December 2007 archives for Press Releases
December 23, 2007
Double resources for Garda Drugs Squads - Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin Justice Spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD has congratulated Gardaí on the major seizure of drugs in Monaghan yesterday and repeated his call for resources for Garda Drugs Squads to be doubled. View more
December 21, 2007
Irish immigration reform for Irish in America must be a priority for 2008 – Ó Snodáigh
Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh has today described the thousands of Irish in America facing yet another Christmas unable to visit friends and families at home as simply wrong. View more
December 21, 2007
Disappointment at Supreme Court ruling
Sinn Féin Justice Spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD has expressed his disappointment at the ruling in the Supreme Court yesterday that ruled the foreign parents of five Irish born children do not have the right to stay in the country. Deputy Ó Snodaigh said it would be hypocritical for the Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan to deport parents of Irish born children while his party lobby’s for illegal Irish in America to be given American citizenship. View more
December 20, 2007
Morgan slams FÁS attack on minimum wage
Sinn Féin Workers’ Rights Spokesperson Arthur Morgan TD has criticised a call by FÁS to re-look at the minimum wage with a view to reducing it to enhance competitiveness saying the comments would cause huge concern to those earning the minimum wage. Deputy Morgan said Ireland’s competitiveness could not be based on low wages. View more
December 19, 2007
Lack of housing detrimentally affecting thousands this Christmas – Ó Snodaigh
Speaking in the Dáil today Sinn Féin Housing Spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD called on the Government to make required funding available to ensure that everyone has access to appropriate housing as is their right. Deputy Ó Snodaigh said a lack of housing and inappropriate and poor housing will detrimentally affect thousands of people across the state this Christmas. View more
December 19, 2007
Lisbon Treaty not in Irelands interests – Ó Snodaigh
Speaking during a Dáil debate on the Lisbon Treaty today Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh told Minster Ahern that “The Lisbon Treaty is not in Ireland’s interests. It involves a massive transfer of power to the EU. It significantly accelerates the militarization of the EU, and advances an economic agenda based on a race to the bottom for wages and workers rights. And no amount of bluster from the government benches will disguise the enormity of what is at stake when the people cast their votes in referendum next year.” View more
December 19, 2007
Government changes to childcare an admission of failure – Ó Caoláin
Sinn Féin Dáil leader and spokesperson on Health & Children Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin has said that the changes to the Communuity Childcare Subvention Scheme announced by Minister for Children Brendan Smith TD are an admission that the scheme as originally framed would fail and has had to be changed significantly. View more
December 18, 2007
Ferris welcomes Coughlan U turn on Brazilian Beef
The Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Agriculture, Martin Ferris TD, has welcomed what he described as a “u turn” by Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan on the issue of the importation of Brazilian beef into the EU. Last night the Minister said that she had requested Health Commissioner Kyprianou to impose restrictions on the imports. View more
December 18, 2007
Closure of ward at Portiuncula Hospital direct result of Harney’s health cuts
Sinn Féin Health Spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD has said the forced closure of a ward at Portiuncula Hospital in Galway due to the HSE recruitment freeze is yet another indictment of Health Minister Mary Harney. View more
December 18, 2007
Contentious co-location sections must be removed from Health Bill – Ó Caoláin
Speaking tonight in the Dáil on the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2007 Sinn Féin Health Spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin stated Sinn Féin cannot support the Bill as it stands unless the Government removes the sections it has inserted which are designed to facilitate its contentious hospital co-location plans. View more
December 14, 2007
Morgan leads Sinn Féin fact finding delegation to Cobh and Youghal
Sinn Féin TD and Economic Spokesperson Arthur Morgan will tomorrow lead a party delegation on an enterprise and employment fact finding exercise to Cobh and Youghal for a series of meeting with business representatives, trade unionists and the local community. View more
December 13, 2007
Dublin drugs seizure welcomed
Sinn Féin Justice Spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD has congratulated Gardaí on the seizure of €500,000 of cocaine in Dublin this morning. View more
December 13, 2007
Sinn Féin will oppose legislation that facilitates co-location - Ó Caoláin
Sinn Féin Dáil leader and spokesperson on Health and Children Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin has said that his party will oppose legislation that facilitates the Government plan to 'co-locate' private for-profit hospitals on public hospital sites. View more
December 12, 2007
Ferris Raises Scandal of Illegal Fishing
The Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Fisheries, Martin Ferris TD, raised the issue of illegal fishing by non Irish fleets in Irish waters in the Dáil this morning. The Kerry North TD referred to the fact that while a massive amount of fish was being taken from Irish waters that little appeared to be done, or was capable of being done, to prevent this and that Irish fishermen were paying the price in terms of reduced stocks and quotas. View more
December 12, 2007
Allocation to Social Welfare Department fails children, working poor and pensioners – Morgan
Sinn Féin Social and Family Affairs Spokesperson Arthur Morgan TD, speaking during a debate on the Social Welfare Bill 2007 in the Dáil today, said the allocation to the Department of Social and Family Affairs has been distributed with little or no imagination, with no foresight and with no tangible results. View more
December 12, 2007
Greater co-operation between PSNI and Gardaí needed to tackle serious crime – Sinn Féin
Sinn Fein’s national policing spokesperson’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD and Alex Maskey MLA today met in Leinster House to discuss how greater co-operation between the PSNI and Garda Síochána can be progressed in the interests of targeting serious crime in particular drug-related gangland crime and predatory sex offenders. View more
December 11, 2007
Drug-related deaths, it's time to get priorities in order - Ó Snodaigh
Responding to reports of the death of a young man in Bray Co. Wicklow may be drug related Sinn Féin TD and Community Safety Spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh the spate recent drug deaths has today demanded that government to re-allocate money from the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund into the Drugs Initiatives and Young Peoples Facilities Fund. View more
December 11, 2007
Vulnerable Children in Kerry wait up to 18 months to see Psychologists - Ferris
Vulnerable children in Kerry are waiting anything up to 18 months to be seen by a Clinical Psychologist. North Kerry Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris raised the issue with the Minister for Health last week. Responding to Deputy Ferris’ Dáil question Local Health Manager in Kerry Mr. Tom Leonard stated that there are 110 children in Kerry on the current waiting list to be seen by one of two clinical psychologists attached to the Child, Adolescent and Family Psychology Service in the Kerry area. View more
December 11, 2007
Death of 55 homeless people demonstrates that Government is continuing to fail the most vulnerable - Ó Snodaigh
Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh, speaking following the revelation by the Simon Community that at least 55 homeless people had died in 2006, said that these needless deaths demonstrated in stark terms the impact of the failure of the Government to eliminate homelessness and to address the housing and health needs of the homeless. View more
December 11, 2007
Morgan raises concerns about budget welfare blind spots
Sinn Féin TD and spokesperson Social and Family Affairs Arthur Morgan today raised concerns about the number of welfare areas ignored in last week’s budget, after a meeting of the Social and Family Affairs Committee which he attended. View more
December 11, 2007
Ó Snodaigh - Gardaí need to be allowed to inspect US military flights
Sinn Féin Justice spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD has backed calls from the Irish Human Rights Commission for Garda inspections of US military flights going through Shannon airport. He also repeated his call for the government to stop allowing the US military to use airports and airspace on their way to Iraq. View more
December 6, 2007
As expected Budget contains hidden cuts and changes – Ó Caoláin
Speaking during this afternoon’s Dáil debate on Budget 2008 Sinn Féin TD and Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said: “This Budget will be a bitter disappointment to those who were promised by this Government that more families would be entitled to the medical card. In the Programme for Government they promised to double the income limit eligibility for parents of children under 6 and treble it for parents of children with a disability. They have reneged on that commitment. View more
December 6, 2007
Spirit of McCreevy lives on in Budget 2008 – Ó Snodaigh
Sinn Féin Community Safety Spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD said today that the €64 million allocated in Budget 2008 to the Drugs Initiative and Young Persons Facilities and Services Fund in comparison to the €76 million allocated to the Horse and Greyhound Industry starkly example government spending priorities. View more
December 5, 2007
Sinn Féin demand urgent action by government on cocaine crisis – Ó Snodaigh
Sinn Fein Justice spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD speaking in the Dáil today in response to the drug related death of Kevin Doyle yesterday called on the Government to reconsider a Sinn Féin motion from last year which called for the resourcing and implementation of an action plan to tackle the spiralling cocaine crisis. View more
December 5, 2007
Morgan - Disappointing Budget will make little impact
Sinn Féin spokesperson on the economy and public finance Arthur Morgan TD said "For months now the Minister has tried to reduce expectations in relation to the Budget. Even with expectations set so low this was a budget that promised little and delivered little." View more
December 5, 2007
Sinn Féin response to Budget 2008
Sinn Féin Economy and Public Finance spokesperson Arthur Morgan full address during the debate on Budget 2008. View more
December 5, 2007
Budget a bitter disappointment on healthcare and medical cards
Sinn Féin Dáil leader and spokesperson on Health and Children Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin has said the Budget does nothing to address the crisis in healthcare and reneges on the commitment to extend medical card eligibility. View more
December 4, 2007
Future of Kerry’s Cancer Services in Prof. Tom Keane’s hands
The future of Cancer Services at Kerry General Hospital now lies in the hands of the newly appointed Director of the National Cancer Control Programme Professor Tom Keane. According to an email from the General Manager of Kerry General Hospital Margie Lynch to North Kerry TD Martin Ferris, Prof. Keane will oversee the transfer of all major cancer treatment to eight designated Specialist Cancer Centres or so called Centres of Excellence. Ms. Lynch also told Deputy Ferris that the delivery of services such as oncology/chemotherapy will continue to be delivered at a number of agreed locations linked- under protocol - to the new centres. View more
December 4, 2007
Sinn Féin support NWCI demonstration for improved Cancer Care Services
Speaking after attending the National Women’s Council demonstration outside Leinster House held in solidarity with the women affected by the failures in cancer care services Sinn Féin TD Arthur Morgan said his party will continue to hold the Health Minister and the entire cabinet to account. View more
December 4, 2007
Ferris Raises Issue of Salmon Compensation Fund
Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Fisheries, Martin Ferris TD, this evening raised in the Dáil the ongoing issue of the compensation package being offered to drift net salmon fishermen. The Kerry North TD spoke on the matter during a debate on elections to regional fisheries boards. View more
December 3, 2007
Sinn Féin will oppose any increases in stealth taxes in Wednesday’s Budget – Morgan
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Budget Sinn Féin TD and Economic Spokesperson Arthur Morgan today said Sinn Féin will oppose any increases in stealth taxes in Wednesday’s Budget. Morgan also said that that government must begin to deliver real value for money when it comes to public spending and any increase in the use of PPPs that would be would be opposed on the basis that they do not deliver value for money in the medium to long term. View more
December 1, 2007
€1.75 billion shortfall in tax take demonstrates proposed tax cuts were never viable
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Economic Affairs, Arthur Morgan TD commenting on the publication of the ‘2008 Estimates of Receipts and Expenditure’ said that its publication further demonstrated the correctness of the Sinn Féin’s opposition to unviable tax cutting proposals made by Fianna Fail and other parties in advance of the General Election. View more
December 1, 2007
Keep up pressure on HSE and Government – Ó Caoláin
Speaking at a protest in Navan, Co. Meath Sinn Féin Dáil leader and Health & Children spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said that the general public had an important role to play in ensuring better health services. View more
