Fergus O'Dowd, TD

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, today (Monday) launched Fine Gael’s campaign calling for a Yes vote in the Marriage Equality Referendum on Friday, 22nd May. An Taoiseach launched the event alongside the Director of Elections for Fine Gael’s Marriage Equality Referendum campaign, Minister Simon Coveney TD as well as Minister Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister Leo Varadkar TD and the Chair of the Fine Gael LGBT Group, Jerry Buttimer TD. The event was also addressed by two members of the public, Enda Morgan and Edel Tierney, who spoke about the importance of the Referendum passing to their own lives.

Fine Gael MEP for Dublin, Brian Hayes, today (Sunday) said that the EU should not make the Digital Single Market about targeting large US tech companies for political means. The Dublin MEP said that the priority should be to make communication and technology services work better for consumers.

Fine Gael TD for Wicklow and Minister for State at the Department of Finance, Simon Harris, has said that this weekend’s Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis proves it’s “the same old Fianna Fáil. The party has no vision and promotes the disastrous high tax, high spend policies of old. They would throw away our hard won economic recovery given half the chance.

Fine Gael Cork South Central TD and Chair of the Oireachtas Health Committee, Jerry Buttimer, has said that this weekend’s Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis, and especially its health policy, proves that it’s the same party of high-taxes, ever higher-spending, and low ambition.

Fine Gael Cork North Central TD, Minister of State for European Affairs, Dara Murphy, has welcomed a European Commission report published this week which confirmed that the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) would remove significant barriers currently faced by SMEs when trying to trade with the US.

Ahead of the Fianna Fáil Ard Fhéis this weekend, Fine Gael Cork North-West TD, Áine Collins, has questioned the party’s position on the issue of women candidates, saying “it would be no country for young women under Fianna Fáil.”

Fine Gael Waterford Minister Paudie Coffey TD has welcomed the announcement of 100 IDA supported jobs for Portlaw. Minister Coffey said that this was another example of the Regional Jobs Plan working and shows us that the recovery is now taking hold in rural towns and villages right across Ireland.

The need for changes to the layout of ballot papers used in elections has been raised in Dáil Éireann, today, by Cork East Fine Gael TD David Stanton. In response to Deputy Stanton’s suggestions, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly TD said that he would examine the issue.

Fine Gael Parliamentary Party Chairperson and TD for Limerick, Dan Neville, has said that “there is an urgent need to end discrimination against the self- employed and Fine Gael will do it.”

“The newly appointed Minister for Drugs could examine the option of medically supervised injection centres”, says Fine Gael TD for Dublin South Central, Catherine Byrne.