Author Archives: Frank O' Rourke

WHY DID IT TAKE 12 MONTHS TO APPROVE FUNDING FOR SALLINS BY-PASS?

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CaptureThe Sallins By-Pass and N7 Upgrade has been approved at last following 12 months of delays and procrastination by the Government. The project was given the go-ahead by An Bord Pleanala 12 months ago.  I have consistently asked why funding for capital projects has been delayed and I wrote to the Taoiseach and Minister for Transport [See letter here] only weeks ago expressing my concern at the delays in the delivery of the project and asking for the project to be given priority [See Taoiseach’s reply].

The traffic gridlock being experienced by local people in Naas and Sallins has gone on for 12 months for no reason and the timing of this announcement, together the rest of the capital budget, leaves many unanswered questions.  While long over due this is welcome news for the beleaguered residents of Naas and surrounding areas.  It is important we continue to fight for infrastructure that will improve our competitiveness and attract jobs and investment to the area.

Dublin bound Bus Stop required on Newbridge Road in Naas says O’Rourke

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Captur1eA Bus Stop on the Newbridge Road to cater for Dublin bound passengers is required adjacent to Primrose Garden, Wentworth and Jigginstown Estates according to Fianna Fail Councillor and general election candidate Frank O’Rourke.

‘In order to encourage people to use public transport, we must provide easy access to the services that are provided. A number of residents in Primrose Garden, Wentworth and Jigginstown Estates have asked me to make representations to have a Bus stop provided for Dublin bound passengers on the Newbridge Road in Naas adjacent to their estates.’

‘At present, residents have to walk a long distance to link in with a Bus stop when Dublin bound. There is a Bus Stop on the Naas/Newbridge route coming from Dublin, but not one on the return. I have made contact with both the National Transport Authority and Bus Eireann and asked them as a matter of urgency to investigate the feasibility of providing such a  Bus stop.’ stated Cllr O’Rourke.

‘I have always maintained that once we start providing a regular and reliable public transport with a relative ease of access, we will grow the number of people using our Buses and Trains. Providing a Bus stop at this location will provide encouragement to the residents of these estates to use the Bus service. ‘ concluded Cllr O’Rourke.

Time to end the discrimination against the self-employed

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16619504_mFianna Fáil General Election Candidate for Kildare North Cllr Frank O’Rourke has called for more support to be provided to people who are self-employed.

Cllr O’Rourke pointed out that the current tax and social welfare system discriminates against the self-employed, and is discouraging people from setting up their own businesses.

“Self-employed people play an important role in the economy, but this is rarely recognised by the state. They do not have the comfort of being able to rely on automatic social welfare payments kicking in should they become ill or find themselves out of work. It is clear from talking with people from across Kildare that they feel this is grossly unfair,” said Cllr O’Rourke.

“While they receive the personal tax credit of €1,650, they cannot claim the PAYE tax credit – also worth €1,650 per annum. This has a particularly stark impact for lower income families. For example, a self-employed single person on an income of €17,500 pays almost 6 times more tax and PRSI as an employee on the same income.

“There is a strong case for addressing the unfair treatment of self-employed people. This should be done by means of an earned income tax credit as suggested by the Commission on Taxation. The cost of this would be €450m per annum when fully introduced. Fianna Fáil is proposing this be phased in over 3 years with an initial tax credit of €500 for the self-employed in 2016.

“Self-employed people also lack the safety net offered by our social welfare system. They do not have an automatic entitlement to the jobseekers benefit should their business not success. Fianna Fáil is proposing a series of measures to assist self-employed people. If an entrepreneur has made sufficient PRSI contributions they should have an entitlement to jobseekers benefit should they find themselves out of work. Such a measure would bring Ireland in line with our European counterparts.

“On a phased and voluntary basis we proposed to extent a full range of social protection payments including Jobseeker’s Benefit and Illness Benefit to self-employed PRSI contributors as part of our commitment to foster and entrepreneurship culture as well as enhancing social solidarity.

“People who are taking the leap and starting their own business need to be encouraged and supported, not penalised by rigid legislation. Fianna Fáil is committed towards supporting the self-employed and ensuring they are no longer discriminated against.”

Seeking Funding For Ardclough Road Upgrade – Phase Two

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DSC_2539 (Small)I am currently seeking funding for the upgrade of the Ardclough Road phase two, which comprises of a new footpath and street lighting from Chelmsford to the speed limit signs. I have had meetings with Kildare County Council senior management on this issue to highlight the importance of allocating funding so that the correct infrastructure can be put in place. Phase one upgrade from Simmonstown towards Chelmsford seen the street lighting upgraded and the footpath width improved. The footpath is not the desired width but given the constraints it is the best width achievable and has improved standards for pedestrians.

We now need to construct a new footpath in the areas where the missing sections are from Chelmsford to the speed limit signs. This is important to encourage more people to walk and to make it safer for those who are already walking. New street lighting needs to be installed from where the previous new street lights were fitted out to Temple Manor Estate. This is a heavily used pedestrian route and it is extremely dark along this section. We must improve this for the safety and welfare of all. I will continue to press the Council until these works are complete.

I have raised the issue of speeding along the Ardclough road from the Grove out to the speed limit signs. I have requested the Council to install solar signs along this section alerting drivers to be careful and slow down. I am a member of the Kildare Joint Policing Committee and have requested the “Go Safe” or “Gatzo” vehicles to have a presence along this section also in an effort to deal with the speeding concerns. I believe there is a combined approach and I will pursue the council until funding is delivered for the new footpath, street lighting, traffic calming and solar signs.

Footbridge In Celbridge Gets A Face Lift

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IMG_00006 (Small)I am delighted to have secured funding from Kildare County Council to have the footbridge over the Liffey in Celbridge re-painted. This is a project that the Tidy Towns were looking to have carried out for some time. It is great to see this project now completed and it compliments all the other great work we have had done in recent months, projects like new ornamental sign poles, street benches, removal of redundant signs and poles from the Main Street, chewing gum removal and not to mention the removal of the Eircom overhead cables and poles.

The Town looks great with all this work completed together with the lovely flowers and the work carried out by the business’s on their premises. Director of Services Joe Boland comes for a walk-about each year with me and the Tidy Towns and we review progress and discuss projects. Thanks to Joe and his team together with the Area Office staff for assisting me in having these projects delivered.

Projects we are working on for the past twelve months are the slip viewing platform project and the development/landscaping for the waste ground on the Maynooth road close to Crodaun. Both projects are progressing to design stage.

Housing Waiting Lists Rise In Kildare

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1171544_xl (Small)New figures reveal 22% jump in housing waiting lists in Kildare – O’Rourke
– FOI request by FF reveals a surge in number of people needing housing –
– Govt using outdated figures that mask the true extent of housing crisis –

New figures obtained by Cllr Frank O’Rourke have revealed a surge of 22% in the social housing waiting list in Kildare in less than two years.

Cllr O’Rourke made the revelation following a Freedom of Information request made by Fianna Fáil to Kildare County Council to obtain the most up to date figures for the social housing waiting list in the county. The figures returned reveal that the Government has grossly underplayed the extent of the housing crisis.

“The official government figure states that there are 5,454 people on the housing waiting list in Kildare. However data revealed to Fianna Fáil shows that this has jumped by 22% to over 6,668 households” said Cllr O’Rourke.

“These figures are truly shocking. Minister Kelly claims that he has the housing crisis under control. However these figures reveal that the crisis is far worse than we imagined. The government is significantly understating the extent of the crisis, using figures that are actually two years out of date.

“The government has to start facing up to the reality of the housing emergency. Up until the end of 2014 it only built 1,252 new units nationally, compared to 15,000 units built between 2007-2010. This is the primary cause of this emergency. I have been fighting for greater investment in housing in Kildare to tackle this crisis head on. Unfortunately the Government has not been proactive on this issue and has allowed a major crisis to emerge as a result.

“The most worrying aspect is the fact that the housing crisis is accelerating year on year. The figures we have obtained clearly show this. However despite this the Government is seemingly more interested in prioritising tax cuts for the rich rather than investing in housing and public services.

“We have to start getting to grips with it by building homes that families want to live in. Fianna Fáil is proposing a new national housing roadmap to build 150,000 new homes by 2021 including 45,000 social housing units. I am urging the Government to give strong consideration to our fully costed plans,” said Cllr O’Rourke.

Motions and Questions for the September Celbridge/Leixlip Municipal Area Meeting

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Motions:

  1. That the Council review the access to the cycle lane on the Clane road close to St. Wolstan’s school in respect to the cycle lane finishing on the opposite side.

Answer: The Council Engineer will meet me on site to discuss putting the solution to this problem in place.

  1. That the Council include the cleaning/maintenance of all road gullies within the Celbridge/Leixlip M.D area in advance of the autumn and winter months.

Answer: This maintenance work is currently underway in the Celbridge/Leixlip/Ardclough Area.

Questions:

  1. Can the Council re-instate the “Stop” sign at the exit from Castletown Lawn in Castletown Estate in Celbridge.

Answer: This sign will be re-instated in the coming weeks.

  1. Can the Council install a yellow box on the Maynooth road opposite the entrance to Beatty Grove to allow traffic enter the Estate at peak times.

Answer: The Council will survey the traffic congestion in this area before a decision is arrived at.

Taking – in – Charge of Oldtown Mill and Wolstan Haven in Celbridge, Co. Kildare

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oldtownI am pleased to have been able to inform the Residents of Oldtown Mill and Wolstan Haven in Celbridge that following my representations on their behalf, Kildare County Council has taken over responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the public lighting in both Estates. This is great news for all the Residents and it will improve the safety and welfare within the Estates. wolstan

I am continuing to work with Kildare County Council and the Residents Associations on behalf of all the Residents in Oldtown Mill and Wolstan Haven to have the Estates completely taken in charge. I will continue to keep the Residents updated.

Additional Services Requested From Dublin Bus

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DSC_2538 (Small)I have engaged again very recently with Dublin Bus to provide an earlier 67 Bus Service from Celbridge on a Sunday Morning and the need for a daily service that links Celbridge and Leixlip. At present on a Sunday morning the first 67 service from Celbridge is at 9.50am and this is not early enough for people who need to start work or be in the city for 10am.

I have requested Dublin Bus to review this situation with a view to having an earlier 67 service which is requested by the many travelling public. In addition I have discussed with Dublin Bus about having a direct link between Celbridge and Leixlip, given the population of both towns it is not good enough not to have a public transport link. At the moment if you wish to travel from Celbridge to Leixlip, you can only do so via Maynooth and this is not good enough or acceptable. I will be pursuing them on both issues.

Currently the 66 will service Celbridge on a Sunday morning leaving Maynooth at 8am, travelling past Intel and turning right across the motorway towards Celbridge, heading down the Maynooth road and through Celbridge, going out the Lucan road, turning left at Young’s cross and then heading into Leixlip and then to Lucan. This is not ideal but it will be an improvement until the 67 service is improved.

I already had meetings with Dublin Bus and Irish Rail on additional 67X services for Celbridge and additional train service to Hazelhatch in the evenings. This is been requested by the many commuters and I hope to deliver improved services in these areas. Given that we are all promoting a greater use of public transport, we should have the services in place to attract a greater use of public transport.