Fergus O'Dowd, TD

“Nicotine patches for pregnant women would help protect mothers and their babies from smoking related harm. We must examine the possibility of making the nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) freely available to pregnant women,” says Catherine Byrne, Fine Gael Dublin South Central TD.

Fine Gael TD for Carlow/Kilkenny, John Paul Phelan, today (Thursday) congratulated Kilkenny animation company Cartoon Saloon for its Oscar nomination for ‘Song of the Sea’.

“The news that US company ABEC Inc. plans to expand its global operations in Fermoy, Co. Cork with the creation of 100 jobs over the next two years is very much to be welcomed” says David Stanton, Fine Gael TD for Cork East.

“As we await an imminent decision from the Central Bank on new mortgage rules, I am hopeful that we will see some changes to the original proposal to ensure that mortgages remain accessible to first-time buyers” says Alan Farrell, Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal.

“Irish food and drink producers are leading the way on this country’s export success” according to Martin Heydon, Fine Gael TD for Kildare South and Chair of Fine Gael’s Internal Committee on Agriculture & Rural Affairs. Deputy Heydon was speaking after Bord Bia revealed that Irish food and drink exports reached an all-time high of €10.5 billion in 2014.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, TD, today drew attention to the need for everyone working in the Farming and Fishing industries to take all safety precautions during the current adverse weather conditions.

Fine Gael Parliamentary Party Chairman and Limerick TD, Dan Neville TD has called on the Ulster Bank to retain the ATM services at the Ulster Bank in Croom.

Fine Gael Cork North Central Senator and the Party’s Seanad Spokesperson on Health, Colm Burke, published the Health (Professional Home Care) Bill 2014 in December last. The recent difficulties of overcrowding in our hospitals highlights the urgent need for developing and growing professional home care services.

“Foreign investment by IDA client companies directly created 1,707 high-skilled jobs in Louth from 2011 to 2014 and resulted in 1,195 additional indirect positions in the local economy. This brings to 2,902 the number of new jobs in Louth due to IDA Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)” says Peter Fitzpatrick, Fine Gael TD for Louth.

“The independent Educational Research Centre assessed over 8,000 pupils in 150 primary schools and found a marked improvement in Mathematics and English reading skills for the first time since 1980. This is very much to be welcomed” says Joe O’Reilly, Fine Gael TD for Cavan/Monaghan.