Cregan issues road packages

Limerick West Fianna Fáil TD John Cregan has announced that local roads are on the way for eight local rural areas with the Government pledging more than €170,000 to start work on improving them.

Deputy Cregan said the allocation will make an enormous difference to the areas where work is badly needed on local roads and laneways.

“There must be more than one landholder on an Local Improvement Scheme road and the road must be open to the public. This year, for every €2 spent by local authorities on these roads in Clár areas, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs will provide an extra €1 from Clár funding for the works up to a maximum of €500,000,” he said.

He added that “the funding is vital to small rural communities”.

“In some cases, they’ll have been waiting years for local works to begin. The money is targeted at these roads under the Government’s Clár programme—specifically designed to improve rural life.”

The following townlands in Limerick will benefit from the funding: Lower Athea (€8,322); Ballaugh (€18,254); Direen (€21,039); Ballinagoul (€31,965); Turraree (€39,343); Boola (€13,503); and Gortnagloss (€1,402).

Labour call for Harney sacking

Labour health spokeswoman and Limerick East TD Jan O’Sullivan said that her party’s tabling of a motion of no confidence in the Minister for Health, Mary Harney this week “is a very serious development that is only merited in the most serious of situations”.

Speaking after the announcement that the no confidence motion would be introduced, Deputy O’Sullivan added that “while nobody questions Minister Harney's personal integrity, the patience of the public has now expired at the continued failures in the health service on her watch”.