O’Mahony welcomes upgrade for Ballinrobe

‘’The ESB are now working on putting in a better service into Ballinrobe and work on this will commence on September 2^nd by replacing an old circuit breaker that is in the power station with a new one. A second line into Ballinrobe will also be set up and they will have the new transformer in place and working by the end of September

‘’This will mean that the town of Ballinrobe will be split in two sections and most of the town will not be connected to the rural network where the majority of the problems occur at present. It will also benefit the town because if there is a power cut in the town they can switch power from one line to the other which will mean the power will only be out for a short space of time. The cost of the upgrade will be in the region of 100,000.

‘’At the meeting the ESB representatives explained that the fault in Ballinrobe was on the existing line and it was extremely difficult to locate because it was not reported. It may have been in a house that was not being used or in a holiday home and that made it nearly impossible to identify. However, now that the ESB have committed to upgrading the service to the town and that should improve matters hugely in Ballinrobe,’’ said Deputy O’Mahony.

Mayo TD launches text service for constituency queries

Fine Gael Mayo TD John O’Mahony has launched a text message which will allow constituents to send in queries via their mobile phone, with the promise that all queries will be responded to within 48 hours.

The new service will allow constituents to make immediate contact with Deputy O’Mahony, who expects it will have a particular appeal to young people. However, the service is also expected to have a broad appeal, due to the ever-increasing popularity of texting as a means of communication among all age groups.

“This is principally a way to make it easier for people to contact me about issues they want addressed. There is an immediacy about texting, which for many people is their main means of communication.

“Really all I am doing is tapping into a system that’s already there. There are more mobile phones per head of population in Ireland than anywhere else in Europe so it makes sense for me to go down this route.”

In order to avail of the service, just text the word “REGISTER” to 086 3268041. All texts received will be responded to within 48 hours. Standard operator fees apply to text messages submitted, but responses will be sent free of charge.

Ballinrobe needs parking bays – O’Mahony

’There are no loading bays in the town whatsoever and what I’m calling for is a minimum of four to be located in key areas. What’s happening now is that people delivering goods are regularly forced to double park because they cannot find any place to park. It’s having a knock on effect insofar as it’s causing traffic problems in the town and forcing people out of the town to shop elsewhere.

‘’Business people have told me that it’s having a real negative impact in the town while the delivery people are under real pressure to find a parking space close to their destination or else risk parking illegally,’’ he said.

Mayo County Council has confirmed to Deputy O’Mahony that they intend to review the Ballinrobe street parking system in late September or early October and they’ll be inviting submissions from the public. ‘’I’ll certainly be making a submission in relation to the importance of providing parking bays because I have seen how they work in other towns and I can’t see why they can’t be provided for in Ballinrobe,’’ he said.

Aer Lingus Shannon crisis could cost Mayo hotels 10,000 customers – O’Mahony

Aer Lingus’s decision to re-route its Shannon-Heathrow flights to Belfast could have a huge knock-on effect on hotels in Mayo, costing up to 10,000 customers annually, according to Fine Gael Mayo TD John O’Mahony.

“Hotels in the region have informed me that Aer Lingus’s decision could potentially result in Mayo hotels losing around 10,000 customers annually, and there will also be knock-on effects on the numbers employed in the hotel sector.

“The figures are quite startling for hotels in the Mayo region. Up to 55% of hotel business comes from the USA and Britain, with 15% of that 55% using Heathrow to fly to Shannon. That’s a huge loss for hotels to have to deal with, and when one factors in the job losses that will inevitably follow it’s clear just how serious this issue this is for the tourism industry here in Mayo.”

O’Mahony wants Minister to protect weanling market

Mayo Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony has described Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan attitude to the ongoing importation of Brazilian beef after the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in England as ‘extremely lax’, while Irish farmers live in fear of the collapse of the Live Weanling Export Market.

“Farmers are dreading a repeat of 2001 when the market collapsed because of the outbreak of the disease.

“The live weanling export markets to France, Spain and Italy must be protected but Minister Coghlan’s attitude seems extremely lax. We are still importing beef into Ireland from Brazil, where FMD is regarded as endemic, a view that is accepted by the EU Food and Veterinary Office.

“Our own farmers are now entering a time of year when they will be selling off their weanlings and won’t be able to deal with a repeat of what happened six years ago. The reality here in the west of Ireland is that up to 90% of farmers have an off-farm income and simply would not be geared for keeping the livestock for the winter months. It’s time the Minister faced up to these realties and started to deal with the situation.”

’There are no loading bays in the town whatsoever and what I’m calling for is a minimum of four to be located in key areas. What’s happening now is that people delivering goods are regularly forced to double park because they cannot find any place to park. It’s having a knock on effect insofar as it’s causing traffic problems in the town and forcing people out of the town to shop elsewhere.

’We can’t be complacent and believe that because the outbreak seems to have been controlled in England that we won’t be affected here in Ireland. The devastating outbreak of 2001 had its origins in imported meat and the fear of farmers representatives here in Ireland is that because of the extent of the import of Brazilian beef into Ireland it will only be a matter of time before there are cases of Foot and Mouth disease here.

‘’It’s incredible really because the EU Food and Veterinary Office who are responsible for policing animal health and safety standards for beef imports wilfully accept that Foot and Mouth Disease is endemic in Brazil. Ireland is what as known internationally as a ‘White List’ country with the highest animal health standards in the country, however, Minister Coghlan (Agricultural Minister) insists that we import beef from Brazil thereby putting our animal health status at risk,’’ he said.

O’Mahony will continue to oppose closure of Ballina Court office

According to the statement the review is being carried out in the context of the changing nature of the work of court offices, which has been brought about, by new technology and the various methods that persons use nowadays to interact with the offices. In considering how best to provide the service offices provide regard must also be had to the difficulties experienced by offices with one, two or three staff in providing a continuous quality service having regard to the problems caused in such offices by annual and sick leave.

However, Deputy O’Mahony said it was all too easy for agencies such as the Courts Service to issue such statements but the reality was that consideration was being given to merging the Ballina office with the Castlebar office. ‘’That affects the staff, their families and all the various court users. No one who uses the Ballina District Court Office has ever suggested that it be merged with Castlebar because they know the impact it will have locally and they know the quality of the service that’s provided in Ballina. I have already contacted both the Courts Service and the Minister for Justice in relation to this issue and they are now only too well aware of the significance of the office to Ballina and North Mayo,’’ he said.

Galway drugs find adds impetus to O’Mahony call for use of satellite technology

Fishermen found about 11kg of the drug in their deep-sea nets over the weekend and it was believed there might have been more bales of the drug lying on the seabed.

Deputy O’Mahony first called for the use of satellite technology to be used after the drugs find off the Cork coast last month. Now, after this latest find, the Mayo TD is convinced that unless the technology is introduced drugs will continue to be smuggled into the country via the coastline.

‘’The two finds were great insofar as they kept those drugs from reaching their targets but the reality is that they were both fortuitous. It’s justnot possible to police the entire coastline 24 hours a day seven days a week and it’s time we looked at how satellite technology can assist our defence forces.

‘’Everything that can be done should be done to prevent those drugs being imported into our country. They cause untold damage to individuals, families and ultimately society so we have to be extra vigilant. The detection in Cork owed a lot to weather conditions and it proved that no matter how active the defence forces are along the coastline, drugs can still be imported into the country. Who’s to say that those same people won’t now target the western coastline to try and get their drugs into the country? It’s something we can’t ignore and we should be using technology in the fight against those people,’’ he said.

Big boost for Charlestown with broadband switch on – O’Mahony

The news was welcomed by Mayo Fine Gael TD, John O’Mahony, who described it as an exciting development for the people of Charlestown and its surrounds. ‘’Broadband is nearly as vital a piece of infrastructure as a road network and for rural communities to survive and thrive, it is imperative that the technology is available. I’m delighted with this development for Charlestown and it caps a great week for the town following on from the announcement that the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs will be based there,’’ he said.