Lack of speed in delivery can cost lives on our road. Daly

While speed is a major factor in the number of deaths on our roads the lack of speed in installing speed cameras by the government can be seen as absolute neglect of its own road safety agenda according to Fine Gael’s Cllr Richard Daly

“I am appalled and annoyed that years after the government has been made aware that the installation of speed cameras will dramatically reduce road deaths it still has not introduced them.

We are still playing “hide and Go seek” with 3 speed cameras which move from location to location while European research claims to have decrease road carnage by over 20% by the use of fixed cameras.” Said Cllr Daly

“There is some forgiveness for a government not knowing how to address the crisis which we have on our roads but to have known the difference that this action would make and not to act is a shame.

The cost of the installation of dozens of cameras would be self financing and has been promised and re-promised for ten years now. In the meantime report after report has indicated the dramatic effect which they would have on saving lives.

The one area in our road safety strategy where we need speed, we seem to be at a standstill.”

ENDS

Education Minister neglects Kildare - Daly

The treatment by Education and Science Minister Mary Hanafin of all sections of education in Kildare shows her lack of commitment to the reality of education needs in the county according to Fine Gael’s Cllr Richard Daly

“A whole range of educational establishments which had completed the long acquisition, planning and tendering process throughout the county are left in the perpetual limbo of not knowing when they will be allowed to complete the schools which have been sanctioned for years.

There is no doubt about the need for any of these schools but all semblance of transparency and accountability have vanished from the process which seems to be purely in the hands of the minister. Schools in Naas, Athy and Athgarvan are among the bemused and bewildered who can not understand the ad hoc decision making process engaged in by the minister.” Said Cllr Daly.

“For any level of planning and education provision, school managers need to know when their projects are to be advanced. Many schools have worked through the process for seven or eight years and still have no definite finishing date. Even when all stages of the process are completed the minister still has to wait for the right moment for an announcement.

Primary schools can be located on second level grounds or sports clubs with no definite future arrangement for their re-location while the minister claims that it is possible to design and build schools within a year.

While I applaud the one location in Adamstown where school facilities are leading population development, it must not be at eh expense of the rest of the commuter belt. Every student has equal rights and their education facilities should not be dependent on the favouritism of a minister.”he added.

ENDS

Athy workers and farmers suffer in Bachelors closure – Daly

Devastating news that Bachelors factory in Athy is to close will hit workers and local farmers hard according to Cllr Richard Daly

“Since 1940 Bachelors has been a good employer and a landmark in Athy and it is with great sadness that we learn that the factory is to close this June. The 16 workers have been hit y the sudden announcement that the packaging operation is to move to Cabra and this workforce is a very local one who would not be in a position to commute even if there was transfer on offer.” Said Cllr Daly

“For the local farming community the prospects seem particularly bleak. While land would have been allocated for the crop at this stage they now have no delivery point for the harvest. While the company claim that they want to see continued supply from local farmers the writing is on the wall for pea farmers. The same locality which was hit hard by the demise of the beet industry now sees another crop facing extinction in the region.

While Athy has seen no investment in new industry in over a decade replacement employment for the most recent group facing redundancy was never more scarce. We have the highest unemployment rate in 10 years in Ireland and a building industry in decline.

Athy has been designated a RAPID town and must be prioritised for serious investment and job creation.

I sympathise with the workers and their families who see their jobs vanish in June and I urge our national politicians to put Athy centre stage for industrial development”

ENDS

Daly welcomes opening of new revenue office in Athy

The relocation of 20% of the planned number of revenue personnel to Athy is a very positive step in the fortunes of the town according to Fine Gael’s Cllr Richard Daly.

“I hope that four years after the announcement by Mr McCreevy of the decentralisation programme of the government that completion of the move will not take another four years. Athy has anxiously sought the location of a government department for the last number of years and welcomes the first 50 employees to the town. This is simply the advance party and we are anxious to see the real decentralisation of the promised 250 personnel.” Said Cllr Daly

“The relocation of these workers will have a strong economic effect on the economy of the town as these are the most secure of jobs. While we are seeing the closure of manufacturing outlets and the steady decline of the building industry on a daily basis we can be assured that taxation will be with us as long as we have government.

This initial development will further advance the plans of many of the entrepreneurs who are about to invest heavily in the town. We have seen Athy become an attractive location to invest in as our population increases with so many people choosing it as a place to live and while most of the fifty Revenue employees are already living locally there will undoubtedly be economic benefit to the local outlets

It is unfortunate that on the day the Minister Cowen officially opened the office that Ireland’s unemployment figure had reached its highest level in the last decade and that we are experiencing such high inflation just as Athy’s regeneration is commencing. The benefits of the Celtic Tiger did not reach as far as Athy over the past few years and now that the Minister for Finance has located members of his own department here perhaps he will prioritise investment in our schools, our rail network, our Southern relief road, our water supply, our broadband availability particularly our long promised MAN (metropolitan area network), and much much more.

It is also unfortunate that on the same day that the Minister officially opened the Revenue that his colleague in Education pared back her announcements of school buildings and has further delayed commencement dates for schools in the county including major projects in Naas and Athy. I would have thought that in times of economic decline that this government would have prioritised education before taxation.

A little done, a lot to do, Minister.” he concluded

ENDS

Daly welcomes opening of new revenue office in Athy

The relocation of 20% of the planned number of revenue personnel to Athy is a very positive step in the fortunes of the town according to Fine Gael’s Cllr Richard Daly.

“I hope that four years after the announcement by Mr McCreevy of the decentralisation programme of the government that completion of the move will not take another four years. Athy has anxiously sought the location of a government department for the last number of years and welcomes the first 50 employees to the town. This is simply the advance party and we are anxious to see the real decentralisation of the promised 250 personnel.” Said Cllr Daly

“The relocation of these workers will have a strong economic effect on the economy of the town as these are the most secure of jobs. While we are seeing the closure of manufacturing outlets and the steady decline of the building industry on a daily basis we can be assured that taxation will be with us as long as we have government.

This initial development will further advance the plans of many of the entrepreneurs who are about to invest heavily in the town. We have seen Athy become an attractive location to invest in as our population increases with so many people choosing it as a place to live and while most of the fifty Revenue employees are already living locally there will undoubtedly be economic benefit to the local outlets

It is unfortunate that on the day the Minister Cowen officially opened the office that Ireland’s unemployment figure had reached its highest level in the last decade and that we are experiencing such high inflation just as Athy’s regeneration is commencing. The benefits of the Celtic Tiger did not reach as far as Athy over the past few years and now that the Minister for Finance has located members of his own department here perhaps he will prioritise investment in our schools, our rail network, our Southern relief road, our water supply, our broadband availability particularly our long promised MAN (metropolitan area network), and much much more.

It is also unfortunate that on the same day that the Minister officially opened the Revenue that his colleague in Education pared back her announcements of school buildings and has further delayed commencement dates for schools in the county including major projects in Naas and Athy. I would have thought that in times of economic decline that this government would have prioritised education before taxation.

A little done, a lot to do, Minister.” he concluded

ENDS

Road deaths at unacceptable level – Daly

Following the weekends tragic accidents, Ireland’s road carnage has reached unacceptable levels according to Athy’s Cllr Richard Daly.

As the death rate on our roads is fast approaching one per day it is time for further serious examination of our Road Safety Strategy.. With 30 deaths already on record for this year our carnage statistics will exceed our worst fears this year. It is estimated that the number who suffer injury can be ten times the fatality rate so a large number of our population have already suffered because of road accidents this year.

Road safety is a political issue but more importantly it is a personal issue

How horrific and graphic must advertising campaigns be before each of us realises the grim reality that they are aimed at us and not the other driver. So many of us still drive with excess speed and yet criticise the other driver who overtakes us. We still occasionally have to take that urgent phone call while driving but constantly bemoan the fact that so many other drivers are driving while using a mobile phone. In order to save lives there is an individual responsibility on each of us.

My most sincere sympathies go to every individual who has suffered loss or injury as a result of road accidents.

One month into a new year and we have a shameful record on our roads. Driver behaviour must change and it must change with each one of us.