Sinn Féin Senator Paul Gavan has called on all Mid-West politicians to unite around the call for Shannon Airport to be reintegrated under the control of the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) with a new management team.
Whilst welcoming cross-party consensus that change at the top was needed for the Shannon Group, Senator Gavan stressed that politicians calling for a change of management was not enough.
Senator Gavan said: “Shannon Airport must be brought back under the control of the DAA. Simply calling for a change of management personnel misses the fundamental flaw in the current structure.
“The experiment of an ‘independent’ airport that started in 2013 has been a failure by any metric. The Shannon Group’s management of one of the Midwest’s most important facilities must come to an end. The Government parties of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens need to be very clear on this point.
“Nine out of ten flights from Ireland leave the east-coast, mostly via Dublin Airport. There must be a progressive policy of redistributing flights to regional airports like Shannon. This can only happen under one centralised airport management structure.
“Indeed, we’ve already seen how Cork Airport (a DAA-controlled airport) has benefited from this policy in recent years at a time when Shannon’s passenger numbers were consistently lagging behind.
“Talk of competition between airports on an island of our size was always a nonsensical policy, that was doomed to failure.
“Shannon Airport can only benefit from the redistribution of flights if it once again comes under the control of the Dublin Aviation Authority.
“Ireland’s largest trade unions SIPTU, and Forsa, along with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions have all called for the DAA to take the helm in Shannon. Now that there’s cross-party consensus that a change of management is needed, we need cross-party consensus that the DAA should deliver that change.
“Similarly, Shannon Group has demonstrated it cannot manage our heritage sites in the public interest. This was demonstrated very clearly with the decision to close the heritage sites during the summer season, at a time when the tourism sector had already been devastated by the pandemic.
“Sinn Féin is calling for those heritage sites to be taken out of the control of Shannon Group and instead to be run directly by the Office of Public Works so it can be run in the public interest.
“These fundamental changes are needed immediately to ensure that when a recovery in air travel begins post-Covid, we have an airport and management structure that is fit for purpose.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Education Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD has reiterated his calls for the Education Minister to publish the standardisation model for Leaving Certificate students this year, following concerning flaws in the Scottish system.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently apologised to affected students, after issues were revealed in the calculated grading system that has caused many students to receive lower grades than they deserved.
Teachta Ó Laoghaire said: “I am concerned that the Scottish system has many similarities to the Leaving Certificate predicted grades system proposed here in Ireland. It is vital that we do not replicate its flaws.
“The issue is, that we are in the dark as to what the standardisation model will be for our Leaving Certificate students this year. I have repeatedly asked the Minister to publish this. She has not done so. I am once again urging her today to do so.
“It is vital that teachers, pupils and parents can have confidence in this new model. Transparency about what the model entails will be key in ensuring they can have confidence in it. I would question how they can have confidence that the model proposed by the Minister will guarantee fairness, if they do not know what the model applying to them will be.
“I have repeatedly expressed my concern about the potential for school profiling, or that the calculations model will be affected by a school having had low results in the past or by its disadvantaged background.
“All students deserve to be treated fairly and receive grades which reflect their ability. We cannot see students unfairly marked down simply because they come from a disadvantaged background or because they went to a particular school.
“The Minister must immediately examine what has happened in Scotland, and make the adjustments necessary to ensure that these issues are not replicated here.
“The Government must also publish details of the standardisation model it is using, to ensure there can be full transparency and confidence in its fairness.”
Réada Cronin TD says the high Covid-19 numbers in Kildare are exposing the fault lines in society and that how we are working and living in the 21st century is unsustainable for too many.
Deputy Cronin added that the high infection rate raises serious questions about the standards the community is prepared to tolerate and the blind eye it is willing to extend to working and living conditions of vulnerable people, many of them migrants to the country.
Teachta Cronin said:
“The high Covid-19 numbers in Kildare are showing how unsustainably we are living. In food production, it is simply not possible to maximise profits and worker-numbers simultaneously at a time of pandemic, when we are all supposed to be keeping each other safe and well.
“Clearly, some of the workers involved in these high-infection rates live in difficult physical circumstances. Workers are people. They are not statistics. We cannot go on exploiting people like this in the name of profit.
“We must pay people a decent wage for decent day’s work. We must encourage the collegiate, the co-operative. We must allow them time off when they are unwell especially in this global crisis.
" Instead, we have people saying they are going to work sick and infected for fear of losing a day’s pay. It is unconscionable that people cannot rely on sick-pay in these circumstances.
“Covid in Kildare is a classic case of ‘nobody is safe until everybody is safe’. So even if people are not motivated by concern for others in demanding change to working and living conditions, they will be motivated by concern for themselves.
“These are conditions people protested against in the time of the Lock Out, and here we are over 100 years later tolerating similar situations where workers feel pressurised and exploited.
"How can we call ourselves a modern, progressive republic if people are going to work sick and infected in a global crisis because they are simply afraid? It’s the kind of fear you’d associate with working in the Third World. Not in a young country with a seat on the UN Security Council.
“Fine Gael has overseen a landlordism in housing and an old-fashioned, aren’t-you-lucky-to-have-a-job mentality when it comes to our workers. Fianna Fáil and the Greens show themselves to be no better. This is no to treat working people in the 21st century. Workers have rights. Employers have responsibilities.
“We must have respect for our workers – all our workers – with decent pay for decent work. In the Covid19 situation workers must feel supported not penalised. Anything less will spread the virus not only in those plants but across the community. We, each of us, keeps the other safe.”
“I am calling on the Government to act immediately to avert a virus crisis in Kildare. Any virus measures for our community must be health driven not politics driven. Kildare people are sensible and responsible. We will do and abide by what is right for the community. All the community. Together.”
Sinn Féin Party Group leader on Belfast City Council Ciaran Beattie has called for political parties to adopt a zero tolerance approach on bullying after a motion to establish an independent commission to examine allegations of bullying in the council was voted down this evening.
Speaking Councillor Beattie said:
"Over the course of recent months, several members of Belfast City Council staff have contacted myself and other Sinn Féin representatives concerning allegations of bullying from political parties and councillors.
“These allegations of bullying are extremely worrying and it is particularly concerning that some staff have claimed they are fearful of reporting bullying incidents because of the environment which they work.
“Everyone in society has a fundamental right to go to work in a safe and friendly environment. The right to live and work free from harassment is the bedrock of democratic society and a right which must protected.
“As political leaders in this city, we have a duty of care to our Council staff and to ensure that they have maximum support should they have any grievances in relation to their work.
“It is a matter of grave concern that some political parties on Belfast City Council voted against establishing an independent commission to examine allegation of bullying in this council.
“The rejection of this motion is shameful and lets workers down.
“No one has anything to fear from an independent commission which sets out to ensure maximum protection for workers with grievances.
“Sinn Féin will continue to do all that we can to support workers.”
Sinn Féin TD for North Kildare Réada Cronin says it is make or break in the locality’s fight against Covid-19.
Speaking after Kildare's return to lockdown, Deputy Cronin outlined the anxieties felt by local businesses - already hanging by a thread - and called on government to give urgent and generous financial supports to protect them and their workers.
Teachta Cronin said:
“The virus outbreaks in our processing plants and Direct Provision are exposing the brutal effects of a politics that prioritises private profit over public health and human dignity.
"Neither the meat-plant conditions nor the dire situation in Direct Provision is news to the Government.
“Fine Gael, supported by Fianna Fáil, was warned time and again of the inherent dehumanisation and cruelty of our Direct Provision system.
"Yet, they ignored those warnings to pursue instead their politics of social distrust and division, where people with little are scrutinised and those with a lot are beyond proper accountability and examination.
“You simply cannot pack meat and pack people at the same time in a pandemic. Proximity might grow profit but it also grows infection spread. The priority in a pandemic has to be public and worker health, not profit.
“Local businesses are the heart of our economy. We have to keep that heart beating. They are now taking one for Team Ireland, so the government must provide urgent and generous support in the forms of grants, not loans.
"When people are drowning you throw them a life buoy, not the bill for its purchase. Sinn Féin has produced an excellent plan to support small local business with a mix of grants, allowances and waivers. I wish the government would look at it and learn from it.
“But the Government’s attitude to Covid in Kildare shows they haven’t learned a single lesson from the disaster in our nursing homes."
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade, Employment and Workers’ Rights, Louise O’Reilly, has said that pleas from the Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, and the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, for people not to apportion blame over Covid-19 outbreaks at meat factories is a self-serving cry for people not to blame government.
Speaking today, Teachta O’Reilly said: “There have been constant warnings to the government from workers, trade unions and politicians about the difficulties Covid-19 presents for workers in meat plants.
"This is because of poor working conditions, poor workers’ rights protections, no sick pay, a lack of inspections and oversight of working conditions by the Health and Safety Authority, and a lack of adherence to recommended health and safety criteria by some factories.
“We all know that there will be instances of Covid-19 in workplaces, but the necessary precautions to minimise outbreaks and prevent clusters have not been enforced by the government.
“What we have witnessed in meat plants, and across a variety of sectors of the economy, has been the usual hands-off approach to workers’ rights from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party.
“This is not good enough – workers in food and meat-processing plants need action to protect their health all of the time, not just in times of crisis.
“We welcome the agreement SIPTU says it has agreed with representatives of the meat industry for a new system of rapid Covid-19 testing for meat factory workers.
“But trade unions and workers should not have been left to fight this battle by themselves while the government attempted to take a back seat.
"We need to get to the root cause of what is happening in meat and food processing facilities to understand what caused these clusters and make sure that the lessons from this are learned.
“The default response of the government for people not to apportion blame over the outbreaks of Covid-19 at meat plants is nothing but a self-serving cry for people not to blame them.
“There are very real failures here, which need to be called out in order to tackle the root cause of these issues, now and into the future. Only those who are guilty do not like blame being apportioned.”
Sinn Féin MLA Órlaithí Flynn has welcomed the increase in training places for clinical psychologists.
Speaking after the announcement today the party’s spokesperson for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention said:
“This increase is to be welcomed and will provide for an additional four training places for clinical psychologist.
“Mental health services are under increasing pressure and the real demand for services is simply not being met. My concerns are that as services reopen again the existing waiting lists for services will see a jump in referrals with no hope of people being seen quickly.
“I welcome this as a first step to addressing the wider mental health workforce pressures. I hope the Minister of Health sees this as the first step rather than the only step in developing the mental health workforce.
“It is vital that the development of mental health services is based on the real need within the community.
“As part of plans to develop the mental health workforce I am calling on the Department of Health to undertaken a True Needs Analysis, to inform just how much the mental health workforce should grow to meet the real need for services.”
Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has welcomed news that regional fertility services will be reopening on a phased basis from 10th August.
The party’s health spokesperson said:
"I am pleased to see in the answer given to my questions by the Minister of Health, that the Belfast Trust are reopening services at the Regional Fertility Centre from the 10th August onwards.
"This will be welcome news for the many women and couples who have been devastated by the closure of services and had an anxious wait until services resumed.
"I also welcome the news that those already on the waiting list will have an extra year to start treatment without exceeding the age limit for services.
"I know this will go someway to reassure those seeking additional time and support. However, it will be essential that services are extending to increase the number of appointments necessary to deal with the backlog of appointments."
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane TD has unveiled a €1.9bn plan to protect capacity in the health service.
He has called on the Minister for Health to take urgent action to protect capacity and workers.
Speaking this morning, Teachta Cullinane said: “Our health service is facing a perfect storm. Patients and healthcare workers need our support.
“We have a plan for reopening the economy, we have a plan for reopening schools.
“Now we need a realistic plan to protect Ireland’s health.
“Sinn Féin has proposed a €1.9 billion plan to protect capacity in the health service.
“Every option has to be on the table, and workers need to be guaranteed certainty in their employment.
“We need to expand physical infrastructure through space in the community, repurposing space in acute hospitals, expanding space through modular units, and leveraging at-cost capacity in the private sector.
“Covid-19 has exposed a decades-long failure to build a public health system that has enough doctors, nurses and beds.
“Pre-Covid, our health system was in crisis. Now, it is under pressure on several fronts: overworked staff, Covid care, non-Covid care, catching up on delayed care, a vast reduction in capacity, and the looming winter flu.
“There are now more than 700,000 people on waiting lists, and this will continue to grow. We could lose from 20 to 40% bed capacity.
“Frontline staff are at burnout and cannot continue to work overtime in understaffed conditions. This is not safe or fair for staff or patients.
“This is an emergency - it needs emergency response.”
Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has appealed to people to wear face coverings where appropriate and in line with public health guidance to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
The party’s health spokesperson said:
“We are still in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and it is clear from recent events across the island that COVID-19 has not gone away and that we need to be vigilant.
“From today the wearing of face covering in certain indoor environments such as shopping and where social distancing cannot be achieved has been made mandatory.
“I would encourage everyone to follow the public health guidance and wear a face covering where appropriate.
“Infection rates are rising and there is a need for us to protect ourselves, protect others and protect our health service and I would urge people to act responsibly and wear a face covering.”
Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew has condemned a racially motivated attack on houses in Dungannon.
The Fermanagh South Tyrone MP said:
"This attack on homes in the Woodbourne Crescent area of Dungannon was wrong and I condemn it utterly.
"Fires were also started in the area and police officers attending the scene came under attack.
"This is a welcoming community that is home to many cultures and celebrates diversity. There can be no place in our society for racism or any form of discrimination.
"I would encourage anyone with information on these incidents to bring it to the PSNI."
Sinn Féin MLA Caoimhe Archibald has condemned a gun attack on a house in Dungiven.
The East Derry MLA said:
"This gun attack on a house in the Ard na Smoll area of Dungiven was wrong and I condemn it.
"Thankfully no one was injured in this incident but it must have been a frightening experience for those in the house and nearby.
"There is no place in society for incidents like this.
"I would encourage anyone with information on what happened to bring it forward to the PSNI."
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Transport Darren O’Rourke TD has called on the Government to clarify whether it is intends to introduce a ‘red list’ for international travel, instead of fuelling speculation and uncertainty.
Speaking in response to media reports that the Government is set to ban all non-essential travel from ‘red listed’ countries with high Covid-19 rates, Teachta O’Rourke said:
“Sinn Féin has long-advocated the introduction of a ‘red list’ in conjunction with the ‘green list'.
“However, when it comes to this Government’s handling of foreign travel, we are yet again left dealing with speculation where we instead need clarity.
“For months now, the Government’s policy on international travel has been confusing and chaotic.
“The prospect of a travel ban has significant implications for would-be travellers and for business, not least in the aviation sector itself. The Minister should outline his position clearly and in specific detail.
“We need answers to key questions- How exactly will this new system work? Who exactly will be affected? Will essential travel still be permitted, for example, without any additional Covid checks and controls?
“NPHET has advocated mandatory quarantine not flight bans. If the Minister is of a different opinion, he should outline why.
“Red list or no, it is essential that we have robust test-trace-isolate processes in place that are reflective of Covid-19 risk and profile.
“This principle is fundamental to our ability to live with Covid-19 and should apply across the board, not just at our ports and airports but in all work, congregated and other settings. It remains a critical weakness in our defence and must be addressed immediately.”
Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú has praised an incredible community effort by residents in Bay Estate at the weekend which saw litter being picked up and drains being cleaned.
The efforts were assisted by those who cleared up outside their own houses and the level of community spirit was evident by the numbers of people who turned up to help with the clean up, which was organised by the Bay Estate Neighbourhood Watch.
Cllr. Kevin Meenan organised litter pickers and bin bags from Louth County Council and Bay Estate resident Ruairí Ó Murchú was one of the many who took part.
He said: "It was great to see so many people out on Saturday, getting involved and making sure that the estate is cleaned up. It is a big area and while there was a lot done, it is clear there is a lot more to do.
"The community spirit was brilliant and everyone was happy to muck in and get as much done as possible. I was glad to see people clearing up outside their own houses, as this made all the difference to those who were cleaning up.
"There is another clear-up organised for next Saturday, July 25, weather permitting, and I would encourage everyone to get involved and do their part to ensure that Bay Estate looks its very best."
Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey has said the relatives of those killed in the Ballymurphy massacre are entitled to the truth about what happened to their loved ones.
The West Belfast MP said:
"Today marks the 49th anniversary of the start of the Ballymurphy massacre when eleven people were shot dead on the streets of Ballymurphy by the British army.
"It is disgraceful that almost five decades later the families of those killed still do not have answers about what happened to their loved ones.
"I want to pay tribute to the Ballymurphy families for their years of dignified and determined campaigning which has brought what happened in Ballymurphy in 1971 to the attention of the world, particularly through the inquest process in recent times.
"Their dedication has ensured the British government's sustained attempts to cover-up the truth will not succeed and the families continue to have our ongoing support.
"It is long past the time the British government stopped placing obstacles in the way of these and other families trying to access truth and implemented the legacy mechanisms agreed in the Stormont House Agreement in a human rights compliant manner."
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane TD has said a spike in Covid-19 diagnosed cases has highlighted the importance of rapid testing, followed by quick action.
His comments follow news that today’s figures of diagnosed cases are the highest since mid-May.
Teachta Cullinane said: “The increase in the number of diagnosed cases is linked to the fact that there has been an increase in testing. This shows the importance of rapid testing.
“Rapid testing must then be followed by quick action, to reduce risk of further spread.
“I am deeply concerned about how poor oversight of the meat factory industry so far appears to have contributed to this spike. For months now, concerns about meat factories have been raised time and time again yet these warnings appear to have gone unheeded by the Government.
“I am concerned about the lack of rolling testing and a failure to introduce more robust preventative action when it was needed. We need to see rolling testing take place as a priority.
“I would urge people to continue to be vigilant and follow all public health guidelines so they can protect themselves and their communities and stop the spread of this virus.
“The Government needs to get a grip on this issue and ensure meat factories do not lead to further clusters.”
The impact of the pandemic on mental health services and funding was raised by Dundalk TD Ruairí Ó Murchú at the Dáil’s Covid-19 Committee last week.
The Sinn Féin TD focused on how just seven percent of annual health funding is spent in the State, while the World Health Organisation recommends 12%.
He noted that there had been an increase in web-based mental health services eoffered during the lockdown, but these are ‘limited by geography and internet access’ and those who are ‘impacted by adverse childhood experiences and older people’ are not able to access the ‘escape of work or school’.
The Dundalk TD also raised the issue of ‘dual diagnosis’, where people who are struggling with mental health problems and who also have addiction issues are ‘falling between services’.
He asked: ‘What are the protocols, resources and legislation required to ensure that no wrong door to access services is put in operation?’
The CEO of Mental Health Ireland, Martin Rogan, replied that the ‘separation between mental health services and addiction services doesn’t serve the individual well’.
He said: ‘We need to build services that are person-centric and are not funding or structurally dependent. People do turn to prescription drugs, alcohol and street drugs as a response to the great distress they are feeling about averse childhood experience or trauma.
‘Families are trying to support them and the no wrong door approach is really important because people need to be received at the point of presentation. We would advise a ‘warm handover’ of people so you don’t get to leave one service until you are handed over to another’.
On the dual diagnosis question, Mr Rogan said: ‘It’s not a realistic model to tell young people with psychosis to come back when they have stopped smoking weed’.
Mr Ó Murchú said that another group who tend to fall between services are those with behavioural problems and it is the case at the moment that Gardaí are having to deal with those.
The Acting Clinical Director of Jigsaw, Paul Loughmore, explained how ‘some people find themselves in this situation and the nature of their difficulties excludes them from all services’.
He said: ‘They end up going between services without any clear line of responsibility or one service taking them on.
‘Service integration is the key in this situation. Mental health services are often presented with unique and complex situations. If they come together to discuss which is best or which combination is best, that benefits the individual.
‘Greater communication and collaborative decision-making means that no-one will have no service and be bounced into tonnes of referrals. It allows for care where services come together to offer a suite of support to meet the needs of people and their families’.
Sinn Féin Dublin City Councillor Séamas McGrattan and Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane TD have called for the extension of free parking for health workers.
Cllr McGrattan said:
“Dublin City Council management have confirmed that free parking for health care staff is to end at the end of August. But the Covid-19 pandemic won’t.
"Nurses and doctors will continue to put their lives on the line, continuing to carry the stress and isolation of being front line staff.
“Healthcare workers deserve the city’s support and solidarity. Free parking is the least that they can expect at this time.
“The provision of free parking for healthcare staff since March has been deeply appreciated by all frontline workers.
“Hospital car parks need to play their part and provide free parking to healthcare workers. Putting their profit ahead of healthcare is unacceptable at this time.
"Arrangements must also be made for hospitals like Temple Street that have no on-campus parking.
“Health care workers need to be protected as much as possible from the virus. Many workers commute long distances to work and cannot use public transport. This means they have no choice other than driving to work.
“Along with Sinn Féin Spokesperson for Health, David Cullinane TD, we have written to the Minister for Health, the Minister for Local Government, Dublin City Council, the HSE and car park companies calling on them to work together to ensure that parking is available at no cost to healthcare workers."
Sinn Féin MLA Karen Mullan has said the party had a robust meeting with the PSNI in Derry about concerns over a recent police search in the city in which a 14-year-old child with special needs was arrested.
The Foyle MLA said:
“We had a robust meeting with the PSNI to raise concerns about reports of heavy-handed policing during a recent police search in which a 14-year-old child with special needs was arrested.
“We challenged the PSNI directly on the impact this has had on this vulnerable child and how they carry out policing operations in the Creggan area.
“Sinn Féin will continue to follow this up to ensure these concerns are addressed and that we don’t see a repeat of what happened to this 14-year-old child.
“We also raised the issue of the scandalous anti-social and anti-community behaviour in Galliagh over recent days and the inadequate police response to it.
“The public rightly expects the very highest policing and human rights standards and we will hold the police to account when their actions fail to meet those standards.”
