Brendan Ryan TD

Brendan addressing the Labour Party Conference 2012 - Reform of Social Protection System - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2012-04-16T10:21:27Z

Brendan with Michelle Watson & Mick Pender at the FAI Soccer Sisters Event in St Finian's School, Swords - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2012-04-05T15:05:35Z

Video: Brendan Ryan statement to Dáil on Public Sector Numbers - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2012-03-09T12:42:20Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psSqqB4FhZ0

Statement to the Dáil on Public Sector Numbers - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2012-03-09T12:39:27Z

Thank you for the opportunity to make a statement on this matter today.
Last week saw the deadline for early retirement in the public and civil service.
These retirements have presented challenges and will continue to do so for some time yet.
Of course they will.
But not the kind of apocalyptic challenges that the irresponsible rhetoric of the opposition and some sections of the media would have us believe.
Upwards of 7,000 people applied for this scheme, which represents less than 3 per cent of staff serving in the public service.
This is a significant number indeed, but to listen to opposition rhetoric in the build up to February 29th, one would believe that there was to be a mass exodus from the public sector.
This was not the case and I would hope that we may see a maturing of the debate through 2012, and a move away from the reckless hysteria which has defined it so far.

The entire debate needs to shift focus from the number of people in the public sector and move towards how we can reform the public sector so it can deliver efficiency, productivity and the kind of public service that our people deserve.
The good news is we have an agreement in place which can help deliver these reforms
The Croke Park Agreement at its core is a bargain.
On the one hand the Government protects the pay, including increments, and jobs in the public sector from 2010 to 2014.
This is in return for, and this part always seems to be ignored by the media, i.e. improved efficiencies and improved productivity.
The title of this debate today again tends to focus attention on the first part of this bargain: the pay and numbers in the public sector and shifts attention away from the other side of the bargain; namely delivering improvements and productivity.

People need to ask the question "What is the Croke Park Agreement stopping us from doing?
The Answer: Nothing!
We have an opportunity now to radically reform the public sector with the cooperation of the Trade Unions.
The Croke Park Agreement offers the best opportunity we have to improve how our civil and public services are run, to make them more efficient, to make them more productive and to ensure that the best possible services are provided to the public.

And yet there are dissenting voices to this agreement, not just in the media but even in this House and indeed from some members of Fine Gael our partners in Government.
What do these dissenters want?
Do they want further cuts in public service pay?
Do they want further cuts in public sector numbers?
What would that achieve?
Strikes, Industrial Action and a spiralling of confidence and morale in the country would most definitely result?
That is not what Ireland needs at this very critical time for our economy.
Full implementation of the Croke Park Agreement is a no brainer and all stakeholders must work towards this and the nay-sayers must stop.

The Minister needs to lead the way and I believe that he is doing so.
Secretary Generals of government departments must examine their entire departments to identify waste in all its forms and eliminate it.
Well paid senior managers in the Public Service must step up to the plate.
Line managers need to do the same.
Public Service Managers must do what private sector managers have had to do for years in order to stay competitive.
They must deliver improvements and manage change and they must be held absolutely accountable for doing so.

Finally,
Our public sector workers do a very important and at times unappreciated job.

They look after our sick, fight crime, teach our children, clean our streets, and provide many more services which very often are taken for granted.

The public versus private sector debate which is promoted in certain sections of the media needs to stop and stop now.

It is our public service and we must appreciate it.
But we must also challenge it.
We must at all times seek to improve it.
We have an absolute responsibility to make it more cost effective.
And this must continue on an on-going basis and not just for the period of any one agreement.

Thank you

Video of my Dáil Statement on Inter-Country Adoption - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2012-02-22T12:22:04Z

http://www.youtube.com/user/IrishLabourParty?ob=0&feature=results_main#p/a/u/2/lT53Ynb3ib0

Dáil Statement on Inter-Country Adoption - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2012-02-22T12:17:42Z

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this matter today in the House.

One aspect of this debate that I would like to focus on today is how prospective parents are viewed and commented upon both in the national commentary on this issue and sometimes, and regrettably, by the Irish state.

From my experience, adoptive parents are often described as desperate.
They are portrayed as being so focussed on completing an adoption that they have no regard for, or interest in, the ethical issues concerned. This is anything but true.

In dealing with inter-country adoption it has to be remembered that nobody is more concerned about ethical issues than the parents involved.

I have dealt with a number of parents on this matter and I can certainly vouch for the ethical standard of the people I have dealt with.
We must remember that these people want to provide a home for child, a loving home, a caring home and a safe home.

The people I have dealt with do not want a short cut to this, they want to ensure, in the interests of the child that:

The bilateral agreement with Vietnam which was allowed to lapse during 2009 was a good agreement.

During its operation, it was repeatedly represented by the Adoption Authority at the time as a model which should be widely followed.

It had several layers of safety built into it to protect the rights of both children and birth parents.

That the agreement was allowed to lapse left nearly 20 children in an unfortunate limbo whereby their adoption had been approved but not completed.

This was in nobody's interest.

After the agreement had lapsed, the minister of the day attempted to justify his inaction by referring to the UNICEF report on inter-country adoption and their 'profound concerns' about the system that had been in place.

This report was primarily concerned with American adoptions, which operated on a very different basis to those taking place under the Irish agreement.

The concerns expressed were entirely invalid with respect to Irish adoptions, and the report failed to support its comments in any meaningful way.

Repeated reference to the report in this context caused great hurt to adoptive families.

To place a question mark over adoptions which are both ethical and legal can only damage the interests of the children involved.
The minister has every right to defend the Irish adoption system.

She is entirely justified in praising our ratification of the Hague Convention.

But she must remember that all international agreements need to be constantly reviewed and updated.

This will be the same in the future just as it has been the case in the past.

In advocating new agreements she must remember to show respect too for fully legal and fully ethical adoptions that have taken place under previous agreements.

If she fails to do so, however inadvertently, she may cause great hurt to Irish children and Irish families.

I make my contribution here today to highlight the need for the Minister and her Department to be extremely careful in all communications relating to the previous bilateral agreement with Vietnam, and to be mindful of sensitivities of adoptive parents who went through that process.

All communications relating to new agreements must be proofed for inappropriate reference to the previous agreement which was sound and ethical.

Any lapse in this matter has the potential to be hurtful and damaging to those families, and with the certainty that anything that is said or published will remain available on the worldwide web forever, the risk is obvious.

I trust the Minister will take on board my comments here today and should she require further information or wish to meet with the parents who have contacted me, I would be happy to set it up

Thank you

"POST OFFICE PAYMENT OPTION A MUST FOR HOUSEHOLD CHARGE" SAYS RYAN - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2012-02-22T12:09:59Z

Brendan Ryan, Labour Party TD for Dublin North, has urged Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan to include the post office as a payment option for the Household Charge.
In response to a Parliamentary Question tabled by Deputy Ryan, Minister Hogan said he was satisfied that there is a "comprehensive suite of payment options" available to persons with a liability to pay the household charge. However, Deputy Ryan has received a large number of enquiries from older people and those who live in rural North County Dublin who either do not have Internet access nor is it convenient for them to travel to their local authority office, upwards of twenty miles away. Deputy Ryan states "if this is a problem for North County Dublin then it must be an even greater problem in rural Ireland where the distances to local authority offices are even greater."
Ryan continued "I agree that the payment options online are very convenient for those with internet access however a large number of older people and those who live in rural areas are frustrated at the lack of "bricks and mortar" options available for them to pay the charge. Many people have phoned my office frustrated at their inability to be able to pay their household charge in their local post office, where they pay the rest of their household bills."
Ryan "I am disappointed the Minister did not seek to include the post office as a payment option as it would have been very convenient for a great many people. Also I am sure it would have resulted in a higher number of registrations and payments at this point. I will be writing to the Minister this week asking him to revisit his answer to my Parliamentary Question with a view to bringing the post office "within the comprehensive suite of payment options"."

Notes for Editors

To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the steps he has taken to make the household charge payable in local post offices; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
- Brendan Ryan.

For WRITTEN answer on Tuesday, 21st February, 2012.

Ref Nos: 9204/12, 9506/12 and 9837/12

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Mr. P. Hogan)

I propose to take Question Nos. 437, 455 and 478 together.

The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 and the Local Government (Household Charge) Regulations 2012 provide the legislative basis for the household charge.

There is a range of options available for persons to pay the household charge. An online system www.householdcharge.ie is in place in the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) to enable homeowners to pay the household charge by credit/debit card or in four instalments of €25 by direct debit. In addition, homeowners can make payment by cheque, postal order, credit/debit card or in four instalments of €25 by direct debit by completing the relevant payment details on the declaration form and posting it to Household Charge, PO Box 12168, Dublin 1. Instalment payments are available by direct debit only and persons opting to pay in this way must register their details by 1 March, 2012.

A bureau is in place in the LGMA to administer the charge on a shared service/agency basis for all local authorities. In addition, all county/city councils have been requested to have arrangements in place for persons to attend their principal offices to pay the household charge up to 31 March, 2012.

I am satisfied that there is a comprehensive suite of payment options available to persons with a liability to pay the household charge and this is being demonstrated by the large numbers of persons who have registered and paid the household charge to date.

ENDS
For information contact Duncan Smith 087 9862686 or 618 3421
www.labour.ie/press

UNUSUAL DEVELOPMENT IN ONGOING MOYLARAGH ROAD PLANNING APPEAL - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2011-12-22T10:20:53Z

Brendan Ryan, Labour Party TD for Dublin North, has called the latest development in the on-going Moylaragh Road planning appeal "rather unusual". The residents had been awaiting a decision from An Bord Pleanala on whether the Moylaragh Road should continue to operate as a through road or whether it will be converted into a cul de sac as per the original decision and strong wishes of the residents. Deputy Ryan has described as unusual An Bord Pleanala issuing a letter to the appellants at the beginning of December outlining revised proposals for the area including the imposing of a one-way system between Baron Hall and Moylaragh Gardens, with a site notice to be erected on the 20 December.
Deputy Brendan Ryan "An Bord Pleanala asked the developers to submit a proposal under section 137 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 however it seems this proposal for a one way system has come from the Board itself. The Board received proposals which comprise "a no entry lane for northbound traffic between the northern and southern car parks at the Castle Mall Shopping Centre between Baron Hall and Moylaragh Gardens". This proposed solution would have the effect of spreading the problem of heavy traffic on the Moylaragh Road to other estates and roads and is a totally inadequate plan as far as I am concerned."
Ryan "I am also concerned about how this plan was presented to the public. The notice was placed in the Irish Times newspaper only on the 19 December. The Irish Times is not considered a natural newspaper for such a notice. One could be forgiven for thinking that the motive for placing the notice in the Irish Times was an effort to ensure it went unnoticed by concerned parties. Publishing the notice so close to Christmas could also be viewed as an attempt to present it when many people are distracted by the festive period. I am also hearing reports from residents that a site notice, due to be erected on the 20 December has yet to be located by residents as on the 22 December."
Ryan "I have been working with the residents of the Moylaragh estate on this appeal for many months. All the Residents and I want is for the Moylaragh Road to become a cul de sac, which was the intention of the original plans and a reason why many people chose to purchase their homes in Moylaragh. There is a big difference between a home in a quiet cul de sac with only residential traffic and having a home adjacent to a very busy through road.
Ryan "The deadline for submissions to An Bord Pleanála is January 24th and I am encouraging any interested parties to send submissions in as soon as possible".

NEW SCHOOL PROJECTS FOR 2012 - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2011-12-19T10:13:51Z

Brendan Ryan, Labour Party TD for Dublin North, has welcomed a number of school projects scheduled to go into construction in 2012. Among the projects announced by the Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn are:
• Thornleigh Educate Together National School - Extension/refurbishment
• Holywell Educate Together, Swords - New School
• Scoil Chormaic Community Primary School, Cloghederm Balbriggan - New School
• Ardgillen Community College - Extension/refurbishment

Ryan states "I welcome any work being committed to North County Dublin by this Government to meet the chronic under investment in our schools over the past decade. However, there is still a lot of investment needed in Dublin North with schools all over the region in need of new buildings, refurbishment, extensions and renovations. Only last week, I was informed of the situation in St Molaga's primary school in Balbriggan where 4th class students being educated in a prefab are sent home when the weather gets unbearably cold. The issue of prefabs still blights many schools all over the region from St Sylvester's junior school in Malahide to Brackenstown National School in Swords right up to St Molaga's in Balbriggan, with many more schools in between. There should be a separate stream of money within the Department of Education to address the whole prefab issue. This will be a priority of mine within the new year when I will be raising this in the Dáil"
Ryan "I have also visited schools such as Loreto Swords, a post-primary school which is so over-subscribed that a lottery system is needed to assign places for incoming first year students. Loreto Swords is currently on the list for an extension in order to meet the need of the local area. I continue to pressure the Minister on behalf of many schools up and down Fingal which are in need of work. I understand the Minister is under tight financial constraints and that is why I welcome the announcement today that four projects are going ahead in 2012. However, much work needs to be done in the coming years if the infrastructure deficit in our schools is to be tackled effectively."

RYAN: NOT TO PROCEED WITH NEVITT LANDFILL IS THE RIGHT DECISION - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2011-12-13T09:59:51Z

Brendan Ryan, Labour Party TD for Dublin North, has stated that the decision by Fingal County Council not to proceed with the Nevitt landfill is the correct decision.
Ryan "I was relieved to hear that Fingal County Council has abandoned plans for a proposed super-dump in the Nevitt area of North County Dublin. There were many environmental reasons why this proposal should never have even gotten off the ground however the primary reason was the location of an aquifer beneath the proposed landfill site. The potential for contamination of the surrounding countryside, which relies very heavily on horticulture and the growing of produce, was too great for such a landfill site to go ahead."
Ryan "I was proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the local people in opposition to this proposal over the last number of years and I share with them relief that Fingal County Council have dropped the project. It is a shame that it has taken 14 years to come to this decision as the past 14 years has been a time of great uncertainty for many people in the area."
Ryan concluded "Whilst the people of North County Dublin can welcome this news, it comes at a time when the region is faced with yet another proposed waste facility. The waste water treatment plant proposed for North County Dublin has prompted an even greater public reaction than we saw to the Nevitt proposal. Again, I stand with the people of North County Dublin against another massive project which has the potential to compromise the environment of our region".

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT "NOT EXPECTED" TO COST MORE THAN €500 million - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2011-11-24T10:53:12Z

Brendan Ryan, Labour Party TD for Dublin North, has received notice from the Minister from Environment that the proposed wastewater treatment plant is "not expected to cost more than €500 million".
Ryan "As part of my on-going work to oppose the proposed monster wastewater treatment plant planned for North County Dublin, I sought from the Minister of Environment a figure for the overall cost of the project. Given the economic hardship this country is faced with, not to mention the Government's decision to defer Metro North for economic reasons, I was curious to see why the Government seem willing to press ahead with this very unpopular proposal. The Minister informed me that the plant is "not expected to cost more than €500 million" but firmer estimates will not be available until the preliminary report for the scheme is completed"
Ryan continued "I have spoken with the Minister for Public Sector Reform on this matter seeking him to examine the viability of this project in light of the Country's economic hardship. He has spoken with and formally written to the Minister for Environment Phil Hogan seeking a re-examination on the viability and cost-effectiveness of this project. It is my view that the project should be halted at this stage given the potential huge cost of this sewage plant. We cannot plough further time and money into a project conceived during the Celtic Tiger era until a proper re-analysis is conducted at Government level."
Ryan concluded "There is broad and popular opposition against this proposal. We have an opportunity now to halt the process with a view to examining more cost effective alternatives such as smaller, localised plants. It seems ludicrous to me for the Council and the Department of Environment to continue with this proposal in the face of such public opposition and fiscal constraints"

RYAN: "COUNCIL'S GRAVEYARD SHAME" - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2011-11-17T10:41:39Z

Brendan Ryan, Labour Party TD for Dublin North has condemned as "shameful" the method being used by Fingal County Council to gather outstanding payments from undertakers for the opening of grave sites.
Ryan states "It has come to my attention in recent months that Fingal County Council is contacting the bereaved relatives of deceased people, stating that the interment fee relating to the deceased is outstanding. This fee is usually in the region of €250 and is more commonly known as the fee for "opening the grave" and is handled by the undertaker as part of the overall funeral costs. The scandal here is that the Council is aware that the fee has been paid by the bereaved to the undertakers and that it is in fact the individual undertakers who have not passed on the fee to the Council."
Ryan continues "This is a cynical method being used by the Council who are struggling to collect their fees from the undertakers. Instead of pursuing the individual undertakers the Council sees fit to contact bereaved relatives in a most insensitive and accusatory manner. Furthermore the Council are stating in their letters that "no further burials can take place in this plot until full payment is made". This is absolutely shocking behaviour from Fingal County Council. To threaten already bereaved people with a closure of a family plot in this regard is an absolute scandal. Some of the fees being sought relate to burials which took place up to a decade ago."
Ryan reveals "This practice first came to my attention in late August and I brought this to the attention of the Council on the 2nd of September at the Parliamentary member's day in Fingal County Council in a bid to end the shameful practice. Unfortunately the practice has not ended and people are still coming to me with letters from the Council and in an understandably distressed state"
Ryan concludes "I am calling on anybody who has received such a letter in the past few weeks not to be concerned. If you have settled your full bill with your undertaker then you have nothing to worry about and you can ignore the letter from Fingal County Council. I'm calling on Fingal County Council to immediately end this shameful practice and to issue an unreserved apology to all of those who have received such letters. This shameful practice needs to end now."

"NO MONSTER WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT IN NORTH COUNTY DUBLIN, MINISTER" DEMANDS RYAN - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2011-11-10T10:55:03Z

In a special Dáil debate today Brendan Ryan, Labour Party TD for Dublin North, called on the Minister for Environment Phil Hogan to engage with the communities of North Dublin to seek alternatives to the proposal for a Monster Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Ryan stated "The communities of North County Dublin have mobilised in an unprecedented manner to voice their resounding opposition to the proposed Monster Waste Water Treatment Plant planned for North County Dublin."
Ryan explained why the people of North County Dublin are opposed to such a project, "First of all there are the very valid environmental considerations: The proposed Monster plant would process up to 1000 litres of sewerage per minute from Dublin and surrounding counties similar to the capacity of the Ringsend plant in Dublin. The negative impact the Ringsend plant has had on the environment of the surrounding landscape and seascape in Dublin Bay has been well documented."
Ryan continued "The traffic created by the construction of a Monster plant in North Dublin would be intolerable on the narrow country roads of the region. Not to mention the traffic caused by the removal of the solid waste from the plant once it is up and running with some estimates stating it would require 40 trucks per hour to remove the sludge from the plant."
Ryan "Many people forget that North County Dublin is a combination of towns and large rural areas which grow fruit, vegetable and flowers. It is the Market Garden of Ireland with 60% of our horticulture produce being grown in the area. To quote one constituent of mine who wished to have her objection read into the public record "Who would buy food grown near a monster sewerage plant?"
Ryan said "The people of North County Dublin are organising. They are not going to stand for this Monster sewage plant. There is cross community and cross party opposition to this proposal and the arguments against it are sound. The alternatives to it, like the one I propose for smaller regional plants coping with local waste, are also sound. I asked the Minister today for a commitment to revisit this proposal. The people of North County Dublin demand a change in policy from Fingal County Council and the Department of Environment on this matter and I fully support them."
Minister Hogan was represented in the Dáil by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney who recognised the conviction with which Ryan made his case on behalf of the people of North Dublin. Minister Coveney delivered a response on behalf of Minister Hogan stating it was inappropriate for the Minister Hogan to comment on this proposal at this stage as it may prejudice the role of the Department of the Environment when it will have a statutory role to play further along in the process. Ryan was unimpressed with this response and called for strong executive leadership at Ministerial level before the process continues on its current path.

RYAN VOICES CONCERN OVER KEANE REPORT ON MORTGAGE ARREARS - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2011-10-19T10:31:12Z

Brendan Ryan, Labour TD for Dublin North, spoke in the Dáil on Tuesday evening voicing concern over the Keane Report on Mortgage Arrears. Speaking to the House, Ryan raised concerns over the limitations placed on the Working Groups processes from the outset and raised potential problems for the recommended Mortgage-to-Rent scheme.

Ryan, "My primary concern is that the Government will implement the Keane Report's recommendations without rigorously examining the key proposals. Given the scale of the mortgage crisis, which let us remember is a human crisis and in many cases a family crisis, I find this Report lacks enough rigorous analysis to make adequate recommendations to solve the mortgage arrears crisis."

Ryan continued "I was disappointed to find out that the Working Group only met eight times and that some key data, including the number of mortgages on the verge of going into arrears, was not available to the Group. I also raised concerns about the proposed Mortgage-to-Rent scheme. I'm concerned about the capacity of Local Authorities to cope with the potential for thousands of extra properties falling under their remits for repairs and maintenance etc. In my constituency, Fingal County Council is pinned to its collar. At the end of this month we will see the regrettable end to Fingal County Council's bin service due to lack of funding and resources. Now the Keane Report recommends the potential handing over of properties in mortgage arrears to local authorities. This has the potential to cause major problems:

Ryan elaborated, "This past week we have seen residents of the Priory Hall Apartment complex in Donaghmede have to evacuate their homes due to critical safety concerns in the building's construction. There are estates in North Dublin afflicted with Pyrite and I know of many families living in Pyrite affected homes, currently in mortgage arrears too. Will the Local Authorities be able to repair and maintain these homes should the mortgage holder fall into a Mortgage-to-Rent scheme? The Government needs to be mindful of these potential issues when deciding on its policy in this area."

Ryan concluded "While welcoming the Report as an important stepping stone, and commending the work done, the people of Ireland put us into this house to push further to dig deeper and to work harder on finding the right course of action in this most important of issues."

Ends
Brendan Ryan 618 3421

RYAN PRAISES SUBMISSION BY PYRITE ACTION GROUP TO OIREACHTAS COMMITTEE - Brendan Ryan TD - News

2011-10-14T10:37:30Z

Labour Party TD for Dublin North Brendan Ryan has praised the submission by the Pyrite Action Group to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and Gaeltacht on 11 October 2011.
Ryan "I have sat on many Committees in my time as Senator and now TD but seldom have I witnessed a more engaging and well-presented submission such as that which came from the Pyrite Action Group on Tuesday. Whilst the Government has announced the setting up of a Working Group to tackle the Pyrite crisis in recent weeks, it was timely that the Pyrite Action Group presented the human cost of the Pyrite issue to members of both the Dáil and Seanad."

Ryan continued "The group also set out its goals and expectations primary amongst them the desire to have their pyrite-affected homes to be fully repaired and certified 'pyrite-free'. This is the goal which needs to be achieved and it must be the goal of the Government's working group too. I welcomed the opportunity to meet and speak with the Pyrite Action Group in Leinster House and I will continue to work with them in the weeks and months ahead on this most serious of issues."