Posted on

Lawless confirms Dunnes Stores to be open by Christmas in Naas

James Lawless TD has confirmed that Dunnes Stores will indeed be open and fully operational by this coming Christmas in Naas.

James commented, “Excellent news for Naas Main Street as I have had it confirmed that Dunnes Stores is on course for opening this Christmas 2018. The “To Let” signs revealed on the site in recent days are erroneous and will be taken down overnight. The council have given full planning permission for a supermarket and street cafe and the plan is to have it open by Christmas.”

 

 

Posted on

Frank O’Rourke – Collaborate with other EU members to reduce Car Insurance

Local Fianna Fail TD, Frank O’Rourke, has called on the Government to step up its efforts to tackle the high motor insurance premiums in Ireland, by working in collaboration with other EU countries on the issue.

“We are now more than a year after the publication of the Cost of Insurance Working Group Report and the progress to-date on the cost of motor insurance is to say the very least, very modest.”

“The Government recently followed my proposal and is now working with Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Austria on reducing the cost of medicines. I proposed this approach last year to assist in reducing the cost of motor insurance and I am now calling on the Government again, to work with other EU countries to reduce the cost of insurance. Having a co-ordinated approach with other countries against the powerful insurance companies will, in my view, pay dividends.” Continue reading “Frank O’Rourke – Collaborate with other EU members to reduce Car Insurance”

Posted on

James Lawless – Government not Google must tackle Fake News

The decision taken by Google to ban adverts relating to the referendum campaign on its Google Adwords platform is a positive development, but has come far too late in the campaign, says Fianna Fáil Technology spokesperson James Lawless TD.

“It’s becoming apparent that technology companies such as Google are becoming increasingly aware of the damaging impact that fake news, facilitated by their advertising platforms, is having on our democratic process.”

“In recent years fake news has had a corrosive impact on the Brexit referendum campaign in the UK, the presidential elections in the US and in recent weeks we have seen this murky tactic being employed by unknown forces in our own referendum campaign. “

“Fake news has now become a reality and it’s clear that we as legislators need to take action to protect our democratic process, in the same way that steps were taken in the past to regulate political advertising on traditional forms of print and broadcast media. The Government needs to urgently introduce new measures to promote transparency on social media by regulating political advertising and tackling fake news.”

“The decision taken by Google today, and that taken by Facebook yesterday, is a positive development but comes far too late in the day. Fake news has already had a corrosive impact on the referendum debate on social media. This is alarming when you consider a growing number of people solely rely on social media to consume news and shape their decision making process when it comes to elections and referenda.”

“The decision to take action to tackle fake news and promote transparency with political advertising must not be left with the internet and social media giants. The Bill I brought forward will bring about the necessary regulation to promote transparency. The Government has signalled its intention in accepting this Bill, but they have been far too slow to act on this to date. They have dithered and in the meantime our democratic process has suffered.”

“The Government need to wake up and tackle this issue with a sense of urgency.”

Posted on

European Single Market needed for Mortgages – O’Rourke

Frank O’Rourke TD has called on the Government to press for the formation of a European Single Market for mortgages, as Ireland’s mortgage rates continue to be significantly higher than the average EU mortgage rate.

“The average standard variable rate for a mortgage in Ireland is currently 3.26%. This is nearly 1.5% higher than the average Eurozone rate which stands at 1.83%.  In my view the Government have let down Irish customers as recent reports indicate that Irish first-time buyers will pay up to €61,641 more in interest costs over the lifetime of their mortgages than anywhere else in Europe.”

“For example, an Irish borrower with a mortgage of €200,000 is paying around €250 per month more than they would be paying in the average Euro area country,” stated Deputy O’Rourke. Continue reading “European Single Market needed for Mortgages – O’Rourke”