Following his first Budget as Minister of State for Law Reform, Wexford TD James Browne has welcomed the additional funding for the Department of Justice and Equality within the 2021 Budget – a record €3 billion allocation to fund important changes within the Justice sector for next year. This amounts to an overall funding increase of 6%.
Minister Browne explained; “I’m glad to see that Budget 2021 increases our State’s investment in the Justice sector. Up to 620 new Garda recruits will be recruited next year while 500 administrative staff will be recruited to facilitate the redeployment of trained Gardaí to frontline policing. An extra €7.5 million will fund the purchase of additional Garda vehicles and increased telecommunications and vehicle fit out costs. A new Forensic Science Ireland Laboratory will be constructed.
“Additional measures will fund an inquest into the Stardust tragedy as well as courts service modernisation and prison service compensation schemes. Importantly, the Budget allocation enbles the implementations protections for vunerable witnesses in sexual offenders cases.
“Capital investment in the justice sector will benefit from an extra €50 million, up now to €258 million. This will lead to better ICT services within An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service. Over €27 million will go towards COVID-19 supports too”, Minister Browne added.
The Bishop of Ferns, Dr. Denis Brennan has written a Pastoral Letter to the people of the Diocese of Ferns for the month of November in which he asks that the people of the Diocese now double down on their efforts to reduce the instances of Coronavirus and that throughout November (the month of the dead), they be mindful of those who are vulnerable, those who have died, and those who grieve.
BISHOP DENIS BRENNAN… DIOCESE OF FERNS
“Virtually every aspect of life today has been upset by the Coronavirus – from worship to learning, trade to recreation, travel to planning – all is adversely affected. Coronavirus has seriously stopped us in our tracks, and It has unnerved us greatly,” said Bishop Brennan.
He points out that what “was natural, normal or second nature now comes with a health warning – forbidden, dangerous, restricted or suspended, ”Now is not a time to lose heart, even with no guaranteed or immediate solution. That said, we are not helpless.”
“Let us keep heart by doubling down and wearing the mask, practicing hand hygiene, and keeping the required social distance.
The sheer numbers of good people in our parishes, their desire to reopen our churches in as safe and as reassuring a manner as possible in the weeks leading up to 29th June – their creativity and attention to detail – was truly a marvel, an example worthy of much emulation, and commendation.
ROWE STREET CHURCH, WEXFORD
Right across our Diocese, church communities – in churches and in chapels by land, by mountain and by sea – accepted wholeheartedly, the challenge to not only reopen, but to do so, with both regard for best practice, and with very obvious joy.
Parish councils and local volunteers engaged in what can only be described as ‘a mighty effort’ of goodness and of generosity’; reopening with a broad smile and with a promise – ‘we’re doing all we can to make this as safe a place as possible, and you are very welcome back!’
“Being the only place in Europe where church closure exists in this instance, is clearly sufficient reason to revisit the matter, to reassess its necessity and to re-examine its appropriateness, and to consider the positive benefits of its being lifted.
As stated recently by the Catholic Bishops after their October meeting: “The communal celebration of Mass and the Sacraments – even with restricted numbers – is at the very heart of what it means for us to be a Christian community. These are not simply ‘gatherings’ of people, but profound expressions of who we are as a Church. For parishes, and individual Catholics, the loss of these spiritual supports can be a source of great anxiety, and fear, and can have a detrimental impact on their overall health and well-being.”
Prayers are offered throughout the month for those who have gone before us, and outreach to those who grieve, is planned, and encouraged. This year, November comes to us in a climate of added grief. We especially remember those who have died because of coronavirus, and we think of their friends and their families.
Bishop Denis Brennan will lead a Service of Remembrance in St. Aidan’s Cathedral, Enniscorthy, at 3pm, on Sunday, November 1st to remember the dead of the Diocese and their grieving friends and families. “I am also inviting each priest of the diocese to do so, in his own church, at this time, and I ask you to take the time (3pm on 1st November) and to join with us online.
In conclusion, Bishop Brennan mentioned “the people of the diocese and indeed all people of kind disposition and of goodwill – I say a word of gratitude – gratitude to those front line workers who have stepped up and remain in service and in leadership; gratitude to practitioners of good example and pioneers of best practices; gratitude to good neighbours and those with a watchful eye for the more vulnerable – and gratitude to those many more long distance runners in our own family and friendship circles, who keep us gently moving forward, towards brighter days, and please God, towards a post Covid world, sooner rather than later.”
Waterford-based Coast Guard helicopter R117 and lifeboats from Kilmore Quay, Rosslare Harbour and Dunmore East have been scrambled to assist a 100-metre cargo ship, the Lily B, which was discovered drifting about two nautical miles of Hook Head.
ROSSLARE HARBOUR RNLI LIFEBOAT (Pic; Ray Millard/RNLI)
It is a general cargo ship, built in 1997, bound for New Ross Port from Germany with a cargo of coal and sailing under the flag of Antigua Barbuda.
Dunmore East RNLI was launched at 2.45pm after receiving a call that the ship was “dead in the water”. It appears to have lost power in strong gale force winds.
A tug is on its way from Waterford and it is likely that the striken vessel will be towed to safety in difficult sea conditions.
A crew of nine on board. There are no reports of injuries.
Advance payments under the 2020 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), worth €34.857 million to 3,747 County Wexford farmers commenced yesterday (Monday).
Crops growing in the shadow of Vinegar Hill
Welcoming the news Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform told WexfordLocal.com; “These payments are a vital support for County Wexford farmers and contribute greatly to maximising income and cash flow in the sector in what has been a very challenging year for farmers.”
The Minister continued; “The BPS advance payment is commencing today at the earliest date possible under EU Regulations. The payment is set at a rate of 70%, which is an increase on the 50% normally allowed under regulation.”
Payments under the 2020 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme (ANC) which started in September are also continuing as more cases are cleared for payment. The Minister added that “the advance BPS payment and the advance ANC payments taken together mean that some €974 million has now issued to Irish farmers in the last month.”
“Given the central importance of the many schemes currently in place, the Department of Agriculture has recently written to all Wexford farmers outlining the payment schedule over the coming months for these schemes”, Minister Browne concluded.
One male was arrested and detained following the discovery of a quantity of drugs and cash during a search in the Enniscorthy district on Friday night.
Gardaí seized €1,000 worth of cannabis, €640 worth of cocaine, €270 of MDMA and pills to the value of €100, and €16,000 cash.
Under Operation Tara Gardaí from the Divisional Drug Unit assisted by uniform, detective and the Revenue Drug Detector dog, Flynn, carried out a search.
Four winners for Barry O’Neill today at Fairwood, Tinahely, and two yesterday in Derry, gave the champion rider half a dozen victories for the weekend, while Jamie Codd celebrates his first winner of the season with a treble at Westmeath this afternoon, to make the point-to-point headlines.
The opening race for four-year-old maidens at Fairwood was won by Routine Excellence for Colin Bowe and Barry O’Neill. One and a half lengths were the verdict. Half an hour later and the double was up for the champions when Milans Edge ran out the five lengths winner of the maiden race for five-year-old mares.
Gordon Elliott, who sent out four winners across the different tracks, dispatched Mighty Stowaway from his Meath stables, Barry O’Neill got the leg up, and the runaway combination won the Open Race by ‘a distance’.
But O’Neill and Bowe added another victory before departure for Kiltealy as Heuston Texas, twice runner-up, got to the front and stayed there in style to take the maiden race for ‘older’ geldings.
JAMIE CODD… first winners of the new point-to-point season with a treble at Moate, Co. Westmeath, today.
Jamie Codd and Denis Murphy had their first victory of the season with Get A Tonic in the maiden race for four-year-old mares. Donnchadh Doyle’s Bonbon Balko (Rob James) was runner-up, three and a half lengths behind the winner and Michael Goff’s Ask Blossomfort (Shane Fitzgerald) was third to give a 1,2,3, to Wexford raiders at Moate, Co. Westmeath, this afternoon.
Codd teamed up with Gordon Elliott to win division one of the maiden geldings race for four year olds with Percy Warner, by four lengths, and ended up with a treble when bringing home Heather Rocco for Galway handler John Nellan by one length in the five and six year old maiden geldings race.
And also at the Westmeath track, Rob James, Killanne, saddled his first winner as a handler in My Bad Lucy for the Matchmaker Syndicate, by eight lengths with Brian Lawless up, in the first division of the four year old geldings maiden race.
No Wexford trained winners at Portrush, Co. Derry, yesterday (Saturday) although Barry O’Neill scored twice for the owner/handler team of John Hegarty and David Christie from Fermanagh. Success came in the Open Race on Winged Leader, who was winning his fifth race in succession, by six lengths, and Ask D’Man completed the double in the race for ‘older maidens’.
Barry O’Neill is already 16 wins clear of his nearest rival in the riders’ championship with a 41% strike rate this season.
Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne has backed the move to extend medical cards for over 56,000 people over the age of 70. He welcomes Cabinet’s approval for the reduction in prescription charges and the Drugs Payment Scheme.
Under the new measures the gross income limit for medical card eligibility for those aged 70 or over will be increased to €550 per week for a single person or €1,050 per week for a couple. This represents an increase of €50 and €150 respectively and will mean an extra 56,000 people over the age of 70 will be eligible for a medical card.
Prescription charges will be reduced by 50c and the Drugs Payment Scheme threshold will be reduced from €124 per month to €114 per month.
MINISTER JAMES BROWNE
Commenting Minister Browne said; “Cabinet approved these measures which will take effect on November 1st. This will undoubtedly help people across Wexford and is a demonstration of the Government’s commitment to fulfilling the obligations in the Programme for Government.
“Looking after those who are older and more vulnerable among us is a key priority and this measure will not only ease the financial burden on people aged over 70 but also encourage them to seek medical attention sooner rather than later. My office can help in completing medical card application forms,” Minister Browne told WexfordLocal.com.
“Those under 70 will now only pay a maximum of €15 per month for prescribed medicines while those over 70 will only pay a maximum of €10 per month for prescribed medicines. 1.38 million people availing of the Drugs Payment Scheme will have €10 per month back in their packet – these are measures to be welcomed,” Minister Browne concluded.
A fully segregated two-way cycle lane and an enhanced streetscape central to Wexford County Council’s plans for the regeneration and transformation of Esmonde Street, Gorey, took a significant step forward this week as a planning application was lodged for the scheme.
How Gorey’s Esmonde Street will look in the future? (Artist’s impression supplied by Wexford County Council).
The vision for the proposed project is to improve the public realm along Esmonde Street and Esmonde Lane, and further develop the area as an attractive place to live, work and do business.
Esmonde Street will see an enhanced streetscape, with improvements to footpaths, road pavement, tasteful hard and soft landscaping and undergrounding of overhead services.
Modifications to traffic management, through the proposed introduction of a one-way system, seek to reduce vehicle dominance on the street and make it a friendlier environment for pedestrians and cyclists.
A fully segregated two-way cycle lane will be facilitated along the length of the street as part of the works. Esmonde Lane, which runs parallel to Esmonde Street, is planned to be upgraded so that students and members of the public can walk and cycle safely between Gorey Community School, Bunscoil Loreto and St Michael’s Church car park.
Confirmation from the Department of Education and Skills that an additional secondary school for as many as 500 children will be constructed in Gorey. The Department of Education and Skills has approved in principle the provision of an additional secondary school and will now seek to identify a patron and site for the school.
MAIN STREET, GOREY
Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne has welcomed the announcement as a huge step forward that will benefit the children and parents in Gorey and North Wexford.
“While serving as an opposition TD, I frequently highlighted the need for a third secondary school in North Wexford. In March 2019, I highlighted the clear concerns of parents in Gorey town and Riverchapel. It was clear that there was a significant spike in the number of sixth class students moving to secondary school. This is a major step forward for north Wexford,” Minister Browne told WexfordLocal.com
“Following recent requests to the Education Minister, Norma Foley T.D., I’m delighted that Minister Foley understood the situation and that a patron andsite for a new school will now be sourced. Families across North Wexford will be delighted with this news and I will now make sure that this is a top priority for the Department of Education and Skills forward-planning unit”, Minister Browne concluded.
The process to source a patron for the site will get underway with a deadline of October 31st, 2020. A parental survey will also take place.
Today (Thursday), at Gorey District Court, Revenue officers were granted a three-month cash detention order by Judge Miriam Walsh. This followed the seizure of €45,635 at Rosslare Europort on Tuesday when, as a result of routine profiling, and with the assistance of detector dog Flynn, Revenue officers stopped a vehicle boarding a ferry to Cherbourg, France.
Detector dog FLYNN is delighted with his success at Rosslare Europort
Four people, originally from Romania, were questioned in relation to the seizure and investigations are ongoing.
The cash is suspected to be the proceeds of, or intended for use in, criminal activity and is detained by Revenue in accordance with proceeds of crime legislation.
These operations are part of Revenue’s ongoing work targeting smuggling and shadow economy activity. If businesses, or members of the public have any information, they can contact Revenue in confidence on Confidential Phone Number 1800 295 295.
WexfordLocal.com 