A new visitor attraction at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin and the development of a new whiskey museum on College Green are getting a funding boost today from Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar.

Fine Gael Meath West TD and Chairman of the Oireachtas Jobs Committee, Damien English, has today (Tuesday) said that small businesses need to be made more aware of the various Government supports open to them. Deputy English was responding to the latest SME Credit Demand Survey, published by the Department of Finance.

Fine Gael Donegal TD, Joe McHugh, has today (Thursday) welcomed the news that Ireland is to receive €148 million from the EU under the Common Fisheries Policy over the next six years. This represents a significant increase in the amount of EU funding available to assist Ireland’s seafood industry in implementing the new reformed Common Fisheries Policy.

Fine Gael Cork South West TD, Noel Harrington, has today (Thursday) welcomed the news that Ireland is to receive €148million from the EU under the Common Fisheries Policy over the next six years. This represents a significant increase in the amount of EU funding available to assist Ireland’s seafood industry in implementing the new reformed Common Fisheries Policy.

Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has welcomed strong growth in the number of overseas visitors and those coming to Ireland for holiday purposes in the first three months of the year, as revealed in the today’s CSO figures.

Fine Gael TDs and members of the Oireachtas Health Committee, Jerry Buttimer and Regina Doherty, have urged the HSE to take action to ensure Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients can continue to receive a new drug which is significantly improving their condition. The TDs were speaking after they met with MS sufferers using the drug.

Fine Gael Senator for Dublin South-West, Cáit Keane, has today (Thursday) called on the Food Safety Authority, to introduce mandatory folic acid food fortification and to have a renewed public health campaign to promote the importance of taking folic acid pre pregnancy. The Senator made her calls in response to the findings of a new study carried out by the UCD centre for human reproduction and the HSE Eurocat Registers, which reveals that there has been a rise of 10% in neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly in babies since 2009.

Fine Gael TD for Kildare South Martin Heydon, has today (Thursday) raised questions in the Dáil about the Service Area Policy of the National Roads Authority (NRA), questioning why it is taking a state led approach to the provision of online service areas, which are the service stations directly accessible from motorways.

Seanad Chief Whip and Fine Gael Senator for Kerry, Paul Coghlan, today (Thursday) welcomed the news that Kilcummin Sewerage Scheme has been included as a priority project in Irish Water’s Proposed Capital Investment Plan 2014-2016.

Following months of intense lobbying and negotiation, Minister Coveney today secured €148 million from this fund for the period 2014 to 2020 for the development of the Irish seafood industry.