Martin Heydon, TD

Fine Gael Wicklow TD, Simon Harris, has today (Monday) questioned Fianna Fáil’s motives and accused the Party of trying to scare older people over the free travel pass.

I am delighted to join you here today to launch the Fourth Annual Monitoring report on Integration 2013. I would like to begin by thanking Killian Forde, CEO of The Integration Centre, for his kind invitation to me to launch the report.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar has announced that Dublin Port Company has paid a dividend of €8 million to the State based on its financial results for the year ended 31 December 2013. The payment is in line with the company’s commitment to making a dividend payment of 30% of profit after tax, annually.

Fine Gael Waterford Deputy Paudie Coffey TD has welcomed news that NuVasive will create 30 positions in Waterford over the coming period. NuVasive is the third-largest spine company in the U.S., and the fourth-largest globally and this is a massive boost for Waterford and the South East Region and follows on from the investment of Nypro earlier on this year.

Fine Gael Cork Senator Colm Burke has today (Saturday) proposed a major reform to our medical education system here in a bid to encourage more newly qualified doctors to remain in Ireland after graduation. Senator Burke was speaking at the Intern Conference at UCC.

Chairman of Fine Gael’s LGBT Group, Jerry Buttimer TD, has today (Friday) said the Group is looking forward to a bumper turnout for this year’s Dublin Pride Parade, which takes place tomorrow. The Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald TD, will join other TDs and Senators, Party members, and Young Fine Gael who are all coming out in support of the LGBT community.

Chairman of Fine Gael’s LGBT Group, Jerry Buttimer TD, has today (Friday) said the Group is looking forward to a bumper turnout for this year’s Dublin Pride Parade, which takes place tomorrow. The Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald TD, will join other TDs and Senators, Party members, and Young Fine Gael who are all coming out in support of the LGBT community.

Ashtown-Castleknock Greenway is third section completed And preferred route from Athlone to Galway announced as: Shannonbridge, Loughrea, Craughwell, Clarinbridge and Oranmore

Fine Gael TD for Kildare North, Anthony Lawlor, is calling for an international branding campaign for Irish beef to be established, which would highlight the fact that Irish cattle are grass-fed, giving our beef a better flavour. Deputy Lawlor has suggested that the campaign could be styled on the Kerrygold marketing drive, which pitches the product as ‘the one and only Irish butter’.

Minister Frances Fitzgerald, T.D. and the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice, David Ford, MLA, met in Dublin today. This was their first meeting since Minister Fitzgerald's appointment as Minister for Justice and Equality.