Young Voters In Kildare South Gagged By Government - Daly

Fine Gael Candidate for Kildare South Cllr Richard Daly has described as a disgrace the fact that so many young people and commuters will be disenfranchised by the General Election being held on a Thursday.

“Fine Gael is committed to ensuring that all those entitled to vote are given the maximum opportunity to do so. Fine Gael recently proposed legislation in the Dáil to guarantee weekend voting, which would allow many more young people to have their say in the elections. The Minister for Education, Deputy Sean O Fearghail and the rest of the Government voted against this.

“Young people who have long commutes or are in college in another part of the country will suffer most by holding this election on a Thursday. Forty per-cent of young people who did not vote in 2002 cited being away from home on polling day or not being registered as a reason for not voting.

“There are 650,000 people in Ireland aged between 19 and 28 and we must ensure that every single one of these voters is actively encouraged to vote and are given the greatest opportunity to do so.

“It is quite obvious Fianna Fáil and the PDs know they have let young people down on a whole range of issues including the cost of housing, mental health services and road safety and now they are running away from them”, said Cllr Daly

“If the current Government had any regard for young voters they would have called a weekend poll. I encourage students and young commuters who make an extra effort to get home to vote to make their annoyance felt at the ballot box by voting for change; voting Fine Gael”.

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Fine Gael commits to children with autism – Daly

FG financial framework provides substantial increase in funding for autism education

Fine Gael general election candidate Cllr Richard Daly said Fine Gael is taking a clear and costed commitment to children with autism.

“Fine Gael is committed to meeting the needs of children with an intellectual or physical disability. Our recently published General Election Manifesto put forward a number of key actions that Fine Gael will prioritise in Government after the election.

“With regard to autism, our manifesto explicitly states that where a period of intensive education – like Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) – is professionally recommended for children with autism we will support this approach.

“For too long children with autism have been shamefully overlooked by Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats. Special autism units are working for some children with autism, but for others a more intensive approach is needed. However, this Government refuses to fully acknowledge the benefits of ABA education, leaving many children with autism without the education that fits for them.

“Fine Gael believes that, in education, one size does not fit all. In Government we will recognise more ABA schools for funding, giving children with autism who need this type of education the assistance they are currently waiting for.

“This is no empty pre-election promise. Fine Gael has budgeted for increased financial support for the education of children with autism, and our financial framework shows Fine Gael will spend an additional €45 million on autism education over the lifetime of the Government.

“Fine Gael is putting its money where its mouth is – our commitment to children with special educational needs means we have made specific financial commitments to support children with autism.”

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Constitutional rights of children being denied in Kildare – Daly

Fine Gael General Election Candidate Cllr Richard Daly says that he believes that the constitutional rights of children have been denied to the tens of students who were refused places in our primary schools.

“The failure of the Department to provide adequate places in Newbridge last year meant that dozens of young children could not be accommodated in the primary schools. Deferring their entry has meant that parents had to make provision for childcare or preschool while they waited in vain for a place in the primary school to come on stream.” said Cllr Daly

“Over the past month I have encountered parents and educationalists who are extremely annoyed at the lack of school places for their children. The lack of places does not only apply to those who would have entered primary but also to several who could not access places throughout the primary system.

As another school year comes to an end parents once more face the lottery of school places in overcrowded classrooms.

Minister Hanafin has announced another primary school for Newbridge but neglects to mention that it is not a permanent building but “prefabs on a car park”. The location of the site in Rickardstown is so far from reality that planning permission for 14 prefabs has been applied for in the interim.

Parents and teachers will soon have the opportunity to send a message to Minister Hanafin about how they feel about the lack of educational resources in our county.” said Cllr Daly