Water Harvesting must feature in all future developments – Daly

In the light of all of the recent water shortages throughout the country it is vital that water harvesting must be a feature of all developments in Kildare and throughout th country according to Fine Gael’s Richard Daly.

“Ironicallly the town of Athy has its repeated water shortages when we have an increase in water level in our river. As the water level rises some of our well pumping stations flood causing a water shortage.

For weeks both locally and nationally we have tankers delivering millions of litres of treated water, the majority of which is used for non drinking purposes . such as toilets and washing. Most of this water could come from harvested rainwater source or untreated river sources.

Nationally water is becoming a precious resource and solutions to improved provision need to be promoted.

All new developments both industrial and domestic need to include a measure of water harvesting. In domestic construction this represents a very small fraction of the building cost but will become cost effective as water metering is becoming the norm.

The solution to our water sortages will not be achieved by increasing the volume of water delivered from our resoirvoirs but in the harvesting the supply whicharrives all too frequentlyon our rooftops and hard surface areas.” Said Cllr Daly

General Election will solve nothing without reform - Daly

General Election will solve nothing without reform - Daly

At a time when the political process in this country has proved to be an absolute failure, a root and branch change to the structure is required or the next General Election will only be an exercise in musical chairs according to Cllr Richard Daly.

“On both sides of the political divide there have been calls for dramatic change in how this country is run and the urgent need for reform. The abolition of the senate has been proposed by Enda Kenny and Dep Michael Darcy has further suggested that the referendum to affect this should take place simultaneously with the General Election. The senate latterly has become a consolation prize for losing Dail candidates and last year over 2 million euro was claimed by senators in expenses alone with little value to the taxpayer. Dep Kenny further proposed a dramatic reduction in the number of Dail deputies but definite figures and introduction dates need to be introduced. Minister Noel Dempsey announcing his departure from the political stage recommended an equally dramatic reform to the political process but failed to outline how this should take place.

For decades the Civil War politics of Fianna Fail vs Fine Gael have dominated the political landscape in Ireland which finally was consigned to the past with a Fianna Fail Minister delivering the oration at the Michael Collins commemoration in 2010. Today the political divisions resemble support for football teams rather than clearly delineated political philosophy. Candidates for election are chosen more on their potential popularity than on their political beliefs or talents which sees political parties courting media and sports personalities rather than politically and economically competent or experienced practitioners. This is less likely to give us innovative political thinking and more likely to perpetuate the status quo.

We need to develop efficiencies within our political system both locally and nationally. The role of politicians should be to ensure that systems work, that citizens have access to services and rather than lobbying for individual persons or projects ensuring that all are served. There needs to be finite and transparent processes as to when roads are surfaced and schools are built so that each individual project is not at the behest of a politician but is catered for in an efficient system.
Our country may be broke but not broken irreparably. We have natural resources, home grown talent, a strategic location and a resilience which will overcome our current downturn. We just need political reform and we need it urgently.

Good News on Road Safety in 2010 – Daly

Cllr Richard Daly (FG) today congratulated all involved in Road Safety on the continuing dramatic fall in the number of fatalities on our roads. Kildare was among the first counties to take the significant step of employing a full time Road Safety Officer who has been to the fore in promoting the Road Safety message which is beginning to reap reward.

“Road deaths in Ireland have fallen from 279 in 2008, to 239 in 2009 and to 212 in 2010. This represents a very significant drop in fatalities and spares so many families the torment of experiencing the loss of a loved one.

The fall in the number of fatalities can be attributed to increased enforcement, increased education and environment and engineering improvements for which many of us have long been campaigning for. The recent introduction of speed or safety cameras and the new powers for drug testing must be welcomed in making our roads safer.

No deaths are acceptable on our roads but Ireland’s driver awareness campaigns have exceeded European targets and at a time when our status in Europe is poor in economic terms, it is nice to see us to the fore in addressing our road carnage.

My congratulations to the Road Safety Authority, Kildare County Council and particularly Declan Keogh, Road Safety Officer and all who have promoted Road Safety.” Said Cllr Daly

As Christmas Approaches beware of moneylenders – Daly

As the Christmas season approaches and people are coming under financial pressure they should avoid the temptation to accept offers from moneylenders according to Cllr Richard Daly of Fine Gael.

“Moneylenders are not regulated and have brought untold misery to so many families throughout the county. They make money immediately available at your doorstep which might be very attractive to the hard pressed householder who doesn’t have money available for the upcoming Christmas season. At the time of handing out the money there is little discussion of how much the payments will be and then suddenly you are in the hands of the moneylenders.

The first point of call should be your be your local credit union and even if you already have financial difficulties they are well worth talking to. If you are already in financial difficulty you should call MABS Money (Advice and Budgeting Service) at 1890 283 438.

What many people think is a short term solution to a short term problem becomes a long term slavery to the clutches of a non regulated moneylender and instead of solving a problem they have created a major one.

MABS and the Credit Union should be the first port of call for people experiencing financial difficulty and any of your local representatives will be glad to put you in contact with them.”

St Vincent’s Hospital is a County Issue – Daly

Raising the issue of the diminishing beds at St. Vincent’s Hospital at Kildare County Council Cllr Richard Daly of Fine Gael said that the issue is not just an Athy one but a county issue

“St Vincent’s Hospital has been providing service to the people of the county for the past 170 years and in recent years we have seen bed numbers diminishing by stealth. The closure of St Camillus’ ward was the only closure which was obvious but continuously the number of beds has been diminishing.

While I am not being critical of the level of care in our private hospitals I am calling on all of the County Council representatives to support our public hospitals which are under threat as more and more step down patients are being directed towards the private sector.

Assurances have been given that the hospital will be protected but indications are that in order for that to happen that there could be a further diminution of bed numbers. This will not be tolerated by the people of Athy and Kildare in general. If the number of patients per ward is to be reduced then we must develop new wards.

Following representation St Vincent’s was last week readded to the list of step down facilities for Naas General having previously been removed. This is to be welcomed but only if beds are available so I am asking Kildare County Council to demand of the Minister of Health that the lost beds are restored to St. Vincent’s Hospital for the sake of the county in general”

Daly praises forward thinking Kildare VEC

Multi denominational and none, inclusive, co-educational and non selective were the terms used by Cllr Richard Daly of Fine Gael to describe Kildare VECs remit to Kildare County Council this week

Kildare VEC must be congratulated for doing so many things so well. Because of the wide remit of our VECs it is hard believe that it can be expert at all things but it can. From the traditional Second level school to providing PLCs. From evening classes to language support for Non nationals, from community education to adult literacy, from VTOS to Youthreach the VEC is the body which responds to the educational demand of the community and proactively introduced new initiatives.

As public representatives it is important that we support our public education system but as parents we must also take advantage of the VEC schools in offering the best education for our young people.

Never more in our history was there as significant a role to be played by our VECs as now when the enrolment policies of some schools can be divisive and exclusive within our communities

Significant capital investment by VEC and DES in Kildare is to be welcomed with state of the art campuses in Naas and Athy recently completed. The construction of the new IVEA headquarters in Piper’s Hill is a welcome addition and most significantly the development of one of the first community primary schools in the country.

VEC a significant employer in Kildare over 900 on payroll and nearly 5000 second level students alone.

Kildare County Council needs to facilitate the zoning of lands for education to cater for growth in many towns throughout the county. It must ensure the broadband infrastructure is adequate to provide for high speed delivery of broadband connectivity to all schools and Communities. There are still pockets of the county where broadband is still not available and this must be immediately addressed if we are to advance education and the knowledge economy

The Council should take a proactive and positive approach to ensuring speedy granting of planning to education authorities and further ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place to support our educational establishments ( roads, sewage, water, traffic control, etc)

Kildare can be very proud of its VEC and must support it to keep it to the fore of education provision within the county said Cllr Daly