Danny Healy-Rae urges protection for local services and projects
Deputy Danny Healy-Rae addressed local services, council funding, infrastructure and rural housing in a Dáil speech on 27 May 2020. He urged the minister to replenish lost council revenue, protect local authority jobs and keep roads and water projects, including the Killarney bypass, on track.
Praise for local workers and volunteers
He thanked Kerry County Council, its management and staff, Radio Kerry, the GARD and numerous voluntary workers for their work during the virus, and noted efforts to help isolated people including Cooney and others.
Concern over council funding and rates
He warned that when businesses stop working there is no rates income and asked whether the minister will replenish the money now missing from businesses so services can continue. He noted that Kerry County Council already operates a waiver or reduction system for rates for those not working or with reduced turnover and criticised the Government's role in the situation.
Local authority workforce and travel loans
He raised alarm about travel loans being cut for local authority workers and about temporary staff on short-term contracts not having renewals after two to three years of service. He said reduced workforce levels will lead to reduced services if action is not taken.
Infrastructure and roads programmes
He appealed for infrastructural projects that are ready to go, including roads and water schemes, to be kept on track and for no cuts to the roads programme. He stressed that local improvement schemes and community involvement schemes are vital for rural areas and that rural residents are equally entitled to good roads.
Rural housing and planning concerns
He called for greater appreciation of rural living and criticised the low number of rural cottages planned for 2016 to 2021 in Kerry, noting nearly 70 people on the list for a house on their own land. He highlighted that applicants are being excluded from the housing list when their income goes over 33,600 euros and said that is unacceptable. He also referred to the limited provision of demountable homes in recent years.
Reopening of local authority buildings
He asked the minister to reopen local authority offices supplying and delivering services as soon as possible, saying the reopening would help restore normality in towns alongside banks and shops and ensure continued local service delivery.
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Deputy Danny Healey-Rae. Mr Warren, Chairman, I want to thank our own local authority, Kerry County Council, its management and workers for the great work that they have continued to do during this virus, our Radio Kerry, the GARD, and all the voluntary workers around the county who've done tremendous work for people, Cooney and people that are very isolated. I suppose it's only now that we realise the value of businesses and people who have been employing people. I have mentioned it several times here, Friday evening doesn't belong coming whenever a team of men or women to pay, and these people are the very people that are paying for each and every one of us here inside. And when they stop working, we see now there's no rates, and there's a lot of commotion about extending the three months in relation to the rates. In Kerry County Council anyway, there has been a waiver system or a reduction system if you weren't working or if you were reduced working or turnover was reduced. So that's always there, Minister, and no thanks to this Government for that at all. We always have that, but the question is, will he replenish the money that's not coming now from the businesses to keep the services going? That's the question that I'm asking you. So, and I want to ask you as well, Minister, have you or your department anything to do with the people who are being cut in travel loans for workers in our local authority? Because it is very wrong to see these people who are under a lot of pressure to keep services going, their travel loans being cut, and also temporary workers who run a temporary contract. They have been told that their contracts won't be renewed, even though that they're two and three years working for the local authority. That's not fair right there, they're not thrown in with the local authority, and we're going to have reduced services if there's going to be reduced workforce. So, I'm asking you as well, Minister, infrastructural projects, we're told and we're promised by you that we'd walk our way out of this financial problem that we have. I'm appealing to you that infrastructural projects that are ready to go, roads, water schemes, that they be kept on track and keep them going. And to ensure that there's no cut to our roads program, because like Deputy McGrath said, local improvement schemes and community involvement schemes, the people in rural Ireland and Kerry are every bit as entitled to a good road to their door, the same as the people in Dublin for. In relation to planning in rural areas, maybe now that the power that we would realize the value of people living in rural Ireland, where they're isolated from these kind of viruses and different things, maybe now we'd appreciate the value of people living in rural Ireland, and instead of putting them on top of each other here inside in Dublin, rural cottages and in multiple homes. This last government has certainly left rural Ireland down, because for the year 2016 to 2021, we are to build 13 rural cottages in Kerry, even though there's almost 70 people on that list now to build a house on their own land to be near their own people and to be near on their farm maybe. And then people, demountable homes, we've only one-sided in the last three years. That's where a house falls into disrepair, where there's an elderly man and the local authority used to bring in a demountable home, and he'd remain there until the end of his days. Applicants are being excluded from the housing list, Minister. Maybe that's how you're lowering the list, because when they go over a couple with three children, when they go over 33,600 euros, they're thrown off the list. And who on that income could actually buy a house for their self or get a mortgage? That's totally unacceptable. I'm asking you to please keep the progression of the Killarney bypass on track. I'm asking you to open the doors of the local authority buildings that are supplying the services, are delivering the services, to open them doors as soon as possible, Minister. Because when you have a bank or a shop up or down the street open, what difference is it in having the door of the local authority opening and bring normality?
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