Category: newsroom

Tackling energy poverty is a key priority for Government

2nd December 2011

Alex White TD has welcomed the publication by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, publication of Warmer Homes: A Strategy for Affordable Energy in Ireland the document sets out a vision for improving the affordability of energy for low-income households; ensuring that people can live in a warm and comfortable home that enhances the quality of their lives and supports good physical and mental health.

Deputy White commented “While the Government faces difficult economic decisions in the coming weeks, we will not forget those most in need – particularly as we face into another winter. We need a strategy that prioritises what can be done to protect low-income households.’

The strategy was developed by an inter-Departmental Group on Affordable Energy and includes 48 actions that will be implemented over the life of the strategy. Key highlights include:

  • the introduction of minimum thermal efficiency standards for all properties offered for rent,
  • reviewing the National Fuel and Household Benefits Schemes so see how we can target cash supports effectively and prioritise colder homes
  • Achieving economies and harnessing community effort by the introduction of an area-based approach to mitigating energy poverty.

Deputy White added “This is not something we will achieve overnight. The Programme for Government was clear that we needed a new way of thinking energy poverty. The publication of this strategy marks a hugely important milestone in ensuring that we protect those most vulnerable in our society in a coordinated, cohesive and effective way.”

Importantly, the strategy also introduces a new approach to measuring energy poverty, which will help target at-risk households. The strategy will be implemented and monitored by the members of Inter-Departmental/Agency Group on Affordable Energy who will prioritise five work packages in the coming months (thermal efficiency standards, energy suppliers, area-based approach, data and information, and communication).

Forthcoming Referendums

18th October 2011

As well as the Presidential election and the by-election in Dublin West, there will also be two very important Referendums put to the people on October 27th; the Judicial Pay Referendum and the Abbeylara Referendum.

Judicial Pay Referendum

Under Article 35.5 of the Constitution, judges are not subject to the same measures others who are paid from the public purse are. As a result, despite the salaries of public servants being reduced twice in 2009, the judiciary were exempt from these cuts due to this Constitutional clause. A number of judges made voluntary waivers of their salary in line with the public sector cuts, however not all took this initiative.

This referendum is seeking to give the state the power to reduce judicial pay in the context of general salary reductions. This would mean that judges, like all those who are paid from the public purse, would be subject to the same reductions that have been made, or will be made in the future.

Abbeylara Referendum

Across the EU national parliaments have the power to conduct full inquiries. This is not the case in Ireland however since the 2002 Supreme Court decision in the Abbeylara case.

Allowing Parliamentary committees to conduct inquiries will mean that they will have a central role in the performance of our public administration. Not only this, but it will be less costly than tribunals or other methods of enquiry. We already know that these inquiries can be done well as prior to the 2002 decision we had successful inquires such as the DIRT inquiry.

A Bill has been published by the Labour Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, and the Bill outlines how the process would work. Labour in Government has been working hard to ensure that our public administration is transparent and fully accountable and if passed, the Abbeylara Referendum will go a step further to ensure that proper inquiries are conducted.

PLANS TO REDUCE THE COST OF SCHOOLS BOOKS BEING REALISED

18th October 2011

Alex White TD has welcomed the commitment by the main educational publishers to give substantial discounts to schools that run book rental schemes.

The commitment was made to the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, TD this week at a meeting with representatives of the publishers which was called to discuss proposals to reduce the cost of school books for parents.  

This was the second meeting with the publishers since the Minister took up office.  

Minister Quinn had proposed that schools which purchase textbooks in bulk should be given a significant discount.  

The majority of publishers confirmed for the Minister that schools which purchase in bulk for book rental schemes will benefit from discounts in the range 12% - 17.5%.  

They also clarified aspects of a voluntary Code of Practice to which eight publishers have now signed up. Implementation of the code of practice means there will be no revisions to existing textbooks for four years unless there are changes required because of curriculum and / or examinations changes.  

Old editions will be kept in print for two years (unless annual sales fall below 500 copies).   This means that, in future, a new edition of a textbook will be available for a minimum of six years.   Publishers also confirmed that revisions to textbooks will be available online.

Deputy White welcomed the role of the National Parents Councils who have provided the Department with information about examples of best practice of book rental schemes in operation in order to encourage more schools to introduce such schemes.

Deputy White said, “The Government’s objective in proposing these measures is to ensure that costs to students and their families are kept to a minimum and I believe that the steps achieved to-date will contribute substantially to achieving this objective.  

“I will continue to support the Minister’s efforts on this issue over the coming months.”

White welcomes moves by Dublin Bus to address Whitechurch Bus Service

12th September 2011

Deputy Alex White today congratulated the Whitechurch Action Group who, after several weeks of negotiations with Dublin Bus facilitated by Alex White TD and

Cllr. Paddy Cosgrave, have secured a morning and evening service of the new 15B. This will provide residents – workers and school children – with a direct service from Whitechurch to the City Centre through Rathmines.

Commenting on the outcome Deputy White said:

“The return, albeit limited, of this route, re-establishes a traditional route of access to town via Rathmines, which is so important to the Residents of Whitechurch.

I commend the patience and professionalism of the Residents who played a role in this Action group. Working with the Group on this issue, as I have since last August, has been a real demonstration of how effective we can be when we pull our resources together”

Deputy White also commended the work of the Dublin Bus Network Direct management group who has worked with the National Transport Authority to bring about this satisfactory result. Highlighting their flexibility and willingness to engage local concerns, Deputy White added:

“We all understand the tremendous budgetary pressures public services are placed under in these stringent economic times. However the Dublin Bus team has shown that with some creativity a better solution can be developed.”

Dublin Bus expect that the new service will commence Monday 19th December and will run as a Monday - Friday with an inbound service scheduled at 08.05

and outbound at 15.00, with a further outbound peak time bus at 16.53.

Jobs Boost For Dundrum Is Vote Of Confidence In Local Economy

4th May 2011

Labour TD for Dublin South Alex White has called today’s announcement of 300 new jobs for Dundrum Town Centre “highly significant”.

Deputy White said: “This is a vote of confidence not only in Dundrum Town Centre, but in the local economy and in the surrounding area.  Dublin South, like everywhere else, has been hit hard by the downturn.  Between 2006 and 2010, the live register had tripled in size in the locality.  I thoroughly welcome this investment from both international and Irish companies.

“This government’s priority is to achieve growth and create jobs. I will continue to support and encourage what is necessary to create the right business environment, so that announcements like these will become a more frequent occurrence.

Alex White selected as Labour general election candidate in Dublin South

13th December 2010

Senator Alex White will run for the Labour Party in Dublin South in the forthcoming General Election.

He was selected at a convention last Saturday in Ballyroan Community Centre, Rathfarnham.

Speaking afterwards, White said he was “pleased and deeply honoured” to have been selected.

“This is the most vital General Election in our lifetime. The recent budget, the four-year plan and the EU-IMF deal have been the bills for economic failure - bills that the public will have to pay off well into the future.

“In Labour we have a profound sense of fairness and social justice. We now need to marry those politics to a message of hope. Hope that we can begin a process of renewal that will transform our politics and economy for the collective good. Huge challenges face our country. But they are challenges that together we can overcome. Labour’s vision and politics must be at the heart of our recovery.

“In the coming months, I hope to bring that message to the doorsteps of Dublin South. I very much look forward to it.”

Roscommon report highlights urgency of children’s referendum

26th October 2010

I welcome the publication today of the report into the Roscommon child care case.

I also welcome the unreserved and unequivocal apology issued by the HSE today, and hope that it may mark a new dawn in an organisation where heretofore the default response when it came to a crisis like this was to pull up the shutters, and distance themselves from any sense of responsibility.

The report is far-reaching and comprehensive, and Norah Gibbons and the team she led deserve full credit for the work they have done in this respect.

While the authors of the report did not regard recommendations on legislative change as within their remit, they do note that failure to consult with, and to hear the voice of the six children was an important factor in this case.

They also say that the proposed referendum on children’s rights, and the related legislation, would make provision for the voice of the child to be heard, and while they stop short of calling for the referendum to be brought forward, that is certainly the underlying sentiment.

The need for progress on this is one that I would regard as extremely urgent. I would call on the Minister for Children, Barry Andrews, to publish wording for the constitutional amendment and to announce a timetable for the referendum. If he is not in a position to do this now he should indicate clearly what the obstacles are.

The all-party Oireachtas committee agreed a wording earlier this year. No-one will disagree with the need to get the wording right, but it’s a pity that the Minister and the government only identified certain ‘unintended consequences’ in recent weeks, and not during the committee deliberations.

The Labour Party will of course co-operate, as we have throughout, with all reasonable efforts to put in place a Constitutional amendment to enhance the rights of children. We will not, however, tolerate any move designed to delay or further postpone this urgent and essential measure.

Homeless children numbers very disturbing

17th October 2010

Figures released to the Labour Party indicating that almost 800 children ended up homeless and in need of emergency accommodation last year, are very disturbing.

Unfortunately, these figures reflect the failure of childcare services to intervene early enough in the lives of children at risk.

Early intervention is crucial. Once a problem with a child or family escalates and becomes out of control, young people are much more vulnerable and likely to end up homeless. We need services to help prevent these problems before they get to this stage,

While these individual cases have been handled by the HSE as they arise, with most of these children then being placed in some form of accommodation, the fact is that were proper preventative measures in place in the first place, a crisis could well have been avoided in many instances.

Unfortunately our childcare system is beset by a whole range of problems. For example, we know that at any one time there are hundreds of children who are in the care of the HSE, but who have not been allocated a social worker. How can we say that we are looking after these vulnerable youngsters, when we can’t even provide them a caring professional to be their advocate?

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