Expert Group report on mortgage arrears an encouraging start – Byrne

The publication of the interim report of the Expert Group on Mortgages and Personal Debt chaired by Hugh Cooney is an encouraging start in responding to those homeowners have fallen behind in their mortgage repayments according to Meath East Fianna Fáil TD and member of the Oireachtas Committee on Social and Family Affairs, Thomas Byrne. “I am hopeful that the recommendations can be identified by Mr. Cooney can be implemented without delay which should help to alleviate the pressure on families in mortgage arrears.” “The Expert Group has recommended that lenders cease to charge Penalty Interest or Arrears Charges to borrowers who are taking part in an Arrears Resolution Process and that the code of conduct on mortgage arrears is amended and extended. In addition, it is recommended that a mortgage arrears and resolution process and framework be developed. The Department of Social Protection is also urged to make amendments to their existing Mortgage Interest Supplement Scheme.” “The Expert Group has reported that the Financial Regulator has committed to consult with lenders regarding the recommendations and I am hopeful that they will adopt them.” “This is only the start for the Expert Group who will now move to evaluate all proposals they received. They will also look at practices in other jurisdictions and examine how it could be applied to Ireland. The Group will report again at the end of September.” “Last February I along with my colleague Fine Gael’s Olwyn Enright produced Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs report into the High Levels of Indebtedness in Irish Society and I was pleased to see that the Expert Group, who I met with to discuss the issues have take taken on some of the recommendations we made in our report.” “Over the past year and more I have heard devastating stories from constituents about how loss of work, reductions in pay and hours has impacted their ability to pay their mortgage.” “Over 40% of homes around the country have mortgages on them and in Meath East the figure is even higher at over 56% many of which were bought at the height of the property boom.” “Compassion from financial institutions must be central to their dealings with their customers who have fallen behind on their mortgage repayments, particularly where borrowers are willing to work with the lender. No one wants to lose the family home and this must be a prime consideration for lenders. The vast majority of people will do everything they can to save their family home and I am hopeful that the Expert Group report and their recommendations should be able to bring about measures that will assist in this,” concluded Deputy Byrne.

NATIONAL BROADBAND SCHEME GOES LIVE IN NEWTOWN, LOBINSTOWN AND RATHKENNY

I am pleased with the news that the Newtown, Lobinstown and Rathkenny areas have received broadband provision under the National Broadband Scheme.

I have previously made numerous representations on behalf of residents in relation to the lack of a broadband service in the Newtown, Lobinstown and Rathkenny areas. I have been told by 3, who operate the National Broadband Scheme contract, that these areas have now been provided with broadband. This is very good news for residents.

The Government's National Broadband Scheme (NBS) aims to deliver broadband services to consumers and businesses located within those parts of the county, like Newtown, Lobinstown and Rathkenny, which have no form of broadband available at the moment.

Through the NBS, people living in rural areas across County Meath will gain access to online services, and broadband will also mean that more people can run businesses from home. The total value of the investment in implementing the NBS nationwide is 223 million euro.

A dedicated customer care team is also available to deal with any NBS queries (on 1913) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

MAJOR FUNDING BOOST FOR MEATH HOUSING GRANT SCHEMES

I have been informed by the Minister for Housing and Local Services, Michael Finneran T.D., that Meath County Council are to receive almost 1.5 million in funding this year towards addressing the needs of older people and people with disability in private dwellings.

This is an increase of almost half a million euro in funding from from the 2009 figure which is fantastic news.

I have received numerous calls about the housing grant schemes as there are many people in my constituency who are dependent upon receipt of these important grants. Demand for assistance under the scheme across Meath has clearly increased in recent years and I am pleased that the Government is responding to these demands. The grants, which are dealt with by Meath County Council, are known as the Disabled Persons Grant, Essential Repairs and and Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability.

I am asking Meath County Council to immediately open the grant schemes to the public. I pay tribute to the hard work of Council staff in the housing section of Meath County Council who administer the grants.

PUBLIC LIGHTING AT KILMOON AND GARLOW CROSS

I am calling on the ESB to switch on the new public lighting at Kilmoon Cross on the N2 and Garlow Cross on the N3 as soon as possible.

Meath County Council inform me that public lighting cables and poles are now in place at both crossroads and that they expect the ESB to switch them on next week. I am calling on the ESB to do so as soon as possible.

The works at Kilmoon and Garlow Cross follows the allocation of €179,000 for road improvement measures at both junctions under the Government’s 2009 National Roads Allocation. In light of the number of serious and fatal accidents at both crossroads, I wrote to the National Roads Authority and Meath County Council, requesting that they provide money for lighting at both Crossroads. I am pleased that the NRA listened to my request.

Road Safety on the N2 and N3 has become a matter of great concern to everyone in the area and the lack of visibility for road users has undoubtedly contributed to the rise in road accidents at both locations. I look forward to the public lighting making an important difference to road safety.

FEBRUARY ADVICE CLINICS

The following is my clinic schedule for this weekend:

Lobinstown Inn, Lobinstown, Saturday February 27 @ 12pm
Muldoons Pub Drumconrath, Saturday, February 27 @ 1pm
Royal Breffni Lounge, Tierworker, Saturday, Febraury 27 @ 2pm
Muintir na Tire Hall, Moynalty, Saturday, February 27 @ 3pm

I will also be holding my weekly clinics this Friday evening at 6pm in the Parish Centre, Duleek, and at 7pm in Whytes Pub, Stamullen.

GOVERNMENT DELIVERS NEW EXTENSION FOR SCOIL NAOMH BARRA, WILKINSTOWN

I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe, that the tender process for an extension for Wilkinstown National School, has been completed and that construction can commence.

The Minister tells me that the work will involve the construction of 2 new classrooms, a general purpose room and refurbishment to the school building. This is great news for the parish.

I am pleased that despite the very severe economic circumstances, the Government are prioritising the School Building Programme in education, with €579 million allocated for 2010. This investment in schools will also create much-needed jobs in the construction sector across County Meath.

The Minister informs me that officials from the Department of Education will be in contact with the school shortly. I will continue to work hard to ensure the continued delivery in improvements in the quality of education across County Meath.

GRANT FUNDING AWARD FOR ROAD SAFETY MEASURES IN DRUMCONRATH

I welcome the grant allocation of €20,000 made by the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, to carry out road safety measures at the junction at Mooneystown, Drumconrath.

The funding comes under the Low Cost Safety Improvement Grants programme and work will now be carried out to upgrade the junction.

I am pleased that despite current constraints on Government spending, Minister Dempsey has been able to allocate over €13 million for much needed work on regional and local roads in Meath for 2010. Road safety at Mooneystown Cross has become a matter of great concern to residents in the area.

I will work to ensure that the work is carried out as soon as possible.

Whitecross School

has received news today that a design team will be appointed by the end of June. This is good news for all concerned.

GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES WORKS FOR LAYTOWN AND WHITECROSS NATIONAL SCHOOLS

I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe, today that design teams are to be appointed later this year to progress refurbishment work at both Whitecross National School, Julianstown and Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh, Laytown, as part of the Government’s investment in the School Building Programme for County Meath. This announcement follows strong representation that I made to the Minister on behalf of both school communities.

Regarding the announcement for Whitecross National School, I can assure constituents that I have been working very hard on issues facing the school since my election to Dail Eireann in 2007 as outlined in my blog last week below. The news today that Whitecross is included on the School Building Programme is clear recognition of the efforts on my part.

The Minister informs me that officials from the Department of Education will be in contact shortly with Scoil An Spioraid Naoimh and Whitecross National School. I will continue to do all in my power to progress both building projects as quickly as possible.

WHITECROSS SCHOOL

Just to let parents know that I have been working on this issue since I was elected. I arranged a ministerial visit to the school and brought a delegation to visit MInister O'Keeffe last summer to further press the case for the project. I had a further meeting before Christmas with Batt O'Keeffe where I asked him to ensure that he would have a design team appointed to the school as soon as his next "list" is published. I informed some people connected with the school of this before Christmas. All of these meetings took place BEFORE the recent publicity and BEFORE the recent emails and contacts from parents. Be assured that I am doing all in my power to progress the building project.

COMPENSATION SCHEME FOR MEATH FARMERS

I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith TD, that he proposes to introduce a scheme to provide compensation to Meath farmers for damage to potatoes and vegetables caused by the frost last month.

The scheme aims to make a contribution to individual growers across County Meath who suffered a significant loss of produce due to frost damage. Farmers in Meath were particularly affected given the very difficult weather conditions that they faced.

I met quite a number of farmers over the Christmas period and I pay tribute to my colleague, Deputy Johnny Brady, who in his role as Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food has worked hard to secure this compensation scheme for Meath farmers.

SLANE BYPASS PROJECT GETS FUNDING UNDER NATIONAL ROADS PROGRAMME

I am pleased with the grant allocation of over €1.5 million for the progression of the Slane Bypass project.

This funding demonstrates the Government’s commitment to the progression of the Slane Bypass route. The funding is being made available under the Transport 21 Programme and the National Development Plan (NDP).

There have been major road safety problems on the N2 road through Slane over the past number of years. Public concerns about road safety in Slane are very high and there is overwhelming local demand for a bypass to reduce traffic volumes through Slane village.

Recent incidents, including a near fatal accident that occurred last year, have highlighted yet again the urgent need for the NRA to proceed with a Bypass of Slane. The argument in favour of the Slane Bypass is utterly compelling.

The start date for construction will of course depend on the granting of planning approval for the project. I will continue to exert as much pressure as I possibly can to get the job under way as soon as possible.

GRANT FUNDING FOR ROAD SAFETY MEASURES AT CURTIS' CROSS

I welcome the grant allocation of €200,000 made by the National Roads Authority to carry out road safety measures at the junction of Curtis’ Cross on the N2.

This award follows strong representation I made to the National Roads Authority and Meath County Council on behalf of local residents, calling for an upgrade of the junction, including the resurfacing of the road and the provision of money for lighting at the crossroads to help deal with the ongoing road safety problem.

Road Safety has become a matter of great concern to everyone in the area and the poor condition of the road together with the lack of visibility for road users at this junction is undoubtedly a major safety issue.

This funding will now go towards addressing these safety concerns. I will work to ensure that the work to improve road safety at the junction is carried out as soon as possible.

MORE GREEN TIME FOR N2 TRAFFIC AT PRIMATESTOWN

I have received notification from the National Roads Authority that it has changed the timings on the traffic lights at Primatestown Junction on the N2 north of Ashbourne to provide more green time for N2 traffic.

I had written to the NRA and Meath County Council to highlight the traffic delays being experienced by commuters along the route following an avalanche of complaints from the commuting public.

This is a particularly dangerous section of the N2 and road safety has to be a priority, but we have to ensure also that there are no unnecessary delays for the travelling public along this busy commuter route. The NRA tell me that they are monitoring traffic flow and reviewing the situation.

As soon as I have any further news, I will inform the public.

FEBRUARY DATE SET FOR GRANGE RATH EIRCOM BROADBAND

I have been told by Eircom that they hope that demand for Eircom Broadband will finally be met in Grange Rath next month.

Eircom tell me that they have made good progress on the new Colpe Cross exchange. They say that construction of the exchange has been completed and that it will be launched in February.

This news is long overdue for residents, including myself, and I will keep the pressure on Eircom in relation to this matter as I have previously done. I will keep residents informed of all developments concerning the issue.