Tag Archives: Violet-Anne Wynne

Sinn Féin TD for Clare, Violet-Anne Wynne has expressed her delight at being appointed to the Dáil select committee on the Rights for People with Disabilities. Deputy Wynne said she is very passionate on the topic of people with disabilities and has experience and knowledge in this area since completing her degree in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin in 2009. “Over the years I have gained experience working with the home help services and I fully understand the frustrations that parents with children with special needs face, as my third born Travis was diagnosed in 2017 with Autism. I would hope that this experience will stand to me when dealing with the issues people bring forward to me,” she said. The Clare TD will be working alongside her party colleague Deputy Pauline Tully to ensure that the concerns of people living with disabilities right across this country are highlighted at the highest level. “I have been raising the difficulties being …

CLARE Sinn Féin TD, Violet-Anne Wynne, has called on the Department of Education to immediately clarify the finer details around the July provision transportation grant. “I have been contacted by a number of families who are still in the dark in terms of when this grant will be paid. In this unprecedented time of Covid-19 families are forced to budget every penny of their household income to ensure they can keep going. Every year the department would have normally supplied transport via a contract through Bus Eireann, this year that was stopped due to Covid-19, leaving families to have to arrange their own transport to and from schools,” Deputy Wynne stated. “While parents were happy to arrange same, they have since been left in the dark by the department on when they will be able to reclaim these expenses from the grant scheme. Some parents have told me how they have been making round trips of 130km twice a day …

VAGUE, disappointing and unambitious were some of the terms used by Violet Anne Wynne to describe the Programme for Government this week. She claimed the concerns that were raised during the general election campaign are not being tackled. “I think the big issues of the election were ignored, affordable housing, the health service in crisis, the cost of childcare. Looking at it overall it’s very vague, there’s loads of flowery language about reviews and revisiting things but as for commitments and definitive targets, they seem to have left those figures out.” The new Sinn Féin TD said that more affluent people are being looked after, rather than low and middle income families and individuals. “It contained a series of stealth taxes that will hit low-income households hardest. All the while, they plan to spend €123 million a year to provide a tax cut to individuals earning more than 100 thousand euro a year through the removal of the USC surcharge. …

THE number of people awaiting driving tests in Clare has increased dramatically since Covid-19 arrived, according to Sinn Féin TD Violet-Anne Wynne, who has called on Transport Minister Shane Ross to publish plans for the return of driving tests in Clare. “Figures from the Road Safety Authority show that there are almost 12,000 people waiting for a driving test across the 3 testing centres in Clare,” said Ms Wynne. “These numbers have skyrocketed by over 66% from the numbers being reported.” “There is now an urgent need for clear plans as to how driving lessons and driving tests can be re-introduced in a safe manner. Perspex dividing screens, PPE for instructors and testers, shorter driving routes all need to be examined.” “Ennis has 719 people waiting on a driving test, the Shannon test centre has 303 and Kilrush 171 people waiting. Limerick has 1,850 people waiting for a driving test.” Ms Wynne concluded, “Car driving tests are due to begin …

A SOUTH Galway wheelchair user has voiced his concern about the accessibility of vehicles on Local Link routes currently, and called on Minister Shane Ross to “cop on” and return the service to Clare Bus. Séamus Ó Donnacha from Kinvara, who works for Clare Crusaders in Barefield, has been using a wheelchair for 15 years, said the nature of the accessible buses currently on the routes removed independence from passengers with disabilities, and literally left them “stuck at the back of the bus”. “To my knowledge, there are some accessible buses in the fleet which are able to cater for wheelchair users,” Mr Ó Donnacha outlined. “Clare Bus had low-floor buses which meant that someone could get straight onto the bus. Now, what we have are vehicles with tail lifts at the back. That means that wheelchair user needs to be helped on board, and they’re left there away from everyone else and can’t interact with others. That’s an upsetting …

THE issue of Clare Bus has been raised in Dáil Éireann, with three of the constituency’s TDs appealing directly to Minister Shane Ross to intervene in the dispute with the National Transport Authority (NTA), which resulted in new contractors being appointed to the rural transport service in March. Deputy Cathal Crowe outlined the importance of the service saying, “We are not a leafy suburb with DARTs and Luas trams going down through it. We rely very much on rural transport.” The Fianna Fáil TD described the dispute over funding as “shambolic” and, referring to the staff of Clare bus said, “They are the only group of workers I can think of in the State at present who have been made redundant, not by the Covid crisis but by Government body hard-balling.” In her maiden speech in Dáil Éireann, Sinn Féin TD, Violet-Anne Wynne asked, “Will the Minister also step up and engage an independent mediator to resolve contractual issues between …

HEALTH Minister Simon Harris is coming under pressure to ease some of the Covid-19 restrictions in Clare following official confirmation the incidence of the virus is the second lowest in Munster. According to official figures, Waterford has the lowest number of confirmed cases in Munster on Wednesday with 138 compared to 229 in Clare, 288 in Kerry, 370 in Tipperary, 518 in Limerick and 1,126 in Cork. Even when population is taken into account, Clare has the second lowest incidence of Covid-19 per head in the province. As frustration grows over how many weeks Clare people will be forced to remain in a restrictive national lockdown, Deputy Michael McNamara has presented a strong case for the need to apply a different level of restrictions in different regions subject to public health guidance. New EU guidelines for the control of Covid-19 have proposed that national lockdowns could be replaced by targeted regional measures. However, the new EU guidelines also recommend that …

CLARE’S Sinn Féin TD has called on all Republicans in the county to privately reflect on the sacrifices of Irish people during and after the 1916 Rising, particularly in light of those being made today in the fight against Covid-19. It comes as the party was forced to cancel all public events to mark the anniversary of the Rising, due to the ongoing Coronavirus lock-down. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne said that Sinn Féin in Clare will privately remember the 1916 Easter Rising and she called on others to do likewise. “Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sinn Féin moved immediately to cancel all of its public events scheduled for Clare,” the Kilrush resident noted. “These events have included a delay in the opening of my Ennis Constituency office, Sinn Féin public meetings and functions, internal party meetings and also all events planned this weekend to Commemorate the 1916 Rising. The Annual Easter Sunday Commemoration at Drumcliffe Cemetery is also cancelled.” Deputy Wynne added that …