O’Mahony questions Gormley on sewerage schemes

Throughout the election campaign, the Kiltimagh sewerage controversy was one issue that would just not go away. A new scheme had been promised at the time of the previous election but it had never materialised and in the run up to the election last month, the go ahead was given for a new scheme for the town. Now, Deputy O’Mahony has asked the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley TD, just how much funding has been provided for the upgrading of the Kiltimagh sewerage scheme. ‘’I think it’s important that we have this information for the people of Kiltimagh who are desperate for a new sewerage scheme. I also asked the Minister when the work would actually start and for the name of the successful tenderer,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy O’Mahony has also asked Minister Gormley to detail the amount of funding being made available by his department for the provision of a sewerage scheme at Crossboyne. ‘’Again, just like in Kiltimagh, the people of Crossboyne are crying out for a sewerage scheme and it’s my intention to keep the pressure on until work starts on it,’’ said Deputy O’Mahony.

O’Mahony keeps Western Rail Corridor on agenda

Minister Dempsey was replying to a Dail question last week by Deputy O’Mahony who had queried the Minister on a number of issues relating to the WRC. ‘’I asked the Minister what funding was provided by his Department for the re-opening of the WRC and the reason why no approval had been given or date set for the re-opening of the line from Collooney to Claremorris and the date on which it is proposed that work will commence. I don’t think it’s possible to over emphasise the importance of the WRC to the west of Ireland and I will continue to pursue this issue,’ he said. Minister Dempsey told Deputy O’Mahony that the WRC was to be completed in phases between Ennis and Claremorris with the Tuam to Claremorris section completed by 2014. The Minister did not outline the cost involved of each phase as the public procurement processes were not yet completed. However, he did say that his Department had allocated 10m this year to fund expenditure on the Ennis to Athenry section of the WRC.

Westport job losses huge blow – O’Mahony

The losses, which were announced to staff last Thursday, brings to over 50 the number of job cuts in the printing plant in the past month. ‘’Job losses are significant anywhere but when nearly one third of a workforce is faced with redundancy there is a huge impact on a community.

‘’Berry’s, as it was more commonly known, grew from humble beginnings to a state of the art printing facility that serviced the hugely competitive pharmaceutical printing business. It has always been a part of the fabric of the Westport community and that makes this job loss announcement even more difficult for people to deal with.

‘’It’s important now that every effort is made to secure the remaining 140 or so jobs at the plant and whatever assistance the state can give to the company through its various agencies should be given immediately. I can assure the staff there, that my colleagues and I in the Dail, will do all in our power to ensure that whatever needs to be done will be done to make sure that there are no more job losses in the company in Westport,’’ he said.

O’Mahony calls for end to infrastructural deficit

 ‘’ In all of the West of Ireland we haven’t one single motorway. Indeed, many of our so-called national roads are scarcely worthy of the name. I travel to Dublin on the N5 National Primary Road. This road links Westport, Castlebar, Ballina, Swinford and Charlestown to the capital. Yet there are long stretches of the N5, which can only be described as a torturous series of bends and accident black spots, where safe overtaking is impossible and where only minor incremental improvements have taken place over the years. It is a similar story with the N 26 (Ballina to Foxford), N 60 (Castlebar, Claremorris, Ballyhaunis), N 59 (Westport to Bangor via Newport and Mulranny), N 83 (Ballyhaunis to Cloonfad) and parts of the N 17 (Claremorris to Tuam). These roads are narrow and are totally substandard with some stretches having no fencing whatsoever. We need to have our roads upgraded and we need this work done urgently to prevent us falling even further behind infrastructurally,’’ he said.

He said that the explanatory memorandum accompanying the Bill referred to the proposal in Transport 21 to construct high quality dual carriageways throughout the country but only one to the West – to Galway city.

‘’Nobody begrudges the upgrading of the road networks to these locations but one has to ask the questions why have other counties and particularly Mayo been omitted. The economic reality is that from the point of view of manufacturing industry the major problem, in terms of attracting investment, is the lack of ease of access. Realistically, unless manufacturers can get their products to the markets speedily and efficiently then we will always be at a major disadvantage. Transport 21 also has as one of its aims the development of the Western Rail Corridor and I believe it’s imperative that we develop road and rail access to the west simultaneously if we are being serious about the west competing on the same level playing field as other parts of our country.

Monies from Europe intended for the West were siphoned off elsewhere. Between 2000 and 2005 only 74% of expenditure assigned for new roads in the B.M.W. region was spent. In the same period, 120% was spent in the East and South. It is a situation that has to change,’’ he said.

Deputy O’Mahony concluded by saying it was his intention and determination to repay the faith and trust the people have invested in him by working hard on their behalf and representing Mayo’s interests both in the Dail and on whatever committee he was elected onto.

Kiltimagh scheme now a matter for council – O’Mahony

‘’In reply to my question on the scheme which was announced ahead of the election, Minister Gormley told me that the Mayo County Council contract documents for the treatment plant element of the scheme were approved by the Department last January while the contract documents for the collection network scheme were approved last month. The matter now rests in the hands of Mayo County Council and it’s up to them to progress the scheme further,’’ said Deputy O’Mahony.

Stamp duty measure half-baked exercise – O’Mahony

‘’This is a serious issue and one that won’t go away. Time and time again during my election campaign I talked to people who were concerned about the stamp duty issue and how it was affecting their housing prospects. Richard Bruton is right when he describes what the Government are introducing now as being a cynical move that was introduced as a last minute U-turn during election campaign. It’s a partial measure that does not meet the true need for reform.

‘’Having had five years to reform the stamp duty code, the FF
Government only moved to make a change during the heat of an election
campaign and under significant pressure from the Alliance for Change.
Any reform of stamp duty should go much further and tackle the
inequities that face second time buyers and families trading up or
down.
’’Why should a family who are moving from a one-bed apartment have to
pay a year’s salary in stamp duty to get a house for their family?
Any stamp duty changes should take into consideration situations such
as this, instead of the cynical reforms being proposed by Fianna
Fáil,’’ he said.

O’Mahony disappointed at FF Western Rail Corridor proposals

Fine Gael Mayo TD John O’Mahony has said he is very disappointed by the FF/Green proposals for the Western Rail Corridor which fall far short of Fine Gael’s commitment to re-open the line from Ennis to Sligo.

“Fine Gael made a commitment to re-open the Western Rail Corridor from Ennis to Sligo, and during the first term in Government to re-open the Claremorris section and instigate a Railway Order for the section to Coolooney.

“Fianna Fáil had a golden opportunity to prioritise the Western Rail Corridor in negotiating a new Programme for Government. Yet no timeframe has been put in place for re-opening the Claremorris to Coolooney section of the line. It is very disappointing that this 46 mile track, which is in State ownership, will only be fenced and cleaned with no further development planned until as late as 2020.

“It is unacceptable that the West of Ireland does not have a proper, operational rail infrastructure, and the lack of commitment by Fianna Fáil to progressing this project shows a complete disregard for the development of services in the West.”

Prison system needs urgent reform – O’Mahony

’What happened beggars belief.  A convicted robber who was due for release in 2010 was released because he happened to share the same name as a man serving time for traffic offences. I wonder where it will all end. Already this year we had a prisoner calling the Joe Duffy show live from his prison cell despite a ban on mobile phones in prisons and then all sorts of luxury items were found in cells in Portlaoise following searches.
’’The prison system appears to be in an appalling state, and it looks like it’s going to get worse. Michael McDowell closed prisons without opening any replacements, and
his plans for a new prison in north Dublin are riven with
problems. But it is incredible to think that a serious armed robber
can be confused with a minor offender because they share the same
name.
’’Procedures must be put in place to ensure this sort of ridiculous
release never happens again. We need to know what measures are going
to be introduced to ensure a crackdown on this lax and dangerous
system. But there must also be total reform of the prison system in
the immediate future to put an end to these fiascos,’’ he said.

O’Mahony wants explanation on Midfield school delay

‘There are 75 pupils in three classrooms that were built in 1964. They are all below standards size and the toilet facilities in the school are disgraceful and hardly a day goes by without sewerage problems. There is no proper office, no storage area, no physical education area and no general-purpose room or staff room,’’ said Deputy O’Mahony. Two Architects reports were commissioned by the Board of Management and in a damming conclusion, the report stated that the condition of the school constituted a major health and safety issue and critically the report stated that if the school was a business it would be closed down on health and safety issues. ‘’Teachers should not be expected to teach in such conditions and children should not have to attend school there. It just doesn’t make sense that a school that was sanctioned for renovation eight years ago is still waiting for the work to be carried out. It’s very frustrating for the teachers, the students and the parents and I believe that the least they’re entitled to is an explanation as to why the work has not been carried out and I have asked the Minister for Education to explain just why the work has not been carried out,’’ he said. Deputy O’Mahony has also asked the Minister for Education & Sciencewhen the necessary funding will be provided for the badly-needed extra accommodation for St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Foxford, Co. Mayo. ‘’Again, like Midfield NS, this school badly needs the extra accommodation and I’m seeking clarification on all those issues from Minister Hanafin,’’ he said.