LABOUR TD KENNY CALLS ON JOHN MCGUINNESS TO STEP ASIDE AS CHAIRMAN OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE
Posted on March 29, 2012 2:49 PM
The Dublin North East Labour Party TD and former Dublin City Councillor, Seán Kenny, has called on Fianna Fáil TD and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee to step aside over his lobbying for the Cargobridge Consortium near Dublin Airport. "Fianna Fáil Deputy John McGuinness, then a member of Kilkenny County Council, made direct representation by letter to the then Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, in relation to allowing the consortium to access the site over the lands owned by Minister for Transport. Deputy McGuinness's brother, Mr. Michael McGuinness was a director of Neptune Freight. The Mahon report says that Michael McGuinness...
KENNY WELCOMES ABILITY TO PAY HOUSEHOLD CHARGE AT LOCAL AREA OFFICES
Posted on March 28, 2012 2:39 PM
Dublin North East TD Seán Kenny today welcomed the announcement that applications to pay the Household Charge will be accepted at Local Area Offices. "I would be the first to admit that the Household Charge has been badly handled; poorly communicated and the method of payment not user friendly. The information leaflets only came to homes this week, well after St Patrick's Day, but better late than never. Payment can now be paid online, by Post or in local authority offices. "The ability to pay the charge in Local Authority Offices is a new development and I welcome it. Cash...
KENNY EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER VODAFONE PLANS
Posted on March 23, 2012 5:01 PM
Dublin North East Labour TD Seán Kenny today said that he was concerned to read stories about Vodafone transferring its call centre operations. "Vodafone have said there would be no change in the terms and conditions of those currently employed, but staff in Dundalk have apparently said they were told they would have to move to either Newry or Dublin. This is difficult for the staff who have now have to suffer the inconvenience of having to travel long distances for their jobs." "I understand that Vodafone has said it had been reviewing its call centre operations, and as a...
KENNY CALLS ON DPP TO CONSIDER MAHON TRIBUNAL FINDINGS ON 1993 BALDOYLE REZONING
Posted on March 22, 2012 3:55 PM
Dublin North East Labour TD, Sean Kenny, today called on the DPP to consider the Mahon Tribunal (Chapter 9) findings on the controversial 1993 Baldoyle lands rezoning. "The Tribunal has found that Mr. Frank Dunlop paid six Councillors sums of IR£1000 for their support for the 1993 Baldoyle lands rezoning motions. Another Councillor received a payment of £IR1000 from Mr. Dunlop, at that time, which the Councillor told the Mahon Tribunal was a donation to his January 1993 Senate campaign." "These developer driven unnecessary land rezonings eventually led to the property bubble a decade later. The estates built on the...
KENNY WELCOMES OVER €69 MILLION OF HOUSING FUNDS FOR DUBLIN CITY AND FINGAL
Posted on March 20, 2012 2:28 PM
Dublin North East Labour Party TD Seán Kenny today warmly welcomed details of housing capital allocations to Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council worth some €60 million for 2012. The allocations will support investment under the national regeneration programme, works to improve the standard and energy efficiency of the national social housing stock as well as meeting commitments under existing contracts for delivering social and voluntary houses. A multi- annual capital investment programme for new housing construction projects will be outlined later in the year. Deputy Kenny pointed to the fact that the social housing capital budget had declined...
KENNY PAYS TRIBUTE TO IRISH BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE
Posted on March 14, 2012 5:29 PM
The Government has approved the drafting of legislation to transfer responsibility for the procurement of clotting factor concentrate products from the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) to St James's Hospital, where the National Haemophilia Centre is based. I would like to pay tribute to the IBTS and the people who worked for that service. I was for many years a blood donor to the service. The Department of Health, St James's and the HSE have reached an agreement on the transfer arrangements for the products, which are used in the treatment of haemophilia and other clotting factor disorders. The Irish...
KENNY WELCOMES CLARIFICATION ON STAFFING AND SECURITY AT HOWTH JUNCTION & DONAGHMEDE TRAIN STATION
Posted on March 13, 2012 3:48 PM
Dublin North East Labour TD and Oireachtas Transport Committee member, Seán Kenny, today welcomed the clarification that he has received from Irish Rail Chief Executive, Richard Fearn regarding safety and security arrangements at Howth Junction & Donaghmede train station. "Following concerns by the local community who use the station, I asked Irish Rail to inform me of security arrangements at Howth Junction & Donaghmede. The main ticket office is manned during the hours that trains are operating. Additionally though, to make people using the station feel safer, Irish Rail has told me that there are over 60 individual CCTV cameras...
KENNY WELCOMES IMPROVED FACILITIES FOR CANCER PATIENTS AT BEAUMONT HOSPITAL
Posted on March 9, 2012 3:27 PM
Dublin North East Labour Party TD, Sean Kenny today welcomed the opening today of improved facilities for the treatment of cancer patients attending Beaumont Hospital. The facilities were officially opened today (9.3.2012) by Dr Susan O'Reilly, Director of the National Cancer Control Programme. "These facilities are an investment of about €750,000. The reconfiguration and refurbishment of space within the hospital reflects the growing demand for chemotherapy treatments provided on a day case basis as well as treatment of patients with illnesses like leukemia. Beaumont, as a designated cancer centre, has had significant investment in a state-of-the-art mammography unit, a rapid...
ECONOMIC CHALLENGES MEAN SELLING OF SOME STATE ASSETS
Posted on March 8, 2012 2:58 PM
I understand the reluctance that many people have in relation to contemplating any sale of our State Assets. Nobody in the Labour Party is enamoured at the idea. Our commercial State companies have served this country well since the foundation of the state. Many of them have been and continue to be, a core part of our economy, they are involved in delivering strategic infrastructure and key services across a number of different sectors. They have developed significant expertise and technical knowledge and skills. They have generated significant employment throughout the country. It is for that reason, and I want...
KENNY WELCOMES REPORT FROM JUSTICE, DEFENCE AND EQUALITY COMMITTEE ON PERSONAL INSOLVENCY BILL
Posted on March 6, 2012 5:05 PM
Dublin North East Labour Party T.D., and member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, today welcomed the report on hearings into the Scheme of the Personal Insolvency Bill. "Families should be facilitated as far as possible to remain in the family home in any insolvency arrangement, and the Minister should examine the possibility of including such a provision in legislation. The Committee also noted that the Bill contained little detail on how Personal Insolvency Trustees (PITs) would be regulated and paid and the kind of expertise or qualifications which would be required of them. "All the...
KENNY SLAMS PRIORY HALL BUILDER MCFEELY'S PATHETIC SUNDAY TIMES EXCUSES
Posted on March 5, 2012 11:46 AM
Dublin North East Labour TD, Seán Kenny, today condemned as 'pathetic' the excuses put forward by Priory Hall Builder, former Sinn/Féin IRA activist, and bankruptcy tourist, Thomas McFeely, in yesterday's Sunday Times, for his failure to carry out remedial works at his Priory Hall apartment development. "McFeely seems to be using his Sinn Féin past, and the Northern peace process, as a shield to somehow ward off the justified public criticism of his atrocious behaviour towards the families who purchased his apartments in Priory Hall. McFeely's present behaviour typifies the statement that 'patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel'....
KENNY WELCOMES PROGRESS ON NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS AT ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI & EDUCATE TOGETHER BELMAYNE
Posted on March 1, 2012 2:44 PM
Dublin North East Labour TD Sean Kenny has welcomed the news of progress on the school building project at St. Francis of Assisi and Educate Together at Belmayne. "I was very pleased to hear from the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn that the tender process for the appointment of a design team for the school building project at St. Francis of Assisi and Educate Together at Belmayne is nearing completion." "I am told by Minister Quinn that a final check of the preferred candidates insurances and tax clearance is under way. Once this is complete, assuming no issues arise, the...
KENNY WELCOMES MEETING OF EU DIRECTIVE TARGETS - NEED TO ALSO MEET END OF LIFE VEHICLE DIRECTIVE TARGETS HIGHLIGHTED
Posted on March 1, 2012 12:25 PM
Dublin North East Labour TD and member of the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment, Seán Kenny, has welcomed the announcement that Ireland is well advanced in achieving most of the EU waste recovery and recycling targets, with the exception of end of life vehicle targets, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Waste Report 2010, released today. "Municipal waste generation fell by 3.6 per cent compared to 2009. The economic downturn is continuing to have a marked influence on waste generation, particularly in the commercial waste and construction & demolition waste streams. When the economy begins to improve, it...
