Hildegarde Naughton, TD

Fine Gael Senator for Louth, Jim D’Arcy has welcomed the sale of Irish beef to the USA for the first time since the BSE crisis of the 1990s. Ireland will become the first European country to sell Irish beef to the USA since the late 1990s.

Fine Gael TD for Kildare North, Anthony Lawlor, has suggested changes to JobsPlus Youth, to make the scheme work better for apprentices and to assist and incentivise small businesses to hire them.

Fine Gael Kildare South TD and Chairman of Fine Gael’s Internal Agriculture Committee Martin Heydon, has today (Tuesday) called on the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications to bring Bus Éireann and the National Transport Authority (NTA) before them to discuss the changes to Expressway routes announced yesterday.

Fine Gael Longford-Westmeath TD, Gabrielle McFadden, has said that the visit of Minister of State for the OPW, Simon Harris TD, to Athlone Garda Station last Thursday, shows his commitment to the upgrade of the station building and its facilities.

“Too few people are taking up apprenticeships. We need to ask why and to find ways to encourage young people to choose this route because industry is changing, and so too should our apprenticeship schemes”, said Joe O’Reilly, Fine Gael TD for Cavan/Monaghan.

Following the recent controversy over the naming of the N7 Newlands Cross flyover after journalist Veronica Guerin, Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes has called on all the Local Authorities in Dublin to introduce formal consultation process when naming our roads, bridges and tunnels.

Fine Gael TD for Cork North West, Áine Collins, has urged the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD to consider including a member of the Irish Farmers with Designated Land (IFDL) to be included on a new steering group to formulate a threat response plan for hen harriers.

Fine Gael TD for Meath West, Ray Butler, has said today (Monday) that the lifting of the Chinese ban on Irish beef is good news for farmers in Meath.

“Illicit cross-border trade remains a major problem; fines are too low and there is not a strong enough deterrent” commented Martin Heydon, TD for Kildare South who was speaking today (Monday) at the 50th British Irish Parliamentary Association Plenary.

“Today alone (Monday 23rd Feb), 660 new jobs were announced, bringing employment to Dublin, Athenry and nationwide through the ESB. This brings the Government one step closer to meeting the target of creating 40,000 new jobs in 2015”, says Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Fine Gael TD for Laois/Offaly and Chairperson of the Oireachtas Jobs Committee.