failed. F*** her, a win is a win. Well done everyone”. In a statement to the Clare Champion Ms Garvey said that there is no animosity between herself and the party’s deputy leader. “Myself and Catherine Martin have always got on and we still get on well and have moved past that comment from a few weeks ago. In fact she has taken up my invite to holiday in Clare and has accepted the offer and I will be showing her and her family around our beautiful county the week after next. As Minister for Tourism it is great she has decided to holiday in Clare.” She …
Read More »Senator Garvey seeks meeting of Clare Oireachtas members
SENATOR Róisín Garvey has pledged to arrange a meeting of the seven Oireachtas members to discuss how the key issues facing Clare can be addressed. In an interview with the Clare Champion, Senator Garvey stressed the three new senators and four Dáil deputies had to work together to revitalise Shannon Airport, tourism and small and medium enterprises that have been hit hard by Covid-19 restrictions. “It is very important that the seven Oireachtas members work together. I think there is a lot on rural development, remote working and Greenways such as the Ennis to Kilkee Greenway in the new Programme for Government. “If we would get wifi hubs in villages and towns, that would help people to work remotely. There are also plans to upgrade derelict buildings in villages, which has been difficult to do because it is very bureaucratic and expensive up to now. “It is important to bring people back to live in towns and villages,” she said. …
Read More »Róisín shocked but ready for new Seanad role
RÓISÍN Garvey admits she is “still in shock” with her nomination to Seanad Eireann and acknowledges it will take her a while to get used to being called Senator Garvey. On Saturday, Green Party leader, Eamon Ryan contacted her around 3pm to inform her she would be going to the Seanad as one of the 11 Taoiseach nominees and only told her parents as she joked “people are very bad at keeping secrets, particularly good ones”. “I felt really good for the people who helped me in politics. When I lost the General Election I had about 100 supporters helping me. They were nearly more disappointed than me that I didn’t become a Dáil deputy. I think this is a boost for them. “I can now work on legislation that will help local authorities. Being a senator is an important role,” she said. She is just the third Clare female Senator following in the footsteps of Tras Honan and Madeleine …
Read More »Dooley and Garvey appointed senators
Timmy Dooley (FF) and Róisín Garvey (Green Party) are two of the 11 Taoiseach nominees for Seanad Éireann, it has been announced this evening. This brings the total number of Clare senators to three, as Martin Conway (FG) was elected in the recent election. Both Senator Garvey and Senator Dooley were unsuccessful candidates in the February 8 General Election, while Senator Dooley was also unsuccessful in the subsequent Seanad Éireann elections. Clare now has seven Oireachtas members across the political spectrum.
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