Tag Archives: Senator Timmy Dooley

INTENSIVE efforts to ensure consultation on the new defective concrete blocks grant, which is to cover this county, have resulted in an agreement to hear from affected homeowners before legislation is finalised. The announcement from the Housing Committee falls short of full pre-legislative scrutiny (PLS), which had been sought by campaign groups, including that in Clare. However, it will mean that members of Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) are likely to get the opportunity to address the committee next week. It also means the legislation can be fast-tracked. The move follows a request by Deputy Joe Carey and two party colleagues to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing to engage in a PLS process. “With Deputy Kieran O’Donnell from Limerick and Deputy Joe McHugh from Donegal, I have written to the Chair of the Housing Committee seeking PLS,” Deputy Carey confirmed. “I have also asked Minister Darragh O’Brien to facilitate a full briefing for the Clare Pyrite Action Group (CPAG) …

CLARE homeowners affected by pyrite are to be given access to a State grant scheme, after a campaign of almost two years. Over the course of today (Tuesday, June 14), Minister for Housing, Darragh O’Brien will outline to Cabinet a new scheme for homes with defective concrete blocks. While the old scheme covered only Mayo and Donegal, Clare and Limerick will be included in the new grant. A general scheme for new primary legislation is being unveiled today. It is understood that a memo will follow next week, to seek approval for the publication of the legislation.  While the inclusion of Clare is a major milestone for campaigners in this county, concerns remain about the eligibility criteria for the new grant, as well as the provision for consultation before the underpinning law is drafted.  Senator Timmy Dooley gave a cautious welcome to the development. “Getting Clare included in the scheme is a first step and a welcome one,” he said. …

THE decision not to include any representatives of Clare County Council to the new Shannon Estuary Economic Task Force has been criticised by Clare Senator Timmy Dooley, who said he is “shocked and frankly very disappointed”. Ten people are included on the Task Force, including Shannon Group CEO Mary Considine and Ennis-based business consultant Siobhan Dolan Clancy.  However there is no representative from Clare County Council, or indeed from the local authorities in Limerick and Kerry. The full membership of the taskforce is as follows: • Barry O’Sullivan (Chairperson) – formerly of J&J and current IDA Board Member • Mary Considine – CEO Shannon Group • Siobhan Dolan Clancy – Managing Director – SDC Business Consulting Ltd • Seán Hegarty – ESB Generation and Trading • Seamus Hoyne – Dean of Flexible and Work Place Learning – Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest • Pat Keating – CEO Shannon Foynes Port Company • Professor Eamonn Murphy – University of …

JOBS for Ukrainian professionals could help to provide support for those fleeing to Ireland and minimise the impact on services, Clare’s Fianna Fáil senator has said.  During a Seanad debate, all three of Clare’s senators commended the efforts made in this county to welcome refugees. Senator Timmy Dooley said that, after speaking to a number of health and education professionals, he believes they have the capacity to support their community.  He said that following his own first-hand experience in Ukraine and Poland, the scale of the crisis has not yet become apparent. “I do not think we have seen anything like the scale of the demand just yet,” he said. “I hope and I have great faith in the Irish people that they will stick with it. Everybody I have met wants to be part of the solution right now. “This will require holding the nerve as numbers increase. We are at 10,000. It is a long way to 100,000 …

Clare Senator Timmy Dooley was in Ukraine last weekend, where he saw the conditions that the Russian invasion has forced upon the public there. Here he recounts the experience for the Clare Champion LAST weekend as Co-President of the ALDE party in Europe, I travelled to the Ukraine city of Lviv alongside my MEP colleague Billy Kelleher to meet the city’s Mayor and also the Governor of the Region who renewed their appeal for Europe to implement a no-fly zone, and to provide them with more humanitarian assistance and equipment. Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi and the governor of the region, Maxym Kozytsky gave us a very sobering assessment of the situation their people are facing. They are very thankful for the support they have received from the EU so far but they do need further help. I believe Ireland can do more to help in terms of non-lethal military equipment like helmets and bulletproof jackets, while also giving money …

DEPUTY Timmy Dooley has said he stands over his decision to post a photo on social media of members of a drag hunt last weekend, writes Fiona McGarry. That is despite the controversy that erupted on his Facebook page in the aftermath. The post, which commented that it was great to see people out on a bright winter afternoon, generated 219 comments and 274 other responses. “Unlike others, I don’t delete posts or cancel people who disagree with me,” Deputy Dooley told The Champion. “I’m not into hunting myself and have never been to a hunt, but there are people who are involved. Equally, there are others who hold a different view. “I’m delighted that my Facebook page was able to facilitate a debate between people of different opinions, because we need to be open to debate. “This could have just as easily been a discussion on local radio. Social media is another place where people go to air their …

SERIOUS questions have been raised over the council’s application to have the defective blocks grant extended to Clare, The Champion has learned. Despite an assurance from the Housing Minister in August that a decision would be made within “a matter of weeks”, his Department is challenging several aspects of the council’s submission. In November, Minister Darragh O’Brien told Clare Oireachtas members his Department’s concerns were not “insurmountable”. However, a letter issued on Monday poses far-reaching questions. The document queries whether pyrite is the only cause of damage to the five homes tested. “It is unclear whether the presence of pyrite has manifested itself in structural wall damage, or if the walls are damaged either wholly or partially by another cause,” the seven-page letter states. The document adds that while the technical report has confirmed excessive amounts of pyrite, “it has not been stated however that the damage which has been documented has manifested due to the presence of reactive pyrite, …

POLITICAL promises on the delivery of a grant scheme to Clare homeowners affected by pyrite were put to the test at a meeting in Ennis last Friday night (December 3). The politicians who attended – Deputies Joe Carey and Cathal Crowe; senators Timmy Dooley and Martin Conway and Mayor of Clare, PJ Ryan – were quizzed intensively over their efforts to support those whose homes are crumbling due to defective blocks. Concerns were also aired as to why technical aspects of the Council’s application to have Clare covered by the grant scheme are being queried by civil servants. “The government are not even kicking the can anymore, they’re kicking us down the street,” said Danny Moloney of Kilkishen. “We have to go back home and wonder if our house is going to fall down tonight. Where do we go from here? “Can the Oireachtas members from Clare give me, and the people here in this room, some hope that we …