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Frank O’Rourke – Unacceptable Delay in rolling out National Broadband Plan

Local Fianna Fáil TD, Frank O’Rourke, has called on the Minister for Communications, Climate Action & Environment to intervene and bring clarity to the roll out of the National Broadband Plan as delays persist in the roll out of broadband connections in rural areas in County Kildare.

“It is time for the Government to outline a timeline for the signing of the contract for the National Broadband Plan, as there is only one company – Enet – left in the running after Eir pulled out of the process earlier this year.” Continue reading “Frank O’Rourke – Unacceptable Delay in rolling out National Broadband Plan”

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Action needed to tackle Mortgage Rates – O’Rourke

Local Fianna Fail TD Frank O’Rourke, has stated that mortgage interest rates charged in Ireland are entirely unjustifiable and the banks must be tackled to ensure that fairer mortgage rates are available to Irish home owners.

“Recent statistics, published by the Central Bank, show that the average interest rate on all new Irish mortgages in June stood at 3.23%, slightly higher than in May. The equivalent average for the Euro area is only 1.8%. Ireland is the only country in the Euro area with an average rate above 3%.”

“This massive differential is impacting negatively on the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of individuals and families around our country and depriving local economy of much needed stimulus. An Irish borrower, with a 30 year mortgage of €250,000, is paying €1085 per month. This is around €188 per month, equivalent to €2,200 per year and €68,000 over the lifetime of the mortgage, more than they would be paying in the average Euro area country.”

“Over the last 10 years, people’s wages have increased very little and we need to focus on reducing the cost of living to ease the pressure on wage inflation. Reducing people’s mortgage repayments is one mechanism to reduce the cost of living.”

“We have been campaigning for mortgage holders, and particularly those in mortgage arrears, for some time now. Since being elected to the Dail, I have worked with our Finance Spokesperson, Michael McGrath TD, to keep a focus on their concerns. All of the instruments available to the Government and the Central Bank must be used to ensure that Irish mortgage holders receive fair treatment when compared to other EU countries.”

“The government must reconsider its opposition to legislation giving more power to the Central Bank to tackle high mortgage rates in light of the most recent statistics.”

“A delegation from the Oireachtas Finance Committee will be meeting officials from the ECB next month and we have placed the issue of high mortgage interest rates on the agenda for discussion,” concluded Deputy O’Rourke.

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Frank O’Rourke – No dieticians currently on North Kildare Disability Team

Frank O’Rourke TD says new information he has obtained from the HSE demonstrates the need for additional resources for the North Kildare Network Disability Team.

He made the comments after receiving confirmation that there currently is no dietician on the disability team.

Deputy O’Rourke said, “Dieticians play an important role on disability team’s right across the country. They ensure that children with disabilities receive the support they need and have a balanced diet. For example, children with autism often have significant nutritional issues as they are unable to eat certain foods. Dieticians work with children with autism to ensure they receive the nutrition they need from alternative sources of food. Continue reading “Frank O’Rourke – No dieticians currently on North Kildare Disability Team”

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Frank O’Rourke – Unacceptable delay in rolling out Broadband plan

Local Fianna Fáil TD, Frank O’Rourke, has called on the Minister for Communications, Climate Action & Environment to intervene and bring clarity to the roll out of the National Broadband Plan as delays persist in the roll out of broadband connections in rural areas in County Kildare.

“It is time for the Government to outline a timeline for the signing of the contract for the National Broadband Plan, as there is only one company – Enet – left in the running after Eir pulled out of the process earlier this year.”

“The delay in the roll out and the signing of the contract is having a serious impact on the hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses who are still waiting to be connected to the network.”

“My understanding is that more than 13,000 homes and businesses, or 15% of the total, across the county of Kildare fall under “State led intervention” category for roll out of Broadband. Some of these homes and businesses are within a few kilometres of major IT Multinational companies and could face waits for another 3 to 5 years to secure high speed broadband.”

“The Government’s record on broadband provision is disgraceful.  The National Broadband Plan was launched in 2012 and it was due to be completed by 2016. We now hear from the Minister that it could be 2023 before it is fully rolled out nationally.”

“The current impasse cannot be allowed to continue.  The Minister needs to announce a date for the contract to be signed so that the scheme can be rolled out to the areas that need it most” concluded Deputy O’Rourke.