Fianna Fail’s General Election Candidate Cllr Frank O Rourke has again highlighted the poor broadband coverage in certain areas of North West Kildare around Carbury, Kilshanroe, Newtown and Broadford.

‘I appreciate that some progress has been made in recent years in relation to the Broadband coverage in rural areas. However not enough is being done to provide adequate broadband coverage, in terms of capacity and speed, in North West Kildare.’

‘Over the last year, I have raised the issue of poor Broadband coverage in North West Kildare with our communication spokesperson and with Eircom. The Government has promised that increased coverage would be provided, but many in North West Kildare have not seen any significant improvement.’

‘It is time that Broadband coverage is seen in a similar way as the supply of Electricity is seen. It is a crucial and essential service, and should not be dependent on where you live. At my clinics in Johnstownbridge, and in Carbury,  the poor broadband coverage in the area, still comes up.’

‘Existing businesses, new businesses and residents need a reliable and fast broadband service to operate in today’s climate, and it is time that we comprehensively address this issue for once and for all.’

‘I will continue to highlight this issue, with the Department of Communications and Eircom, until we address it.’ concluded Cllr O’Rourke.

Fianna Fáil General Election candidate for Kildare North Cllr Frank O’Rourke says the state should do more to support local Residents’ Associations in communities across Kildare.

Cllr O’Rourke commented, “Residents’ Associations play an important role in the upkeep of communities in towns and villages across Kildare. They step in and provide additional services to these areas such as street cleaning, grass cutting, wall painting and ensuring drains remain clean to help prevent flooding. These associations would be sorely missed if they suddenly disbanded.

“People feel that the level of service provided by local authorities has declined steadily in recent years, despite the introduction of additional taxes such as the Local Property Tax.   Meanwhile the Government are expecting Residents’ Associations to step up to the plate and contribute to services that local authorities are no longer in a position to provide.

“It’s important to recognise that these Residents’ Associations are voluntary bodies. People give up their own time to help maintain their local community. I believe that the Government should be doing more to support these Residents’ Associations. For example the Government should consider amending the tax laws to allow these associations to claim tax relief on dues paid by residents for the upkeep of their community. This would operate in the same way that charities can claim tax relief on donations.

“It’s time that the valuable work of Residents’ Associations is recognised. The very least the Government could do is introduce a tax relief scheme to encourage greater participation in these associations. It’s a win-win situation as it takes pressure off local authorities while at the same time ensuring good upkeep of communities,”

I am delighted that following my on-going representations to Kildare County Council the roundabout at Hazelhatch Train Station has been fully overhauled and landscaped. This was an issue which was raised with me by the Celbridge Tidy Towns, Local Residents and the General Public. The roundabout was in need of landscaping as it looked very poor and unsightly on one of the major approach roads into Celbridge and located beside Residents and the Train Station.

It is very important that projects like this is carried out to create the correct and positive impression of Celbridge and the surrounding area. As the landscaping matures the roundabout will look even better and will have a positive impact when the Tidy Towns judging is done later in the year.

I want to thank Kildare County Council for working with me to deliver this project. I will continue to look for funding and resources to ensure further works and projects are delivered for the Celbridge\Leixlip area and the Constituency.

I want to extend a big thanks you to everyone who came along to the Public Meeting which was held in the Westgrove Hotel, Clane last night (Jan. 27th) on Education and Special Needs. The discussion and engagement was excellent with brilliant contributions coming from Parents who attended.

I was very happy to organise this meeting at the request of the many people that raised this issue with me while canvassing over the last seven months for the upcoming General Election. I have worked on this issue during my five years as a Councillor and as we discussed at length during the meeting we need to have proper input into policy by all and in particular parents so the funding can be allocated into the correct areas. It is important that all Children are treated equally and have the same opportunity and supports.

I want to thank all of last nights speakers and our chair Dr John Hillary. Thanks again to you the parents and members of the public for coming along and making the meeting the success it was. It would be my privilege to be your voice in the next Dail.

Fianna Fáil General Election candidate for Kildare North Cllr Frank O’Rourke says the Minster for Health Leo Varadkar needs to intervene to ensure recent cutbacks to support schemes for children with disabilities are reversed.

Cllr O’Rourke made the comments after it was revealed that charities providing support for children with Down syndrome are facing cuts of up to 60% in Government funding.

“In recent weeks I have been contacted by concerned parents who have highlighted that charities operating the Early Intervention Home Teacher Programme here in Kildare are facing significant cutbacks. This programme is in place to support children with Down syndrome in accessing education,” said Cllr O’Rourke.

“This programme is vital as it offers a suitable pre-school service for Down syndrome children. It prepares them for the challenges they will face in primary school as a home teacher comes fortnightly for a one and a half hour session. It’s great for giving these children a sense of confidence before beginning primary school.

“These charities are being forced to implement these cutbacks as the HSE is starving them of the funding they need to keep the programme operating at full capacity. Parents of children with Down syndrome are very worried that the cutback could result in the eventual loss of the programme. That would be disastrous.

“Minister Varadkar needs to step in and ensure the HSE adequately funds these support programmes. It’s unacceptable that his Government is prioritising tax cuts for the wealthy while cutting supports for the most vulnerable in our society,” said Cllr O’Rourke.