• Minister must engage with stakeholders in region
• Critical to get it right this time around

 

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has received confirmation from Department of Transport officials that three options are on the table for how the process of appointing a new chair of Shannon Group will proceed.

Option 1 would see the second placed candidate appointed; option 2 would involve starting the entire process again while the third and final option would be to engage with stakeholders in the region before proceeding.

“I have strongly made the point to the Minister and to his officials at today’s Oireachtas Transport Committee meeting that we need to go down the route of the third option here,” said Deputy Crowe.

“Since last week’s fiasco, I’ve been contacted by a lot of stakeholders in Clare and right around the region, who are anxious that things slow down a little bit in terms of the appointment of a replacement.

“The role of Shannon Airport is pivotal and if we get this wrong again, it sets the airport back significantly when it is facing its greatest crisis.

“We desperately need somebody in place who understands the importance of Shannon, who gets aviation and who can drive on and promote the airport and get it back on an upward trajectory.

“It’s important too to remember that this individual will have a lot more responsibility than just managing the airport – this job will cover the siezeable commercial property portfolio that Shannon Group commands and also the heritage sites.

“I will again be encouraging Minister Eamon Ryan to consult with elected representatives, the business leaders in the region, our tourism experts and the chambers of commerce about how to proceed.

“All of these stakeholders have best interests of Shannon at heart and it would be good for him to do temperature check in the Midwest region as to what kind of individual those on the ground want to see appointed.”

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• Large number of Clare homes impacted
• €200,000 to be invested in research

 

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has welcomed the announced of a €200,000 research programme into legacy issues of defective concrete blocks and pyritic hardcore.

The issue has been prominent in Clare and in other counties and has left devastated homeowners who are dealing with the issues caused by the defective materials used on their homes.

This research will support evidence-based decision making for policymakers and standardisation bodies and will lead to a greater understanding of the effects of pyrite and mica in construction products and potentially avoid future adverse effects in buildings.

“I’m delighted to see that Minister Darragh O’Brien has provided this funding to formally look into the causes behind these worrying issues,” said Deputy Crowe.

“This is a major problem in Co. Clare and I’ve been to see a number of homes directly effected by defective building materials so I know first hand both how serious the building problems are and how utterly devastating it is to homeowners who have borrowed hundreds of thousands for their family homes.

“I’m continuing to work with effected homeowners in Clare to ensure that a remediation scheme specific to our county can be put in place.

“In order for this scheme to be established, data needs to be submitted to government relating to the prevalence of the problem in the county.

“Clare County Council will be submitting a sample report on a number of homes in the county and this should hopefully pave the way to the owners of all defective homes being provided with funding to help them address the problems.

“The fund announced today will help to expand on the scientific knowledge relating to these defective materials and I hope some of this research will be based in Clare and the Midwest region, where the problem is prevalent.”

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• First report of group makes key recommendations
• Future of tourism sector at stake

 

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Tourism and Aviation Cathal Crowe has welcomed the recommendations of the first report of the Recovery Oversight Group for Tourism.

The group, appointed by Minister Catherine Martin in December, has made its first report back to the Department of Tourism, with a number of key areas which its members believe require urgent attention.

“I fully welcome the recommendations contained in this report,” said Deputy Crowe.

“The experts involved in this group have called for both the CRSS and EWSS to be extended; for the rates waiver to be continued and for the 9% VAT rate for tourism to be kept in place until 2025, among a number of other recommendations.

“It’s vital now that we listen to what they have come out and said.

“Although all the measures to keep the tourism sector buoyant at this time are costly to the state, it makes sense that they should continue – because simply put, the alternative is to stand back and watch the sector collapse, resulting in a huge amount of other pressures on the state’s social welfare system

“We’ve now been living with the Covid-19 pandemic for a full year.

“In this time, we have seen the tourism sector reach a rock bottom point but – crucially – also enjoy a reasonably healthy summer season, with plenty of domestic tourism, which we need to focus on again.

“We also need to acknowledge that the tourism sector has a vast supply chain. A hotel in Clare, or anywhere in Ireland, may have a hundred or so on payroll but the same hotel sustains local butchers, bakers, farmers, dairy suppliers, launderettes and so on.

“In parts of rural Clare, tourism businesses are the only local source of income for a lot of people – so many of our teenagers and young adults start out in these businesses and fund their education through that income.

“We need to acknowledge that money in tourism circulates better than probably most sectors in our economy.

“As Fianna Fáil’s Spokesperson on Tourism, I will be lobbying for as many of these supports as possible to remain in place and for the oversight group’s recommendations to be taken on board and implemented.”

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• Minister Eamon Ryan confirms news
• Long-awaited project can now proceed

 

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has welcomed confirmation from Minister Eamon Ryan that his department has given the green light to Phase 1 of the Limerick Northern Distributor Road and the project can finally proceed.

The news brings an end to a significant amount of doubt over the future of the entire project in recent weeks, which has been 12 years in the making.

“I’m delighted that Minister Ryan confirmed on Limerick’s Live 95fm Limerick Today programme that Phase 1 of this long-awaited project can finally go ahead,” said Deputy Crowe.

“This ends weeks of recent uncertainty and alarm in the locality that this road, despite 12 years of public consultation and preparatory works may not take place

“I’m grateful that Minister Ryan has taken time to consider the merits of Phase 1 of this project and that it can now proceed immediately, and a contractor is in place so construction could very realistically begin this side of the summer

“Already, there is a causeway built along the Coonagh to Caherdavin stretch of the roadway, comprised of large boulders with an earth embankment.

“There is already an extensive network of drainage of sluice gates in place and the entire corridor from Coonagh as far as Meelick has already been fenced off.

“The road will incorporate approximately 10km of new footpath and 10km of new cycleway and it will open up South-East Clare to new opportunities, also alleviate traffic problems in South Clare and the north suburbs of Limerick City.

“In all of my years as a councillor, I attended briefing sessions and meetings relating to Phase 1 of this road and a lot of work has been undertaken in partnership with local community over the years.

“It would have been wrong for landowners and homeowners nearby to have seen this project pulled at the eleventh hour so thankfully, that concern is no longer there for them.

“At last week’s Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, I joined with my colleague Willie O’Dea in tabling a motion calling for this road to progress.

“Our motion got full backing of the party colleagues and it resulted in the Taoiseach contacting Minister Ryan directly to make this call.

“I think people in South Clare will breathe a sigh of relief knowing that years of uncertainty will now end and this project will begin in earnest.

“The opportunities with this are endless and it’s now vital that both Clare and Limerick councils engage proactively with residents along the corridor of Phase 2 of this road so that their concerns can be listened to and some certainty can also be found for them.”

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