2% Vat increase likely to cost Dublin Local Authorities estimated €8 million in 2012

The Government’s decision to increase the standard rate of Vat by 2% in last December’s budget will cost Fingal County Council circa €2 million in 2012, according to Dublin West Fianna Fáil Councillor David McGuinness. The figures were broken down from a Dáil reply to Deputy Michael McGrath.

McGuinness estimates that the cumulative impact of the Vat increase across the Dublin local authorities of Fingal, Dublin City, South Dublin and Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Councils could exceed €8m in 2012.

“This hidden cut will inevitably affect the level of service being delivered to the general public in Dublin. The estimated €8m cost to the councils arising from the Vat increase is additional to the cuts in the local government fund of a further 10% announced in the budget and passed during council-2012 budget meetings. This will mean less money will be available for essential community services.

Based on the Dublin regional Councils’ relative sizes, the overall additional cost to local authorities around the country would exceed €20m.

McGuinness believes “that frontloading the Vat increase entirely into 2012 was a mistake. It will have a detrimental impact on businesses in the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre and other Dublin 15 businesses: the same businesses that local authorities are relying on to supplement the government’s drastic cuts to the local government fund. The impact of the Vat increase in 2012 will have a far greater impact than has been acknowledged by Government to date.”

Census figures show Dublin West population has increased significantly

The proposal by Fine Gael to the Constituency Commission to cut Dublin West from a 4 to a 3 seat constituency makes no sense and local Minister Leo Varadkar must immediately clarify whether he was consulted on this proposal, according to Cllr David McGuinness.

Cllr McGuinness said “It simply defies logic that our growing community would now see its political representation cut. It also defies logic, that Fine Gael themselves set out in their submission to the Constituency Commission, that Minister Varadkar’s Party answer to political representation for a growing population is to cut it.

The fact of the matter is that our community here in Dublin West has expanded significantly over the last decade. The figures contained in the Census 2011 Preliminary Results clearly show that Fingal has grown by 13.8% since 2006. Alone here in Dublin West we have two of the top 10 fastest growing Electoral Divisions nationally – Blanchardstwon/Blakestown and The Ward. In this context, the proposal by Fine Gael simply does not make sense.

I would now call on Minister Varadkar to clarify whether he was aware of this Fine Gael proposal to cut the number of local TDs. Following this clarification, I would ask Minister Varadkar to insist that his Party write to the Chairman of the Constituency Commission to withdraw this proposal.

ENDS. READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

Census figures show Dublin West population has increased significantly

The proposal by Fine Gael to the Constituency Commission to cut Dublin West from a 4 to a 3 seat constituency makes no sense and local Minister Leo Varadkar must immediately clarify whether he was consulted on this proposal, according to Cllr David McGuinness.

Cllr McGuinness said “It simply defies logic that our growing community would now see its political representation cut. It also defies logic, that Fine Gael themselves set out in their submission to the Constituency Commission, that Minister Varadkar’s Party answer to political representation for a growing population is to cut it.

The fact of the matter is that our community here in Dublin West has expanded significantly over the last decade. The figures contained in the Census 2011 Preliminary Results clearly show that Fingal has grown by 13.8% since 2006. Alone here in Dublin West we have two of the top 10 fastest growing Electoral Divisions nationally – Blanchardstwon/Blakestown and The Ward. In this context, the proposal by Fine Gael simply does not make sense.

I would now call on Minister Varadkar to clarify whether he was aware of this Fine Gael proposal to cut the number of local TDs. Following this clarification, I would ask Minister Varadkar to insist that his Party write to the Chairman of the Constituency Commission to withdraw this proposal.

ENDS. READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

Potential Government U-turn on Cuts to Disadvantaged schools welcome but highlights deeper crisis of Government miscalculation and ignorance.

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the impact on schools in County Dublin on a school by school basis of the decision to withdraw supports from earlier disadvantage programmes and schemes that pre date DEIS in tabular form..-Brendan Smith.

Freagra

Minister Ruairí Quinn

I propose to take questions 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201,
202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213 and 214 together.

It is important to note that a key aspect of the EU/IMF Programme of Support
and Ireland’s overall budgetary strategy is a requirement to reduce the public sector payroll. In the Education sector finding savings and controlling the increase in public sector numbers is particularly difficult given that one third of all public sector employees work in the education sector.

A significant challenge in our school sector, unlike other countries, is the rapidly rising school going population. Places have to be provided for the extra 70,000 pupils arriving in our schools in the next six years. Teachers have to be appointed to teach them. Providing for increased enrolments is a key priority but making some adjustment to teacher numbers is unavoidable given the budgetary constraints. The net impact on overall teacher numbers in our schools has been minimised to the greatest extent possible.

Achieving savings in my Department’s budget has required very difficult decisions to be made. Despite the pressures on spending, the Government has shielded, to the greatest extent possible, frontline services in schools.

Conscious of the concerns of some schools that will be adversely affected by the withdrawal of certain posts under previous disadvantage schemes, I have met with school principals, teachers, parents and communities in recent weeks, to hear their concerns and clarify the position in relation to changes announced under Budget 2012 to posts allocated to schools under previous schemes to tackle educational disadvantage.

Consequently, I have asked my Department for a report within the coming weeks on the position of DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 schools who currently have posts under older schemes, in the context of the staffing allocations due to issue to all schools in the coming weeks.

My Department is currently working on the staffing allocation for all schools and is not in a postition at the present time to give details of staffing measures for individual schools.

Schools will be notified in the coming weeks of their staffing entitlements under the new arrangements for 2012/13.