Latest news with #ProgrammeforGovernment
Extra.ie
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
No response from Michael Lowry: TD says he was 'smeared' but has yet to rebut claims
Sinn Féin has said it is 'not surprised' Michael Lowry has made no comment on claims made by Pearse Doherty in the Dáil about his role in a deal involving Doncaster Rovers Football club over 150 days ago, at the beginning of the Dáil. Long-time TD for Tipperary Mr Lowry emerged as a key figure in Programme for Government discussions when he brought a number of Independent TDs together to back the Government. On January 23, when Micheál Martin finally became Taoiseach – more than 150 days ago – Pearse Doherty read into the Dáil record, under Dáil privilege, what he said was 'new information' about a deal Mr Lowry was involved in with Doncaster Rovers Football Club. Independent TD Michael Lowry. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire He said: 'I wonder if Deputy Lowry will use that speaking time to come clean to set the record straight about his involvement in the Doncaster deal, the purchase of Doncaster football club funded by Denis O'Brien, a deal that the deputy swore that he had no part in and was not to benefit from, which was completely and utterly false. Let me put some new information on the record of the House. 'Deputy Lowry had 57 meetings in relation to the Doncaster deal, including here in the Houses of the Oireachtas, with the organisers of the project and representatives of sport. He also had meetings in the boardroom of Doncaster football club itself. Will Deputy Lowry explain also, in September and October of 2001, why his accountant and his adviser paid the person putting the Doncaster deal together two bank drafts of £32,500 and £25,000 for his fee?' 'When he is doing that, maybe Deputy Lowry will explain why these payments came from an account in Gibraltar and where did they originate from? These payments were never disclosed to the [Moriarty] tribunal. Will Deputy Lowry use the Government's time to explain to this House and the public why he, on 15 March 2001, met with other key individuals in relation to this deal in Dublin?' Independent TD Michael Lowry. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Mr Lowry said Mr Doherty's comments were a 'smear' against him and said he was requesting time from the Ceann Comhairle to make a statement to the Dáil to rebut the allegations. He said at the time: 'Pearse Doherty availed of Dáil privilege to make so-called new allegations in respect of my dealings with the Moriarty Tribunal. Within hours of it being brought to my attention, I delivered a letter to the Office of the Ceann Comhairle.' originally checked in with Mr Lowry and the Office of the Ceann Comhairle on March 21 to see if Mr Lowry had delivered the letter and would be getting speaking time to address the matter. Both Mr Lowry and a spokeswoman for the Ceann Comhairle said that he had delivered the letter. Pic: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin Mr Lowry said at the time the Ceann Comhairle would 'inform' him 'in due course' about the matter. A spokeswoman for the Ceann Comhairle said: 'I can confirm that Deputy Lowry did request to make a personal explanation and the matter is with the Ceann Comhairle's office.' Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy also confirmed in the Dáil Chamber on February 26 that she had received the letter from Mr Lowry and had 'requested further information from him'. 'I have not received the information yet,' she said at the time. To date, Mr Lowry has not made any statement in the Dáil about the allegations made by Mr Doherty. Pearse Doherty said he was 'not surprised' Mr Lowry was 'refusing to make a statement on this', adding: 'So much for his huffing and puffing that he wanted to make a statement on the Dáil record.' contacted both Mr Lowry and the Office of the Ceann Comhairle again this week but received no reply from Mr Lowry. A spokeswoman for the Ceann Comhairle said: 'The matter rests with Deputy Lowry so best to check in with him.' As part of the deal to support the Government, Mr Lowry secured four junior ministries for Independent TDs, the role of the Ceann Comhairle for Verona Murphy and he has regular access to Cabinet ministers. The Sunday Times recently reported that the Independent TDs who back the Government, including Mr Lowry, get weekly briefings from Cabinet ministers. The Moriarty Tribunal found Michael Lowry to be 'profoundly corrupt' to a degree that was 'breathtaking'. Taoiseach Micheál Martin once described him as 'a rogue politician', and said he should resign his seat. Mr Lowry has always rejected the findings of the tribunal but has not brought a challenge to thefindings in the courts, an avenue that was open to him. He has topped the poll at successive general elections and emerged as the kingmaker of the current Government but has receded into the background since the Government was finally formed earlier this year.
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
BreastCheck may be extended to younger and older women in plans under examination
Currently, it covers women aged 50 to 69 years and invites them for screening. Independent TD for Offaly, Deputy Carol Nolan, asked health minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, if the programme could be broadened to women over 70. In response, the minister said that the Programme for Government commits to raising the age for the BreastCheck screening programme in line with updated standards from HIQA and work will shortly begin to establish whether the current age range should be extended. 'I am intent on advancing the cancer screening commitments outlined in the Programme for Government, which will be facilitated through established protocols. The National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC) is the independent expert group that considers proposed changes to Ireland's screening programmes. 'NSAC assesses the evidence in a robust and transparent manner, and against internationally accepted criteria, before making recommendations to myself as Minister for Health. 'The rigorous processes utilised by NSAC are critical to ensure that our screening programmes are effective, quality assured and operating to safe standards, and that the benefits of screening outweigh the harms,' Minister Carroll MacNeill said. She told Deputy Nolan: "In this regard, I am pleased to report that NSAC is progressing work to consider the further expansion of our cancer screening programmes and has submitted a request to the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), which has a section dedicated to undertaking evidence synthesises on behalf of the committee, to assess the evidence for a proposed expansion to the age range eligibility of the BreastCheck programme to include those aged 45 to 49 years and those aged 70 to 74 years. 'I should highlight that Hiqa is currently focused on the conclusion of two Health Technology Assessment (HTA) processes to examine a proposed age-range expansion to the BowelScreen programme and the potential development of a screening programme for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA). 'The evidence review for the expansion of BreastCheck remains a key priority for NSAC and is expected to commence later this year. ' She added that it would involve the assessment of relevant evidence and knowledge on the effects and consequences of healthcare technologies to guide decisions regarding the appropriate use of technology and efficient allocation of technology assessments are time-intensive and rigorous processes, she added.
RTÉ News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Quiet man of Government emerges from the shadows
As the fledgling Iran and Israel ceasefire unexpectedly took root last Tuesday morning, a less dramatic act of consolidation was playing out in front of the cameras in Government Buildings. The coalition's leaders hurriedly arranged themselves on the podium in the press centre on Merrion Street to tell the world about a plan to breathe new life into Dublin's O'Connell Street. The event was late getting under way as the Taoiseach explained that the ferociously busy Cabinet meeting had worked through no less than 50 items. Was Micheál Martin suggesting that the "do-nothing Dáil" label which smudged the planned glossy opening act of this Government was now consigned to history? That was the clear inference and amid the spirit of fast-moving newness there emerged from the wings, the politician who effectively leads the Independent ministers in Government. Seán Canney stood with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste in a manner akin to Eamon Ryan's ever-present role in the last administration. The Galway-East TD's prominent public positioning last week was the result of mounting frustration among some Independent ministers and TDs. They felt that the presentation of the Government, particularly by the media, as primarily a two-party entity, was unfair and inaccurate. "There were conversations among a few ministers, and it was decided that we need people to know that there are three and maybe four parts to this Government," said one minister. Others point to what they perceive as an even deeper disregard for some Independent TDs who signed up to the Programme for Government. "They cut us out of the consultative process when making decisions and that led to Barry Heneghan and Gillian Toole voting against them, but it is now sorted, they know we're serious," said one Independent TD. The group has also had its own Deputy Government Press Secretary, Tom Blade, appointed this week. All the while there is an absolute rule across Government that these ministers and TDs must receive information simultaneously with those in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. He is a great manager of people and is very structured in his approach, I think he could qualify for a UN role at this stage. If everyone understands their roles better now, there is nonetheless a complicated structure to the Independent's place in the Government. What is beyond dispute is that Mr Canney is the de facto leader of the Independent ministers. Privately he is acutely aware that it is a job which requires the most well-honed of diplomatic skills, given the differing aims of his colleagues and the absence of a political party machine. "He is a great manager of people and is very structured in his approach, I think he could qualify for a UN role at this stage" is how one Cabinet minister sums up the man who first entered politics in the 2004 local elections. Previously, in the 2016-2020 minority government, he exuded restraint when the rotation of the Office of Public Works ministry with Kevin 'Boxer' Moran stalled. Back then the man reared on a farm in Belclare, Tuam, Co Galway spoke about the value he placed on deals reached through a handshake, just like farmers did at fair days. It is a principle that served him well, and he was later appointed to another junior ministry by the then-taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Canney 'knows what he wants' These days Mr Canney attends the agenda-setting pre-Cabinet meeting with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste every Monday night. The 65-year-old, first elected to the Dáil in 2016, is described as approaching those meetings in a calm and good-humoured manner. He is said to "know what he wants" and is "effective". Some even play on his surname and believe he is by nature "quite canny". The former quantity-surveyor, who also lectured in that subject for almost a decade at GMIT, is said to have surprised some in Government with his focus on national issues. He has also impressed those in the Department of Transport where he has set a lofty ambition to reduce driving test waiting times to ten weeks by September. "He really grabbed that one by the scruff of the neck and he is receiving fortnightly reports to ensure that the RSA makes it happen," is the view of someone familiar with Mr Canney's work in the department. Notably, he is understood to have opposed the idea of appointing NAMA boss Brendan McDonagh as the housing czar, during what was a bruising Government controversy earlier this year. "He is very much big picture," said one senior figure in Government Buildings. On Tuesdays, Mr Canney along with Noel Grealish attend Cabinet meetings and also that day, Mr Canney chairs a meeting of the five Independent ministers. Perhaps illustrating his elevated status, he has what no other junior minister possesses, a big office in the main corridor of Government Buildings. "He tells us what's coming up and how things went at the Monday night meeting. It can be a bit challenging for the Independent ministers in government sometimes, but we like challenges," one minister said. Then there is the weekly meeting of the Independent ministers and TDs on Wednesday evenings, a gathering that is chaired by Michael Lowry. Some ministers say they do not always attend and prefer to do "their own thing". Most do participate however, even if there are mixed views on whether or not Mr Lowry is becoming a more peripheral figure. "The 'Lowry Lackeys' jibe hurt a lot, and it is better just to focus on your own work," one of those who worked closely with Mr Lowry in the Government formation talks said. Another Independent TD was more philosophical, saying "he still has access to Government and still gets things done. You can't dismiss a man with that experience". Indeed, it was Mr Lowry who chaired a meeting of Independent TDs and ministers when they met with Minister for Housing James Browne on Wednesday afternoon last. There, the minister explained in broad terms what will be unveiled in the coming weeks to make the building of homes more viable. He also rejected a push from Independent TDs to publish all the new measures in one big plan and insisted that it is more beneficial to keep making changes on an almost weekly basis. There are ongoing battles between Independents and the Department of Public Expenditure over the upcoming review of the National Development Plan (NDP). "It is proving very difficult, but senior ministers from all parties are experiencing the same thing," one Independent minister said. Officially though, there is a vow of silence around these discussions. Again, this week the Taoiseach insisted, in a reply to Labour's Alan Kelly, that "no agreements or lists" have been made with Independent TDs to include projects in their constituencies in the updated NDP. However, no one can deny that Independents now want a more high-profile role in Government, with Seán Canney chosen as the man to lead this charge.
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Sunday World
Anti-social incidents on Drogheda bus service raise ‘serious concerns'
SIPTU want to meet with the Gardaí to discuss the increase in incidents Anti-social incidents on Bus Eireann's services in the Drogheda are have raised 'serious concerns', SIPTU have said. Representatives from the union are set to meet management from Bus Éireann to discuss the 'adverse impact' of anti-social behaviour following a marked increase in issues, particularly at the town's main bus depot. It comes after SIPTU members in the County Louth town raised concerns about the behaviour on late-night and early-morning services. Stock photo News in 90 Seconds - June 26th 'These incidents occur across services, but more specifically, there has been an issue resulting from gangs of youths preventing buses from leaving the depot, which has caused major delays,' SIPTU Organiser, Andrew Quigley, said. 'Last week, SIPTU wrote to the company requesting that it convene a meeting with union representatives to discuss what measures must be taken to ensure the continued operation of these vital community transport services. Mr Quigley added that while an agreement has been made to discuss the issue with management at the transport provider, they will be seeking to meet with the Gardaí. 'We will also be seeking a larger meeting of all the relevant stakeholders, including the Gardaí, service users and elected representatives. 'However, it is our members' firm belief that the issue of worsening anti-social behaviour and abuse on the public transport network necessitates the establishment of a transport policing service.' Meanwhile, SIPTU Sector Organiser, John Murphy, branded the issues as a 'crisis' as he called for a standalone transport police service. 'SIPTU has been calling for the introduction of such a service as part of our Respect Transport Workers campaign,' he said. 'The Government has accepted our case on this issue and included the creation of such a body in its Programme for Government. Our members stand ready to work with all stakeholders to make the creation of such a service a reality in as short a time frame as possible.' Mr Murphy added that services must, and will continue, to operate in all communities as they try to resolve the issue. 'We believe the engagement with stakeholders to immediately bring greater safety for workers can be done in tandem with the work necessary to establish the foundations of the new transport policing service.' Last month, Gardai carried out spot checks on Dublin Bus over the bank holiday weekend in a bid to reduce the number of anti-social behaviour incidents on the service. In 2024, there were 1,054 incidents of anti-social behaviour on Dublin Bus reported, more than doubling since 2019.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
Calls for uniform approach to hospital car park charges
Aontú is calling for all party support for proposed legislation to make the first three hours of hospital car parking free to patients and their families. The Department of Health says it is working with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to explore ways to lower hospital car parking charges in line with a commitment in the Programme For Government to reduce the burden on patients and their families. "Hospitals that charge parking fees understand the financial burdens this can place on patients and their families," a Department of Health statement said. "Many hospitals have some form of exemptions or allowances in place such as the option of flexible day passes or multi-trip entry passes for regular hospital attenders, and various concessions based on the type of inpatient." The HSE also said a national review of car parking charges is being communicated to Regional Executive Management of Health Regions, to explore ways to minimise hospital charges, as committed in the Programme for Government. At Dublin's Mater Hospital on a weekday morning, the multi-storey car park is already full at 9.30am. Among those lucky enough to get one of the last spaces is the daughter of a hip replacement patient who travelled from a rural area in Co Kildare to collect her elderly father. She told RTÉ's News at One that the parking was expensive. "It's €3.20 an hour and you could be here for a few hours. Every time I come up it's nearly €15 per day, so if you're coming up twice or three times a week that's €30 or €40". Her father pointed out that public transport is not an option from their rural home. "I do feel it's very unfair. I've worked for forty years and paid tax," he said. The Irish Farmer's Journal has been highlighting the burden on those travelling from rural areas to hospital appointments. A recent headline reads: "Are hospital car park charges a tax on ill health?" Irish Country Living Editor Ciara O'Leary said they also looked at the income generated by hospitals from the charges. "The total income that flowed from car parking charges from hospitals in Ireland across 2023, which was the most recent figures available came to near €16m at €15.7m," The Irish Cancer Society has also long campaigned for measures to ease the financial burden on cancer patients attending hospital on a regular basis. "More hospitals have introduced concessions, but it still remains a postcode lottery," CEO of the Irish Cancer Society Averil Power said. She said that 12 out 27 hospitals have free parking for cancer patients, while others have concessions, but some charge the full rate with charges in some parts of Dublin several times higher than the rest of the country. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín called for a uniform approach to be imposed by the Government. "Most political parties have this policy in their manifesto before they go to election," he said. However, previous efforts to implement a uniform approach to hospital parking charges have gone nowhere. In 2018, the HSE undertook a national review of car parking charges under the instructions of then health minister Simon Harris. It proposed a cap on charges, and concessions for regular hospital users.
