Newsletter March 2022
A message from An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar
Welcome to our monthly political newsletter. Each month you will hear from me, our Ministers, the Parliamentary Party, and Councillors on our work.
Hello,
I want to take this opportunity to update you on Ireland’s response to the invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s war in Ukraine is shocking and immoral. It is a war of control and conquest the likes of which we have not seen in Europe since the 1930s or 1940s. Ukranians are fighting to defend their independence, democracy and freedoms. We are on their side. More than 3million people have fled Ukraine since the conflict began.
As you are aware the EU has imposed sanctions on Russia. Four packages of sanctions so far with a possible 5th package coming within the next week. Ireland has committed to €20m in humanitarian funding and we are welcoming refugees into our country. Over 11,000 have already arrived. Approximately two-thirds are female, and one third are male. Most have family or friends here already but many have had to ask for emergency accommodation. A ‘one stop shop’ has been set up at Dublin Airport to provide assistance. I visited the hub in Dublin Airport last Saturday to see it first-hand. There are also centres set up or being set up in Cork and Limerick. People all over the country have shown huge generosity in welcoming refugees into their communities.
The economic effects are being felt worldwide due to the Russian invasion and we are feeling the effect on our economy. Energy costs had already started to rise even before the war and the Government has provided a discount from all household electricity bill to the value of €200 (inclusive of VAT). This will be implemented very soon. There is no need to apply for this as it will be automatically taken off your bill. An additional payment of €125 is also being made to the poorest households, those in receipt of the fuel allowance. That’s on top of the Fuel Allowence increase in the Budget.
We announced a temporary reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel, this came into place on 10th March and will remain until the 31st August. Excise duty is reduced by 20 cent per litre on petrol and 15 cent per litre of diesel. These temporary reductions are expected to reduce the cost of a fill of a 60-litre tank by €12 for petrol, and €9 for diesel. This will assist all transport users, rural and urban, including commuters, businesses and farmers. The cost of all these actions to the taxpayer will be over €1 billion. The price of oil, gas, petrol, diesel and electricity is not controlled by Government. We import almost all of the energy we use and the price is set on international commodity markets depending on expectations for supply and demand. But we can ease the pain and that’s why we have taken these actions. €18m was also approved for a temporary grant scheme for the licensed road haulage sector.
On Tuesday the Cabinet signed off on a targeted scheme for the tillage sector. Over €12m to produce more native crops, more protein crops and multi species swards. On Monday evening Fine Gael hosted an online Webinar on our response to the invasion. If you were not able to log on I would encourage you to have a look back at it.
Join us for United with #Ukraine — an online event on Ireland’s response. 🇮🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 https://t.co/kguRyPMXgG
— Fine Gael (@FineGael) March 21, 2022
I’ll keep you updated as the situation develops.
Leo
Minister Martin Heydon
Minister Martin Heydon pays tribute to the dedication and professionalism of our Defence Forces in Lebanon.
It was a great honour for me to visit our troops of the 119th Infantry Battalion serving on the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in South Lebanon to mark St. Patrick’s Day.
The central message this year was that Ireland, in the wake of the pandemic, is reconnecting with our communities. Our Defence Forces’ personnel serving overseas are an integral part of the Irish community, representing the very best that Ireland has to offer.
I had the opportunity to stay in Camp Shamrock and to express the deep appreciation of the Irish Government and nation for the invaluable work of our peacekeepers. With 344 Irish personnel serving as part of the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon, our Defence Forces are a central part of this work.
An honour to visit @defenceforces 119th Infantry battalion serving in Lebanon this week to mark #StPatricksDay Staying in camp, participating in the medal parade, I also visited our personnel on outpost NP652 observing the contentious blue line with Israel #peacekeeping 1/2 pic.twitter.com/so7dXpP5px
— Martin Heydon (@martinheydonfg) March 19, 2022
They are keeping alive a proud tradition of Irish peacekeepers that stretches back unbroken to 1958, the longest continuous UN service of any nation. It was a sobering experience to lay a wreath at the Irish memorial in Tibnin, which honours the 47 Irish personnel who died while serving with UNIFIL.
It was very evident in my meeting with UN Force Commander Major General Sáenz, the regard in which our troops are held. At a time like this, with war in Europe, it is a poignant time to be engaged in the pursuit of peace.
The daily professionalism, dedication and bravery of members of Óglaigh na hÉireann as part of UNIFIL ensures that those who live in South Lebanon – a place that has seen its share of conflict – can do so in relative peace.
On my way to Lebanon, I visited Cyprus where 12 members of An Garda Síochána form part of another UN peacekeeping mission, UNPOL. They play an important role in liaising with local police and monitoring a UN buffer zone established in 1964 following a civil war in the region.
In my meeting with Cypriot Minister for Foreign Affairs Ioannis Kasoulides, I conveyed our appreciation for Cyprus’s unflinching support for Ireland’s position on Brexit, proving the importance of strong bilateral relations with the EU’s smaller nations.
Senator Emer Currie, Seanad Spokesperson on Employment Affairs, Work/Life Balance & Northern Ireland
Fine Gael wants remote working to be a permanent and much bigger part of life after the pandemic. We see the benefits for local communities, companies, employees and families. It isn’t for everyone, but it provides more choice in how and where we work.
As a Government, we are already investing in community infrastructure such as the provision of national broadband and co-working spaces. A new Connected Hubs App recently launched enabling remote workers and digital hub users to book their workspaces in over 200 places across the country.
Our ambition is to grow this to 400 locations. In the past two years, hubs have been developed in vacant buildings that previously housed Garda stations, train stations and banks.
The Tánaiste recently published the General Scheme of a new law on the right to request remote working, where employers would be required to provide reasonable grounds for refusing to facilitate the requests of employees. It is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny by his Department’s Joint Oireachtas Committee and will return to the Tánaiste for his consideration.
This follows a code of practice for the right to disconnect which was launched last year as well as enhanced tax relief for remote working.
All of these initiatives are part of new national strategies including Our Rural Future and the National Remote Work Strategy which includes a commitment entitling 20 percent of public sector workers to work remotely or from home.
We have the opportunity to change the way we work for good, to democratise the workplace and breathe new life into local communities. We must grasp it.
Fine Gael is determined to create a better balance and more opportunities at work and in our communities. We are also prioritising balanced regional development, and encouraging remote working is an important part of the effort to revitalise towns and villages, by making them more attractive and sustainable places in which to live and work.
As well as benefiting workers, the drive to encourage remote working supports Fine Gael’s ambition to build stronger safer communities right around the country.
Seán Kelly, Fine Gael Ireland South MEP
In response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable military invasion, the EU has taken a number of significant steps to address the crisis unfolding in Ukraine, right on the borders of the EU. Your five Fine Gael MEPs stand strongly with Ukraine, and welcome EU actions and sanctions taken against Russia.
The EU has adopted a number of increasingly severe sanctions to isolate Russia, including a ban on transactions with the Russian Central Bank and a SWIFT ban for seven Russian banks, as well as economic sanctions on a number of Russian businesspeople. Russian state-owned media outlets are also banned from broadcasting in the EU, and Russian carriers are not permitted to use EU airspace and airports.
The EU has put in place a €450 million support package to finance equipment and supplies for the Ukrainian armed forces, plus a €50 million package for the provision of non-lethal equipment. Ireland’s €10 million contribution will go towards non-lethal aspects of the package.
The EU Justice and Home Affairs Council unanimously agreed to activate the Temporary Protection Directive in response to the growing number of refugees fleeing Ukraine, now estimated to be more than three million. This allows Member States to offer temporary protection to those displaced.
The European Parliament recently adopted a motion condemning Russia’s aggression and expressing strong support for the people of Ukraine. Of particular significance is the motion’s support of the granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine. Seán Kelly, Frances Fitzgerald, Deirdre Clune, Maria Walsh and Colm Markey showed their full support of Ukraine in this vote.
Bernard Durkan TD
1. People you most admire:
Abraham Lincoln and Michael Collins
2. Favourite holiday destination:
Not Portlaoise Prison! – which is where I previously spent eight weeks as a result of protesting on behalf of the
then NFA (National Farmer’s Association). This was to protect the right of farmers at the time to be a party to
top-level talks with Government, similar to the representation of Unions and/or other representative organisations
When taking a rare few days off, I also like to travel the Wild Atlantic Way
3. Greatest personal achievement:
Ability to stay focused and dedicated to service on behalf of the public for 41 years. Also, making changes in pension regulations to enable those with less than an average of 22 contributions per annum to qualify for the State Pension when I was Minister of State in the Department of Social Welfare, as it was then known.
4. Favourite novel:
A Stone for Danny Fisher by Harold Robbins.
5. Favourite musical artist/group:
Phil Coulter.
6. Professional goal for 2022:
To make a difference for the people in general. This has always been my goal as a Public Representative.
7. Best advice you ever received:
The best advice I ever received was from the late Oliver J. Flanagan who advised “never let anyone interfere with your right to put down questions on any subject”. This was brought into stark focus when, after the formation of the HSE, no questions were allowed, and I found myself expelled from Leinster House almost on a weekly basis between 2004 and 2006, and again in 2010.
8. Desert island product must have:
My motorbike!
9. Favourite part of your job:
The ability to help people through difficult situations.
10. Three people on your ultimate dinner party guest list:
- Pat Rabbitte
- Barack Obama
- Michelle Obama