Tag Archives: Fine Gael

From top: Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe; Minister for Business Heather Humphreys; Tánaiste Simon Coveney, Ms Humphreys, Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection Regina Doherty and Mr Donohoe at City Assembly House, Dublin; Fine Gael tweet

Earlier today.

Fine Gael held a press conference at City Assembly House in Dublin to explain how the party will “support working families”, including their plans for childcare.

In Fine Gael’s manifesto, the party says the following in regards to childcare:

We know the pressures parents are under because of childcare costs. We have made progress – increasing investment from €265m in 2015 to €638m for 2020, up 141% – but we know people are still paying too much. We will reduce childcare costs further, increase quality and support the childcare sector.

Fine Gael has doubled the number of children benefiting from subsidies, doubled the number of places and doubled the free pre-school (ECCE) scheme through a significant investment.

In 2019, 175,000 children received average subsidies of €64 per week. More than 9,000 children are receiving the highest weekly subsidy of €145. Over the next five years, we will invest an extra €400 million, as we reduce childcare costs for parents and increase quality and accessibility. This will bring annual investment in childcare to more than €1 billion in 2025.

Meanwhile…

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection Regina Doherty

 Last night

on RTÉ’s Late Debate, hosted by Katie Hannon, the panel included Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection Regina Doherty; former RTÉ broadcaster Valerie Cox, who is standing as an Independent candidate in Wicklow; Fianna Fáil’s John Lahart; Labour’s Kevin Humphreys and Daniel McConnell, of the Irish Examiner.

During the show, Ms Doherty repeated the above electoral promises.

Valerie Cox pointed out that many childminders cannot avail of State subsidies because of particular rules in regards to registering for these subsidies.

From the exchange:

Valerie Cox: “The Government are dealing with creches and making them the centre of childcare whereas I met Childminding Ireland the other day and these are people who mind children in their own homes.

“But what the Government has done to them is quite extraordinary really because they want to be vetted by gardai, they want to have all of the supports that the creches would have. But instead of that, the Government has decided that people who have children in their own home cannot be vetted and cannot register with Tusla, unless they’re minding a minimum of four children. And many people are only minding, you know, one, two, three.

“So that’s a very difficult thing for them. Yes, it’s very expensive, but probably better for children in many ways to be in somebody else’s home. Because if you’re commuting from Wicklow and you’re regularly commuting to Dublin or North Wicklow, the children are going to be there for a longer time. So probably the home environment is a very useful one for them to be in.”

Katie Hannon: “Is that the case, Regina?”

Regina Doherty: “No. So if you look at the manifesto, the National Childcare Scheme that was announced and commenced last November is only for registered creches and registered childminders.

“But the pathway is to try and find a fine balance between what you just described, which is in the common good, of children being in a home, a family home, a home from home setting. But also ensuring that the governance that’s required by Tusla, that the certain standards and settings are required for. So we’re not going to pay taxpayers’ money without ensuring that the quality of care is of a standard that it needs to and we need to find a mechanism to be able to do that.”

Hannon: “Ok, but as it stands…”

Doherty: “That potentially is inviting those people to become registered because, at the moment…”

Cox: “But they want to be registered, but they can’t be registered…”

Doherty: “At the moment, we only have 81 registered providers in the country and that’s why Fianna Fáil want’s tax incentive to those registered providers is a real misnomer because it’s not going to work.”

Talk over each other

Hannon: “It’s not going to be a misnomer if, if, if…you’re saying that, as it stands, you have to be registered, you have to be Garda vetted, obviously, all of these things. But you’re saying that’s not the case? But in the next breadth you say, ‘well, it is now, but we’ve a pathway that we want to take’.”

Doherty: “No, so it’s not the case right now for the National Childcare Scheme that was announced in November.”

Hannon: “Yeah.”

Doherty: “What we’re going to ensure that we do over the course of the coming year is that with the extra €400m subsidy, is that we get it to the places that it’s needed the most which is into the pockets of the people who are paying the childcare fees to whomever they’re paying it for. But it has to be with a level of governance and a minimal acceptable standard…”

Hannon: “So are you saying that those people, that Valerie is talking about, the people who are minding two and three children, maybe taking in an extra child because they’re stay-at-home parents themselves. That they will be…”

Doherty: “Invited to be registered, if that’s the way we want to go in the future. You know, so there’s. What we want to make sure is that we get the available money that’s earmarked in our budget, the extra €400million that we’re going to spend on subvention to the parents of the families that are spending this extra mortgage every month.”

Hannon: “Ok.”

Doherty: “No, if that means we have to invite people who are registered, or who are unregistered at the moment, to become registered, well, we need to find a mechanism for brining those people into the system.”

Hannon: “But you haven’t found that mechanism yet?”

Doherty: “No, we will be inviting them to become registered. At the moment, the restrictions are that they have to have a minimum number of children in order to be registered. Who says we just can’t change that?”

John Lahart: “But you’re the minister.”

Hannon: “So, you’re in Government. That’s what….the Government you’re a member of hasn’t changed it.”

Cox: “But that’s what Government does though, doesn’t it?”

Doherty: “Absolutely indeed and we were the Government that…”

Listen back to Late Debate in full here

Rollingnews

Earlier:

News editor at the Times Ireland edition Ben Haugh, who clarified the conversation with Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone – in which she referred to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as “autistic” – before going to print, just spoke to Seán O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio One about the article.

He explained that Ms Noone knew she was being recorded when she made the comments to reporter Brian Mahon while he was walking with her between houses during a canvass last Friday.

Mr Haugh said Mr Mahon was upfront with Ms Noone that he was recording the conversation and was using a dictaphone app on his iPhone in order to quote Ms Noone accurately.

Meanwhile…

Fiona Ferris, deputy head of AsIAm, an autism charity and advocacy group, told Mr O’Rourke that the charity will not be accepting Ms Noone’s apology.

Asked what more Ms Noone can do or say, in light of the group’s refusal of her apology, Ms Ferris said:

“I would say that what she needs to do is take action based on what she said and the inaccuracy of it and you know, she should be trying to take the steps to educate herself about what autism is. But I would also be encouraging people who have candidates who come to their doors to be asking about, you know, what is in their manifesto to contribute towards further support and further understanding of autism.”

Listen back in full here

Earlier:


From top: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Senator Catherine Noone; statement from Ms Noone this morning

This morning.

In The Times Ireland edition.

Ben Haugh and Brian Mahon report that Fine Gael senator Catherine Noone described Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as “autistic” while she was being asked about his performance on the Virgin Media One head-to-head debate with Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin last week.

Ms Noone has since apologised and withdrawn her comments (see statement above).

They report:

Ms Noone described Mr Varadkar as a “very good politician” but accepted that he was “a bit wooden” and was making efforts to improve.

“He’s autistic like, he’s on the spectrum, there’s no doubt about it. He’s uncomfortable socially and he doesn’t always get the inbetween bits,” she added.

She said the Fine Gael leader was “extremely bright” and a “very decent guy”.

They added:

…When contacted by The Times for clarification yesterday, Ms Noone initially denied that she used the word “autistic”. When informed that the reporter had a recording, she said she did not mean the word literally.

….Ms Noone then attempted to give examples of potentially offensive words that could be used out of context, such as “special” and “n***er”. She quickly clarified that she would never use the N word, and said that it was a bad example.

Good times.

Election 2020: Varadkar ‘autistic’, said his senator Catherine Noone (Ben Haugh and Brian Mahon, The Times Ireland edition)

Statement pic via Gavan Reilly

Rollingnews

He’s had his fun.

That’s all that matters.

Vanguard Health Services Ireland

This morning.

Government Buildings, Dublin 2

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister of State for European Affairs Helen McEntee with European Commission Chief Negotiator on Brexit, Michel Barnier  just days before the UK leaves the EU on January 31

Leah Farrell/Rollingnews

Meanwhile…

Fine Gael TD Helen McEntee, on yesterday’s The Week In Politics on RTÉ One, claimed Brexit was coming up on 90 per cent of the homes that she has been canvassing – disputed by Soc Dem Mick Caul.

Previously: “I’ve Yet To Hear A Single Person Mention It”

This afternoon.

Fine Gael Election HQ, Dublin

Scenes from the launch of Fine Gael’s General Election 2020 manifesto in which party leader Leo Varadkar promises to:

Increase current health funding by €5bn over next five years.

Recruit 5,000 nurses and 3,840 primary care workers and to provide free GP care for under 18s.

Increase the point at which a single person pays the higher rate of tax to €50,000 euro and €100,000 for a couple.

Expand the Help-to-Buy scheme to help more people to buy their first home.

Increase the State pension by €25 a week, over five years.

Pledges on health, USC and help-to-buy in Fine Gael manifesto (RTÉ)

Rollingnews

Oh.

A cabinet seat for Michael?

Anyone?

Brendan Griffin?

Radio Kerry

Thanks Jerry

This afternoon.

Richard Chambers, of Virgin Media One, tweetz:

Taoiseach arrives on Stephen’s Green.

A homeless man looks away.

Familiar sight.

Update…

Um.

Mr Varadkar on Grafton Street.

Rollingnews

Previously: Picture Desk! I Need The IMF Guy In Dublin Walking PAST An Old Irish Homeless Man

UPDATE:

Rollingnews

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during their one-to-one General Election 2020 debate hosted by Pat Kenny on Virgin One Media on Tuesday

Watching the “big” debate on Wednesday between Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin, it’s still very obvious there is no great difference between them.

They have always been “two halves” of a great party.

Let’s not waste time. We are very tired of all this point-scoring, this posturing, and this making of promises that cannot be kept.

This is a time of national crisis.

The best way to “commemorate” the Civil War (whose wounds still fester) is for the two parties to unite and get us back in line with the caring, unselfish spirit of the first Dáil.

John Johnston,
Waterford.

FIGHT!

Televised debate – take us to our leader (Irish Times letters page)

A construction site in Dublin in 2017

Journalist Oonagh Smyth, of RTÉ Investigates, reports:

“Information released to RTÉ Investigates under Freedom of Information indicates that development land, with the potential to provide an estimated 18,500 to 20,700 homes on 359 vacant sites across the country, is simply lying idle.

“In the Dublin City Council area there are an estimated 4,714 housing units that remain unbuilt on sites with development potential.”

…A total of €882,495 in fines was levied by the local authorities last year – 3% of the site values in 2018 – with €640,950 of this levied by Dublin City Council (DCC). Of this, €463,500 was paid by DCC to itself because three of the sites levied were owed by the council.

There was also €1.7m in fines left unpaid across the 22 local authorities attempting to implement the Vacant Site Levy (VSL).

Meanwhile…

In Sinn Féin candidate Eoin Ó Broin’s book Home…

He writes (on page 225)…

“There is also a need to revisit the issue of taxation of land, no matter how political contentious the issue may be. The current vacant site tax is widely seen as ineffective and is urgently in need of review.

“The low number of sites on Local Authority vacant sites registers and the low level of the tax applied – just 3 per cent from 2019 – are clear evidence that it is not designed to do what is required, disincentivise land hoarding and speculative investment.

“In addition to strengthening the powers and ability of councils to place all vacant sites on their register, the tax must be increased to a level that is genuinely punitive.

“Independent Deputy Mick Wallace introduced the Urban Regeneration and Housing (Amendment) Bill 2018 to achieve exactly this objective, hiking the vacant site level to 25 per cent.

“The Bill was opposed by both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.”

FOI documents reveal 359 vacant development sites lying idle (Oonagh Smyth, RTÉ)

Previously: The Big Bang Theory (April, 2018)

This morning.

Carpenterstown Road, Castleknock, Dublin 15.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with Fine Gael Fingal County Council Councillor Emer Currie joins Castleknock Community College’s ‘diversity group’ as they set out how Fine Gael is ‘prioritising Online Safety’.

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

 

This morning.

Blackpitts, Dublin

Fianna Fail party leader Micheal Martin and Senator Catherine Ardagh with twins, Darragh and Sean McShea, during canvassing of Blackpitts in Dublin.

RollingNews