Month: March 2013

DISABLED groups in Clare looks set to come out fighting against government plans to remove the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant.

The cut, which is set to come into place in four months, looks likely to bring disable people out in the street protesting in ways that have not before been seen.

According to Ennis man Dermot Hayes, now that disabled people have had a taste of independence, they are not willing to give it up.

“The money involved in this is very small. It is a direct payment to the individuals that aids that person to get out and about and live an independent life. We have been working to tear down the walls of disabilities institutions for decades and it has been a long time coming. Now that we have received a level of independence we are not prepared to give that away,” he said.

“It can be very disillusioning [being trapped at home]. You start to wonder ‘is this what life is all about’. Having a small grant which ensures that you can get out every once and awhile is huge for a disabled person. It is the whole world.”

According to East Clare man and the former National Vice President of the Centre for Independent Living, Tom King, disabled people are ready for this fight.

“There is an appetite on the ground to fight this. People with disabilities are feeling the recession as much as everyone else. We don’t have the money in our pockets to cover this and we are ready to fight for this,” he said.

“They [the HSE] are talking about putting some of the money into organised transport. That is going to make an institution of transport, and we will be back to a situation where everyone who has a disability is on one bus together travelling together at time that doesn’t suit. It takes away the possibility of employment and a social life but the main thing that it takes way is independence. This is going to leave disable people isolated, in their homes, alone.”

The Disabled People of Clare (DPOC) organisation has asked for the Department of Health to shelve plans to cut the scheme until a better solution can be worked out.

“Any confidence that individuals and the families of those with a disability had in the department of health, nationally, is being undermined as a direct result of a number of recent issues,” said Margaret Kinnane of DPOC.

“We ask that the Government leave in place the current Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grants, until they have entered into talks with disability organisations, representing the individual with a disability, such as the DPOC,” she said.

A VISUALLY-IMPAIRED Ennisman is terrified that he will effectively be a prisoner in his own home in four months time, as he faces the loss of his Mobility Allowance.

Thomas Connole believes that the loss of this monthly grant that allows him limited independence and dignity is very likely, as the Government has failed to guarantee an alternative fund.

The 45-year-old depends on the funding system to provide for taxi trips so that he can attend social outings and be free to leave and return from his own home at will.

There is not sufficient public transport to meet with Mr Connole’s needs, and as he is blind, driving is not an option. This grant provides for his only form of transport, and now he fears it will be taken from him, and more people in the county who are highly dependent on it.

“If this goes it means I cannot get out,” he said.

Mr Connole is supported by a personal assistance for a few hours every day, but as he pointed out they are not always available.

He then uses his mobility allowance to attend his horse ridding classes or to socialise.

“I am a huge music fan and there are a lot of dances at a local hotel and I like to go there,” he said.

“This allowance will go, and I am worried I am going to be housebound. I will effectively be trapped in my own home. I also fear I will have to stop horse ridding if it is taken away.”

The music enthusiast is most fearful of the isolation of being restricted to his own home, an isolation that could impact on the mental well being of many people reliant on the payment for their independence.

“That is what the Government don’t think of. They think of the overall picture and not of how it impacts on those involved. There are talks that they are going to give the money to organisations and that won’t work for the individual. No one person has the same needs, or have the same appointments,” he said anxiously.

The Mobility Allowance was a means-tested monthly payment payable by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to people aged between 16 and 66 years who have a disability and are unable to walk or use pub- lic transport and who would benefit from a change in surroundings.

The Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly repeatedly warned the Government that by putting an age limit on the scheme it was in contravention of equality legislation.

Last week the Department of Health axed this payment and the Motorised Transport Grant stating the two schemes would be a burden on the exchequer if they were to operate in accordance with Equal Status Acts. The Government has failed to guarantee that an alternate fund- ing stream will be in place for people with disability next July, when payments of existing mobility support ceases.

The Department of Health has set up a review of the schemes, with the review group instructed that any solution to the mobility needs of those affected must be devised within a funding limit of € 10.6m.

The Minister for Health James Reilly maintains that extending the schemes along with Ms O’Reilly’s recommendations would cost approximately € 170m per annum.

Dermot Hayes, Disable People of Clare, criticised the Government as they had been aware of the Ombudsman’s concerns about this payment for a long time, but failed to act or put an alternative in place before axing the current payments.

“This is a huge cop out. They can sort the banks with an overnight sitting of the Dáil. I cannot understand why they cannot change this quickly,” he said.

AS MANY as 1,000 jobs could be created in the North Clare/South Galway areas in the coming years, following news that Government funding has been secured to extend the M18 from Gort to Galway City.

A total of € 20 million has been secured for the project, with the National Roads Authority (NRA) now set to re-enter negotiations with the preferred private sector bidders.

There will be no tolls on the new motorway, with the Government instead paying the operators a set amount each year.

The entire project is expected to cost in the region of € 400 million over a period of approximately 30 years.

Besides creating construction jobs in the area, this news has also been welcomed by the Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) who believe that a finished M18 could have major repercussions for the airport.

The Director of Shannon Airport, Mary Considine, said that the confir- mation that Government funding is now committed to the project means that negotiations with a view to commencing the works can get underway with the private investors who successfully tendered for the project initially.

“The confirmation that the Government seed funding is now available is hugely welcome and our hope is, of course, that the private investor commitment will follow and pave the way for this project to commence without delay,” she said.

“Shannon is the only airport on the entire western seaboard with transatlantic services and connectivity into one of the five major European hubs. This is a unique strength on top of the services we have elsewhere into UK and Europe.

“The extension of the motorway would make the airport and these services far more accessible to passengers into the wider west of Ireland region, offering passengers much greater choice to this catchment and amounting to a significant opportunity for Shannon to grow its passenger numbers in the process.”

CLARE people commuting by train to and from Galway will be able to purchase tickets online before the end of April.

The lack of an online booking option has been identified as one of the main reasons why the numbers using the service have not met expectations since the Ennis to Athenry section of the Western Rail Corridor was reopened in 2009.

There was more good news for the service as new figures reveal that passenger numbers on the route jumped by almost 5 per cent in 2011. The total number using the rail service between Galway and Limerick rose from 224,166 to 235,555 in 2012.

Figures provided by Irish Rail for the Ennis to Athenry section of the track showed that just 34,235 used the midsection service in 2012.

This figure is a slight reduction on 2011 with the growth in passenger numbers being largely driven by passengers travelling from Ennis to Limerick and from Athenry to Galway.

A spokesperson for Irish Rail acknowledged that the majority of the growth in 2012 was generated in commuter journeys between Ennis and Limerick and Athenry and Galway, but insisted that the midsection of the track will be strengthened by the advent of online booking.

“We have been working ourselves and with stakeholders to grow demand on the route, and undertook a number of initiatives in the final third of last year which have yielded improvements, including free car parking at Gort and Ardrahan and targeted promotion of student commuter tickets and adult taxsaver tickets. We will ensure that there is continued targeted promotion of the service as part of our commercial plan,” said an Irish Rail spokesperson.

“We have committed to extending the online system to this route as soon as possible. Currently, our online system supports bookings only where the train has an electronic reservation system on board.

“We are currently working to modify this to support all trains on all routes, and we expect this to be completed in the next two months,” they added.”

MORE than 2,000 anglers and environmentalists took to the street on Sunday to protest against a proposed organic fish farm to be situated off the Fanore coast. The farm, which will be the largest fish farm in Ireland if the Department of Agriculture decided to grant it a license, is being proposed by government agency Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

A number of groups, including government agency Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) are against the proposed farm – claiming that it will result in pollution and an infestation of sea lice.

A lone piper led anglers and environmentalists from Clare, Galway, Mayo, Dublin and Donegal through the streets of Galway yesterday in the largest gathering against a fish farm ever to take place in Ireland.

BIM claim that the fish farm would be a major employment boost in the North Clare area and could create as many as 500 local jobs. These claims have been contested by organisations such as IFI, who say that the likely number of jobs created will be closer to 40.

In a meeting last Friday, BIM chair man Kieran Calnan, reiterated the organisation’s claims about the fish farm. “The benefits that would come from such a development, including 500 jobs and an increase in seafood exports by € 100 million per annum are very significant,” he said.

“As a responsible State agency in existence for more than 50 years, we have planned this project while adhering to the strictest environmental standards and we are certain that there will be no negative impacts on the marine environment, or the inter- ests of other stake holders.

“We believe that the environmental investigations, which we have carried out supported by scientific input from the Marine Institute, clearly show that a large scale organic certified salmon farm could be developed in Galway Bay.”

BIM also claim that they have a list of international companies which have already expressed an interest in operating the fish farm if it is given the green light.

“We are hugely encouraged by the level of support for this project that we are receiving from the seafood and associated industries on the west and north west coasts,” continued Mr Calnan. “These rural regions have few economic alternatives and it is essential that a project like this sustainable deep sea project proceeds if we are to stem the flow of emigration from our coastal communities.”

CLARE Youth Service’s Shannon film project hit the big screen last week with their double entry in the Fresh Film Festival at the Lime Tree theatre in Limerick. Their short film entitled ‘Dairy Milk’, a remake of the peculiar Cadbury’s Dairy Milk advert where two school children show off their amazing eyebrow gymnastics, impressed “Fresh” judges and was put through to the finals which will be held on March 20 in the Odeon Theatre Limerick. Resident filmmaker to the project Emma Sams remarked, “All the young people involved with the project are delighted with the result. Fresh Film Festival is one of the larger film festivals for young film makers in the region so it’s a great feeling to see your film go through to the final stages.” The remake was originally made as an advert to go with the main film, which was also entered into the festival called ‘Drug Love Dealers’. The film followed a young couple through the possible pressures of teenage life and the choices they make in dealing with them. Project participant Nicole McKee said, “While we are a little disappointed that our main film did not get through, we are delighted that the ad did. It took a long time to make and it was very tricky to get some of the camera angles right so we learned quite a bit about film making just from doing it. The group are delighted to be returning to Limerick for the second round in March and also hope to start on their next project soon. Anyone 14 to 17 years of age interested in getting involved with the film project in Shannon can contact the youth worker in Shannon, Thomas O’Hara, on 085 8019666 or email tohara@clareyouthservice.org.