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Action needed on looming Naas School Accommodation – Lawless

This past week I called on the Minister for Education to act now before schools in the Naas area face an accommodation crisis. There is an urgent need for the Minister and his Department to issue the tender to commence building the new site which will be used by Naas Community College. This is the major delay and as a result of the Ministers lack of action, by 2020, 800 students in the Naas area will be affected.

I have raised this matter in the Dáil with the Taoiseach and Minister for Education. The Minister claims his Department is reviewing its programme for capital expenditure in 2018 and 2019. There should be no need for a review; the department already committed to the school when they ordered it to open up four years ago. The tender must be issued to avoid a schools crisis in Naas,

Naas Community College has opened, the patron has a site bought and is ready to go already. Planning permission has been granted by Kildare County Council but we are now facing a situation in which 231 students applied for places in September 2017 and 111 were turned away. There is a primary school, Naas Community National School, co-located on the same temporary accommodation. If this continues, by 2020 we will have 800 students in temporary accommodation that was created for 500. We urgently need the tender to be issued so that the school can proceed to build immediately without any further delay.

For months I have campaigned alongside many concerned parents to lobby the Minister to have his department issue the necessary tender, and I will continue to do so until the tender has been issued.

You can read my transcript of my debate here

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Extra Capacity needed on Maynooth and Sallins trains – Lawless

James Lawless TD recently questioned the Taoiseach on the need for better public transport for the greater Dublin area.

“Currently the car parks at the Sallins and Naas station are averaging 165% to 175% capacity and other stations in the area experience similar problems.  With the car parks operating so far over capacity, anyone arriving past 7.30 a.m. would have no chance at a space.  I have been advised by Irish Rail that they would gladly expand the car park, provided the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport allow funding.  With this, I requested the Taoiseach to ask the Minister to examine the issue.”

“In response to my question the Taoiseach agreed that passenger numbers on the train have now exceeded the levels of before the financial crisis yet there has been no action to improve the lines.  The Taoiseach indicated that this matter will be considered as a part of a 10 year investment plan that the government intends to publish in the coming weeks.  The plan seeks to upgrade train lines significantly through additional carriages, electrification and car parks.”

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Pressure on Naas Community College must be maintained – Lawless

James Lawless TD has said that it is paramount that pressure must be kept on the Department of Education to progress the build of Naas Community College as quickly as possible. 

There is a considerable demand for places in the school and this is a key part of the educational infrastructure for Naas and the surrounding areas complementing the existing schools by placing a co-ed ETB (Education and Training Board) school into the North Naas area to cater for students from all over the town but also places like Sallins, Kill, Johnstown, Rathmore and all that hinterland.

James said, “The school has received planning permission for a brand new building at Millenium park, Naas and will cater for over 1,000 pupils in a new state of the art building once the construction phase is completed.”

“However the delays have been frustrating for the school community and I have repeatedly brought them to the MInister’s attention. The Department and indeed the ETB  are 100% committed to this project, and great progress has been made despite scare-mongering from some opportunistic politicians, however the delays are causing understandable concern for many parents and the wider school community. Continue reading “Pressure on Naas Community College must be maintained – Lawless”

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Mayor Robert Power welcomes Digital Hub announcement for Naas

Cllr Rob Power has expressed delight at the approval of Enterprise Ireland funding for a digital hub in Naas. The Mid East Regional Innovation Think Space (MERITS) is a new build project that will cluster Irish and international new technology companies in a collaborative space in Naas town centre.

Rob said, “I’m absolutely thrilled that we’ve secured the funding for this project. Establishing a Digital Hub in the town not only secures short and long-term employment in the local area but puts Naas on the map internationally as a place to start and grow a digital business.”

Enterprise Ireland has granted €2M toward the Digital Hub which will be matched by Kildare County Council. The project which was drawn up by the Kildare Local Enterprise Office, is expected to pay for itself within three years. The proposal will see Kildare County Council design and build the facility on a section of state owned lands adjacent to the council Headquarters at Aras Cill Dara, Naas. .”

“I’m really optimistic about what the Digital Hub means for Naas. Ten to fourteen years ago the Irish tech sector was a very niche industry confined to Dublin. But as the industry matures so too does the workforce. Where once companies worried about locating in the city centre to attract younger workers, the sector is now witnessing an increasing demand for housing and quality of life for families. Over the next decade, I’m confident that Naas can take on any town in the country in this respect – and win.”

“I’ve been calling for a project like this since 2015 when I wrote a proposal to establish funding for hubs in every county across the country. That proposal was subsequently included in the Fianna Fail election manifesto in 2016. In March of this year I also made a direct call for Kildare County Council to begin the process of seeking funding for a Digital Hub in Naas.Congratulations are due to Kildare County Council CEO Peter Carey, Head of Kildare LEO Jacqui McNabb and their teams for the outstanding work to date on this project. The ambition they’ve shown in identifying Naas as a regional leader in digital enterprise will play a vital part in the towns future

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O’ROURKE – INCREASED CAPACITY NEEDED ON KILDARE LINE

Frank O’Rourke TD has again pressed Iarnrod Eireann to provide increased capacity on the Hazelhatch/Kildare Rail Line, for Celbridge and Naas rail commuters, as the numbers using the service grows.

“Since the Grand Canal Dock Line opened in 2016, the number of passengers, using the Kildare Line is increasing. The Kildare Line has now opened up commuters to the heart of the City Centre and more capacity is required.”

“I have raised the matter with Iarnrod Eireann and the National Transport Authority (NTA). Commuting to Dublin City Centre by car from North Kildare is now becoming almost impossible at peak times. Once we provide a regular and reliable public transport service, people will use it.”

“The reduction in the fares for Naas/Sallins users earlier this year, together with the opening up of the Kildare Line to the heart of the City Centre, is making the Kildare Line more attractive for commuters, and we must respond by providing more capacity.”,concluded Deputy O’Rourke.