“EU Committee vote a step in the right direction towards protections for Irish farmers” - Chris MacManus MEP
Sinn Féin MEP’s improvements voted through at Agriculture Committee
Chris MacManus, Sinn Féin MEP for the Midlands Northwest, has welcomed the efforts of the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee to endorse a number of recommendations to addresses the problems of availability and affordability of fertilisers in the European Union. MacManus and a majority of MEPs from the Committee voted in favour of MacManus’s amendments to the European Parliament’s position.
“The MEPs’ proposed changes to the draft recommendations contain many improvements on the Commission’s original communication on the affordability and availability of fertilisers,” said MacManus.
“These are the right steps towards the development of long-term, sustainable, fertiliser and soil nutrient strategies. The increase of input costs is having a detrimental impact on Irish agriculture and is undermining Irish farmers.”
Despite the recent fall in the price of natural gas, fertiliser companies are continuing to charge farmers extortionate prices. Improvements in the market have simply not filtered down to farmers.
“Make no mistake, corporate greed is responsible for this, and Irish farmers are suffering for it. This was one of the main reasons I tabled amendments to support the use and supply of organic fertilisers. Where possible, organic alternatives should help facilitate a domestic supply particularly to reduce dependency on the chemical fertiliser companies and imports.”
“There is a growing body of evidence that Irish farmers can benefit from moving in this direction. Some suckler farms who have started transitioning to organic fertiliser, in the wake of rising costs have already made savings of up to €50/ac, so there are real alternatives.”
MacManus also highlighted some shortcomings of the proposals adopted by the Committee. “Whilst I am pleased that MEPs voted in favour of improving supports to farmers, there were aspects missing that I intend to seek rectification on in the plenary session on biogas deployment” ENDS
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Sport, Chris Andrews TD, has called for the government to engage with the GAA to find a solution to hosting Katie Taylor’s homecoming fight in Croke Park.
Teachta Andrews said:
"The cancelling of Katie Taylor’s homecoming fight in Croke Park is a major step backwards for both Irish boxing and the promotion of women in sport.
"Katie Taylor has gone above and beyond in representing Ireland in boxing, winning a staggering eighteen gold medals on the international stage.
"She is an outstanding role model for young women in the sporting community.
"The government should engage with the GAA and ensure that a solution is found.
"If this homecoming fight is moved to a much smaller venue, it will only serve to ensure that a whole section of sports fans will be priced out of attending this historic event.
"A solution must be found that will ensure Katie Taylor gets the homecoming fight she deserves - a homecoming in Croke Park, in front of 80,000 fans."
Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew has said victims and families need to continue to have access to truth and justice through the courts.
Following the sentencing of a British soldier for the 1988 killing of Aidan McAnespie, Michelle Gildernew said:
“For over 34 years, Aidan McAnespie’s family have faced down delays, lies and cover-up by the British state, and his mother and father, and his sister Eilish, have died without ever seeing justice.
“They have campaigned with strength, dignity and determination.
“Aidan McAnespie was brutally shot dead by a British soldier while walking to his local Aghaloo Gaelic ground in Aughnacloy in 1988.
“A High Court judge acknowledged in November that the soldier had given a ‘deliberately false account’ of what happened on that day and was guilty of Aidan’s manslaughter.
“This case offers hope to other families that accountability is possible, and the door needs to be left open to access truth and justice through the courts.
“Sinn Féin backs the family’s call for the British government’s cruel and callous Legacy Bill to be scrapped and mechanisms to give truth and justice to families agreed at Stormont House in 2014 to be implemented.
“Sinn Féin will continue to support victims and families on their ongoing campaigns for truth and justice.”
Sinn Féin MP John Finucane has called on the Tories to hike taxes on energy companies and redirect the cash into the pockets of struggling workers and families.
Speaking after Shell announced £32 billion in profits, the North Belfast MP said:
“Shell is the latest energy giant to announce eye-watering profits of over £32 billion in another body blow for people who cannot afford to turn the heating on.
“Workers and families are not getting a fair deal; they are struggling to pay crippling energy bills and the companies responsible for these prices are pocketing their highest ever profits.
“It’s time to end the energy rip-off that is forcing people into hardship by slashing the profits of the big corporations who are doing very well from this crisis.
“I will be writing to the British Chancellor urging him to place another Windfall Tax on these companies to cut these obscene profits. They cannot sit on their hands any longer.
“They money raised from this extra tax should be redirected into the pockets of hardworking families who are at breaking point and away from mega-rich shareholders.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice, Martin Kenny TD, has responded to allegations of a comprehensive state strategy of withholding payment for nursing homes and disability allowance.
Teachta Kenny said:
“We have seen this time and again, the state and the State Claims Agency forcing people through the courts to simply have their rights vindicated. This week it is nursing home costs and disability allowance supplements, last week it was failure in children’s mental health service, before that the scandal of the day was CervicalCheck.
“There is a deeply disturbing pattern of behaviour on behalf of the state where some state bodies actively work to conceal the truth from people, either related to their care or the cost of their care, in order to protect state coffers. This week we have seen the fallout from the active campaign to cover up the liability faced by the state for providing nursing home care.
“The plan devised by senior staff was to tirelessly fight people’s claims related to nursing homes, and effectively walk families to the steps of the court before they would settle, all the while knowing they were in the wrong. The intention of the state has been to send out the message that ‘there is no easy money to be gotten here’.
“This was the same strategy we saw employed by the state when the CervicalCheck scandal broke, and indeed it is still a strategy they continue to use with the families affected by that screening failure.
“The introduction of class-party or multi-party legal actions would have brought cases such as these to a conclusion much quicker, and spared families the heartache and financial stress of going through an adversarial court system one by one with state bodies who were prepared to go to great lengths to avoid admitting any wrongdoing.
“Sinn Féin has a bill within the Dáil which would allow for class actions. The Multi Party Actions Bill 2017 would allow families to join together where the same wrong has been committed repeatedly and hold the relevant state body or private company responsible.
“The families involved in holding the state rightly to account here are not people with endless means to employ large legal teams through an expensive High Court process. They are ordinary, decent people oftentimes taking these cases on behalf of a vulnerable or terminally ill loved one. This is in contrast to the State Claims Agency which has the power and means to fight these families all the way to a courtroom, where cost seems to be immaterial.
“Fine Gael has held justice for over a decade and have yet to make any move towards making the justice system more accessible for those who have been failed by state bodies. I am urging the Minister to engage with our bill immediately, and offer a solution to those who have been denied accountability.”
The Multi Party Actions Bill can be read here.
Coillte sale by Irish government is another failure for rural Ireland says MacManus
Sinn Féin MEP Chris MacManus has slammed the Irish government in an address to European parliamentarians for failing to support Sinn Féin’s motion demanding the end to the deal between Coillte, Ireland’s state-owned forestry service, and the British investment fund Gresham House.
MacManus criticised the sale of our natural assets by Coillte and the Irish government as a deal that only lines the pockets of corporations with no regard for Ireland’s resources or citizens. The Sinn Féin MEP described the deal as “insult to injury” at a time when Ireland’s government is enabling cuckoo, vulture and investment funds to profit off Irish resources, workers and families.
During his remarks, the Sinn Féin representative also told EU leaders that the Irish government is failing rural Ireland, forestry and biodiversity.
MacManus told parliament:
“The use of our natural assets in a deal with foreign investment funds adds insult to injury. Again another example of an Irish government standing idly by as cuckoo, vulture and investment funds profit off the backs of Irish workers and families.”
“This deal won´t benefit the environment. It won´t help Ireland reach our climate goals. This deal only lines the pockets of corporations with no regards for our resources or citizens.”
“As shareholders on behalf of the Irish people, I am calling on the Irish government to abandon this deal which flies in the face of real and meaningful climate action.”
“If the Irish government fails on this they fail rural Ireland, they fail forestry and will fail biodiversity.”
“The Irish public, farmers and environmentalists alike are united in their indignation.”
“The deal between Coillte and this British investment fund must be halted.” ENDS
Photo: Chris MacManus MEP addressing the European Parliament regarding Coillte/Gresham House Deal
First Minister-Designate Michelle O’Neill has said delivering the A5 is a ‘priority’ and said work to build the road should begin quickly once legal challenges are overcome.
Welcoming a recommitment from the Irish Government to delivering the project, Michelle O’Neill said:
“I wrote recently to An Taoiseach about my concerns about the high casualty rate on the A5 because of delays in getting the road built.
“An Taoiseach shared my concerns and recommitted to the delivery of the A5 road and the need to quickly conclude the ongoing public inquiry. I welcome this continued commitment.
“Delivering the A5 will save lives and transform one of Ireland’s most dangerous roads that has been the scene of heartbreak for too many families.
“This project will cut journey times and also have huge economic benefits, creating jobs and connecting the north west to the rest of the island.
“Legal challenges and public inquiries have held up this project now for too long. These obstructions must stop and building the road must begin without delay.
“Sinn Féin will continue to prioritise the delivery of the A5 road.”
“EU & Irish authorities must stand firm against Norwegian Fishery demands” – Chris MacManus MEP
Sinn Féin MEP for Midlands Northwest, Chris MacManus, today met with Irish fishing representatives and organisations in Brussels. MacManus has urged the Minister for the Marine, Charlie McConalogue and his department officials to not accept any deal that gives the Norwegian government unfettered access to Irish fishing grounds.
The Midlands Northwest MEP said:
“The insistence by the Norwegian government and fishing industry to gain unfettered access to Ireland’s territorial waters is intolerable. It is completely unacceptable and Irish authorities and the EU need to hold firm.”
“Not only does Norway have a track record of overfishing mackerel, but it also has an inflated 25% of the total catch for blue whiting, while Ireland only has 3%.”
MacManus said the culture of repeatedly relinquishing our fishing rights must end. “The historic legacy of Irish authorities and senior department officials giving away Irish fishing stocks for nothing is reprehensible and worthy of further scrutiny. The welfare of Irish coastal communities always seems to be bottom of the government’s priorities list. Even lower than the Commission’s it would too often appear.”
“Minister McConalogue and the European Commission must not cave in to the Norwegians’ demands. Ireland is a Member State, Norway is not, and so the onus is on Brussels and the Member States to stand with and act in solidarity with Ireland in these negotiations.”
“The North-western Waters Advisory Council and Europech must also commit their support to Ireland’s fishing and coastal communities in this regard.”
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Sinn Féin TD for Donegal and party spokesperson for fisheries added: ”Minister McConalogue must stand firm in the current negotiations between the EU and Norway and ensure that the sheer injustice of how Irish fishing communities ended up shouldering 40% of the entire loss of income from fish in the European Union due to Brexit is not repeated again.”
Deputy Mac Lochlainn concluded, “Myself, MEP MacManus and indeed the wider Sinn Féin team will be reminding Minister McConalogue and the European Commission’s Virginijus Sinkevičius that their full support is necessary in defending our native industry.” ENDS
From Left to Right: Aodh O Donnell (CEO of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation), Chris MacManus MEP (Sinn Féin), Patrick Murphy (CEO· Irish South & West Fish Producers Organisation) and Brendan Byrne (CEO, Irish Fish Processors & Exporters Association)
Speaking this morning in the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Workers’ Rights, Senator Paul Gavan, criticised the government’s failure to legislate to ban tactical liquidations by closing off loopholes in company law.
Senator Gavan said:
“It is nearly seven years since the publication of the Duffy-Cahill Report into legal protections for workers where a company engages in a tactical liquidation to avoid its obligations to its employees.
“This report was commissioned following the tactical liquidation of Clerys department store, which made nearly 500 workers immediately redundant and denied them their collective redundancy entitlements.
“Despite a host of recommendations being made by the Duffy-Cahill Report as to how loopholes could be closed and workers protected, successive governments have failed to act and protect workers.
“As a result, nearly a year to the day five years later Debenhams was liquidated in similar circumstances with over a thousand workers losing their jobs and their collective redundancy entitlements.
“Time and time again we have seen tactical liquidations used by companies to make workers immediately redundant and deny them their collective redundancy entitlements, however, time and time again we have seen successive governments do virtually nothing about it.
“The reality is companies can only engage in this behaviour because successive governments have let them do so through their failure to legislate to protect workers.
“Workers and trade unions have been seeking legislative protections for many years, but every time they seek legislative protection, they have been told they must wait.
“Wait for a report – wait for another investigation – wait for the Minister to read the report – wait for implementation.
“The time for workers waiting is over.
“Workers need protection and they need the loopholes in company law, which allow immoral and unethical tactical liquidations, closed off so that they and their entitlements are protected.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Mental Health, Mark Ward TD, has called on the government to fully implement the successful Sinn Féin motion that would reform and resource Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
Speaking after the government did not oppose his motion, Teachta Ward said:
“The government has a tactic of not opposing opposition motions as they simply do not want the political fallout of having to vote against improving Children’s Mental Health Services.
“But by not opposing our motion, the Minister has admitted that the government has failed.
“They failed the 4000 children who are waiting on an initial assessment for CAMHS. When this government came into power, the figure was just over 2000. This represents an 86 percent increase under this government.
“They have failed the over 13,000 children waiting on primary care psychology appointments. This was at 7,700 in 2020 when the Minister was appointed. This is a 71% increase under their watch.
“They have failed the children and young people who are reliant on a postcode lottery of treatment.
“For example, there is a four-week waiting time for appointments with Jigsaw if you live in Wicklow. But if you are a child or young person with a mental health difficulty living in Cork, you will have to wait for 30 weeks before you are seen by Jigsaw.
“They are failing the 741 children who were admitted to hospital for mental health difficulties after presenting A&E.
“They are also failing the GPs that the report outlined have had no choice but to refer children to emergency departments as this was the best option in getting a psychiatric evaluation.
“They are failing the Children who are waiting to be admitted into specialist inpatient care. There are fewer CAMHS inpatient beds available now than when this government came into place.
“Only 51 out of the 72 CAMHS beds are currently operational, with 16 further beds in danger of closing in Cork.
“Sinn Féin’s motion had a raft of solutions that would dramatically improve children and young persons' access to mental health treatment.
“I will be holding the government to account on this - they must not play politics with our children's futures.
“Every child must have the opportunity to reach their full potential.”
Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey has condemned the stabbing of one police officer in south Belfast and an attack on a colleague.
The south Belfast MLA said:
“A police officer was stabbed in the neck and a second officer suffered cuts to his face during an attack in south Belfast in the early hours of this morning.
“This attack could have killed the officer and a man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
"Knives kill and using them as a weapon to attack someone often results in death or life-changing injuries, which has a wide-reaching impact on victims, their families and the wider community.
“These brutal attacks on public servants have a severely damaging impact on our local community and the entire city and must stop immediately.
“I appeal to the public that if anyone has any information on this attack to report it immediately to the police.”
Sinn Féin MLA Aisling Reilly has said Dáithí’s Law should be implemented quickly to help save lives and transform the lives of people waiting on new organs.
The West Belfast MLA said:
“The positive Donate4Dáithí campaign has touched the lives of many, but importantly, it has helped to modernise our organ donation laws.
“Dáithí’s Law will save lives and transform the future for people who are desperately waiting on a new organ.
“It’s unacceptable that this law has not been fully implemented and is now being held up by one party’s refusal to form an Executive.
“I am disappointed that the British Secretary of State has not committed to legislating to make this law fully operational so that people waiting on a transplant can benefit from it.
“Sinn Féin will not give up on forming an Executive that will immediately work together to implement Dáithí’s life-saving law and get it over the line.”
Sinn Féin MLA Caoimhe Archibald has said clarity is needed on the expected opening date of the long-awaited A6 upgrade and Dungiven bypass.
The East Derry MLA was responding to comments by a senior Department for Infrastructure official that it 'could open' at the 'end of April'.
Caoimhe Archibald said:
“Commuters in Dungiven and the north west are becoming increasingly frustrated at delays in the completion of the A6 and Dungiven bypass.
“Long delays have become the norm in and around Dungiven while a brand new road remains unopened.
"I will meet with the Department of Infrastructure on Friday for clarity on the expected opening date and what that is required for that to happen.
“I will also emphasise the need for better communication with the community and road users.
“Sinn Féin will continue working to ensure this essential link for the wider North West area will be completed as quickly as possible.”
“Teagasc’s new Climate Action Strategy Plan welcome, but state must reassure family farmers” – Chris MacManus MEP
Sinn Féín MEP for Midlands Northwest, Chris MacManus, met with a Teagasc delegation to Brussels this week to discuss the Climate Action Strategy for 2022-2030. MacManus welcomed the new strategy, but voiced caution and concern that no farmer should be left behind.
The Midlands Northwest MEP said: “We need to build a biodiversity restoration model that rewards farmers for their work and that is in harmony with their primary job of producing nutritious food for us all.”
“We need to provide farmers with better connectivity and resources to enable more precise and efficient farming, relieving pressure on soils. Access to technology will be the game changer when it comes to lowering on-farm emissions.”
“I welcome Teagasc’s comments that in the context of the nature restoration law, partial rewetting instead of full rewetting, will be considered. The balance between restoration and production is a delicate one and we must always remember that this is family farmers’ livelihoods we are talking about.”
“Climate change is real, biodiversity loss is real. Family farmers are certainly vulnerable to both but ill-thought out measures are just as damaging.”
MacManus concluded, “I was also pleased to hear that there are no plans to individualize the 25% national emissions reductions target to farmers. This should at least allow a number of farmers to breath a temporary sigh of relief.” ENDS
Chris MacManus MEP (centre) with Prof. Frank O'Mara, Director of Teagasc (left) and Liam Herlihy, chairman of Teagasc (right) 
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Children, Kathleen Funchion TD, has called on the Minister to ensure that no survivor is left out of its redress scheme.
As it stands, 40 percent of survivors will be left behind by the government’s Mother and Baby Homes Institutions Payment Scheme.
The scheme, which is due to be debated in the Dáil this evening, will, if passed, exclude survivors who were born in a Mother and Baby home and were resident less than six months.
Teachta Funchion said:
“I will not be supporting this bill tonight. I stand with all survivors and condemn the Government for this cruel blow. Survivors bravely came forward and told their stories because they wanted to see justice.
“However, many have been left feeling deeply frustrated and let down by the appalling way in which the redress scheme has been designed.
“I have been calling on the Minister since the publication of the Mother and Baby Homes report, back in January 2021, to ensure any redress scheme met the needs of all survivors irrespective of time spent in an institution.
"It's time to respect Mother and Baby Homes survivors and their families.
“The scheme is an insult to survivors and totally fails to take into account their needs. This simply is not good enough. This government has failed survivors time and time again. This has to stop.
“I know first-hand that survivors will be bitterly disappointed if this bill passes today. The government must change the redress scheme to be fairer to them.
“Sinn Fein has been outspoken in its calls for immediate and substantive recourse from religious orders and pharmaceutical companies to contribute to the redress scheme. This has not happened.
“I am calling on all TDs in the Dáil to vote against this final insult to survivors. This is the very least that survivors deserve from their public representatives.
“The government has treated them with complete contempt time and time again and it is long overdue that they be respected and that their needs are met.
“It is vital that the government stops and considers the impact this deeply flawed redress scheme will have. It should not be just a box ticking exercise for many elderly and vulnerable survivors, it should be the State showing them that they care and that they have been listened to.
“I am appealing to the Minister to do the right thing here and amend this bill so it meets the needs of all survivors. It is time to respect survivors and their families.”
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Social Protection, Claire Kerrane TD, has welcomed the Minister's confirmation that, in practice, her Department is no longer requiring lone parents applying for supports, such as the One Parent Family Payment, to show that they have made efforts to seek maintenance from the other parent.
The Minister confirmed this when questioned by Teachta Kerrane at Committee this morning.
Deputy Kerrane added, however, that there now needs to be necessary legislation to remove the use of child maintenance as means, and called for the implementation of all Child Maintenance Review Group recommendations without any further delay.
Teachta Kerrane said:
"I have repeatedly made the case for reform when it comes to child maintenance and its treatment when it comes to social welfare supports in particular.
"I welcomed the recommendations made by the Child Maintenance Review Group specifically, the removal of child maintenance from the means test for social welfare supports, and an end to lone parents being obliged to show that they have sought maintenance from the other parent as a condition to access and retain social welfare supports.
"It should never have been the case that child maintenance was treated as household means when it is income towards rearing children. Lone parents should never have been put in the position of having to seek maintenance from a former partner as a condition to access social welfare supports.
“This was very wrong and the Review Group reinforced this in their report.
"I welcome that the Department of Social Protection is being proactive in not insisting on lone parents having to prove efforts to seek maintenance, however, urgency is needed to implement the remaining Review Group recommendations.
"We also need to see the necessary legislation to remove the use of child maintenance as means urgently. Disappointingly, the Minister could not provide a timeline for this legislation when I asked her about it at Committee this morning.
"We need to see this legislation and the implementation of all recommendations without any further delay. Lone parents have already suffered under these policy decisions for far too long when it comes to accessing critical financial supports.
“The Minister also needs to examine the establishment of a Child Maintenance Service as we have long called for and published policy on on three occasions."
Sinn Féin MLA Declan Kearney has said the priority for the British Government and the EU must be to continue negotiations toward a ‘pragmatic and durable’ solution on the Protocol.
The South Antrim MLA said:
“Three years on, it is clear that the Tory/DUP Brexit has been a disaster for the economy, public services and the rights of workers.
“The Tories have stripped away vital human rights legislation and they have wrecked the British economy. Even the IMF has highlighted the economic damage that Brexit will continue to have.
“As a result of the unique opportunities and protections afforded by the Protocol, Britain’s economy is now being outperformed by the north.
“The Protocol is helping to protect our all-island economy from the damaging impact of Brexit, creating jobs and helping our businesses to grow. It needs to be built upon to ensure that our businesses, farms and families are protected.
“Recent progress on the Protocol is welcome and this must continue to inject fresh momentum into talks between the EU and British government to reach solutions.
“This is a time for mature and civil politics. The British Government needs to engage in good faith with the EU to deliver a successful agreement.
“The priority now must be on working together to deliver durable and pragmatic solutions that give certainty to our businesses.”
First Minister-Designate Michelle O’Neill has reiterated calls for the full implementation of the ‘life-saving’ Dáithí’s Law to transform the organ donation system.
Speaking after meeting with Dáithí Mac Gabhann and his family in Belfast today, Michelle O’Neill said:
“Little Dáithí Mac Gabhann and his family helped deliver major change in our organ donation laws and offered hope to many people who are waiting for a transplant.
“Dáithí’s Law will save lives, and it will transform lives. It must be implemented.
“It is not acceptable that one party’s refusal to form an Executive is holding up this law.
“I met with Dáithí and his family today and reaffirmed my full support for this life-saving and life-changing law and pledged to do all I can to overcome this hurdle and make Dáithí’s Law a reality.
“All parties have urged the British Secretary of State to legislate to make this law fully operational so that people waiting on a transplant can benefit from it. In the absence of an Executive, he should do this.
“I am ready to form an Executive now, to work with all parties to immediately deal with the real-life challenges facing people, including those desperately waiting for a new organ.”
"Record Western Rail Corridor passenger numbers highlight potential of rail in the West" - Chris MacManus MEP
Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy has criticised failed Tory policies that are sending the economy into recession.
The Newry and Armagh MLA said:
"The Tories must reverse their disastrous economic policies that are sending us into recession and putting jobs and business at risk.
“The latest forecasts by the International Monetary Fund prove that the hangover from Liz Truss' disastrous economic policies will leave Britain as an outlier and will mean that it is the only G7 economy which will see its economy shrink this year.
“This recession has been self-inflicted and stems from decisions to champion Brexit, cut public services and hike interest rates, while also topping up bankers' bonuses and failing to tax the extortionate profits of energy companies.
"Workers and families should not be paying the price for Tory government failures and we must look to other countries which are supporting people through inflation and the income crisis."
