Paul McGrath Media Centre

"No money for Mullingar Hospital," says McGrath
Deputy Paul McGrath expressed his disappointment with the recently published Health Estimates for next year.
"This Fianna Fáil led Government have proposed a £32million increase in spending for hospital buildings for 2002 - this increase in spending is not even enough to complete Mullingar General Hospital," says Deputy Paul McGrath.
"While we are regularly told by local Fianna Fáil Representatives that 'money is coming' nonetheless the facts of the matter are that firstly, Mullingar General Hospital is not included in the projects for the National Development Plan. Secondly, the estimate announcement for next year is not indicative of good news for Mullingar.
"In 1980 when we were much poorer than we are now, Ireland spent 8.7% of wealth (GDP) on Health. By 2000 Ireland's spend had dropped to 5.1% of GDP, 6.05% on a GNP basis, which is probably a fairer measure (£4,066 million spent; GNP estimated £67.2 billion; GDP £79.7 billion). It has to be acknowledged that Irish GDP increased rapidly in recent years. Nonetheless, despite the rapid growth in our economy, Ireland is 22nd in a list of 29 OECD countries in terms of health spending. From a low base in the early 1990s health spending has more than doubled, but it remains far behind the European average of over 8% of GDP.
"The money contained in this estimate does nothing to restore the health service spending to 1980 levels, despite the fact that the Exchequer has run budget surpluses of £6.4 billion. That is very regrettable. It is more than regrettable for the many thousands of people who are waiting for hospital beds. It is more than regrettable also for the doctors, nurses, therapists and paramedics and others who work within the health services and those people who rely on their expertise and care. It is deeply disappointing for all of those people who believed the Minister's press releases and expected a reforming and revitalising response. Instead of the stimulating injection expected, this estimate will act as a sedative to the ailing health service: at best maintaining the current unacceptable status quo, at worst allowing a rapid deterioration of its critical condition.
"Let us look at the facts contained in these figures and examine a few key areas which give the lie to any assertion of change or improvement.
"The total net increase in this year's estimate over last year's is £850 million - an increase of 17%. Good so far. But when we examine the detail we discover that of this £850 million, 49.5% or £421 million goes to pay salaries. The payment of salaries is an essential part of any estimate, and I fully concur with the need to pay good salaries. I have no quibble with salary payments. What I do have a problem with is what this Government has allowed for health spending, after the allowance for salaries has been removed. The increase is now reduced to just £429 million. The reality is that this estimate simply aims to continue existing programmes and to pay staff.
"The shortage of beds in Mullingar General Hospital continues - despite the fact that four floors of this hospital continue to lie empty," says McGrath.
"On a recent visit to this hospital, Michael Noonan T.D. gave a firm commitment that on Fine Gael’s return to office, he would provide the funds to complete the hospital," says Deputy McGrath.

Live Register Figures Down in Westmeath
Deputy Paul McGrath welcomed the recent 'Live Register' figures for unemployment which showed a total of 2,627 on the Register at the end of May.
"Unemployment figures for Westmeath have steadily declined and the present figure of 2,627 is the lowest for our county for many years," says Deputy McGrath.
"The comparable figures for May 1996 and May 1997 are 4721 and 4272 respectively. This represents a drop of 2094 persons (45%) in the five year period from 1996 to 2001.
"The breakdown of the 2001 figures show 1085 on the live register in Athlone, 1316 in Mullingar and 226 in Castlepollard.
"When we compare the Athlone figures with May 1996 we find that there were 2291 on the live register then and in the five year period these figures have fallen by 1206 or 52%.
"The Mullingar figures for the same five year period show a drop of 737 from 2053 to 1316 - a 36% reduction.
"The Castlepollard figures for the same five year period went down from 377 in May 1996 to 226 in May 2001. This is a fall of 151 or 40%.
"Growth in the economy and the creation of additional jobs have contributed to this huge increase in people at work in Westmeath," says Deputy McGrath.
"I also acknowledge the good work done by Leader, Westmeath Community Development, County Enterprise Board and other job facilitating agencies who have enabled many people to establish their own enterprises or expand their businesses," says Deputy McGrath.

Dáil Éireann Private Members Motion on Roads

That Dáil Éireann

Aware of the importance for the economy of the speedy delivery of the planned upgrading of our national road network

Conscious of the need for adequate and genuine consultation with the communities affected by these projects

Mindful of the widespread concern and anxiety throughout the country on major road development projects

Concerned that the current Compulsory Purchase (CPO) procedure is too cumbersome and slow and can result in unfair prices being paid to landowners

Believing that bottlenecks in the planning system are delaying the delivery of key projects and that the Planning and Development Act 2001 has not been and cannot be implemented due to lack of qualified personnel

Knowing that in the National Development Plan public/private partnerships are envisaged for eleven major road projects and that the NRA has decided that this will involve widespread road tolling

Condemns the Government for the delays in the delivery of the national road network and calls on the Government to immediately

Take steps, including amending Legislation to ensure a greater level of accountability on the part of the NRA in its relationship with local authorities, public representatives and citizens

Establish procedures to allow for meaningful public consultation by ensuring early publication and circulation of all appropriate studies, reports, surveys, maps, constraints, studies, investigations and all essential documentation and to ensure that the views of public representatives and citizens be duly acknowledged and considered prior to the announcement of any route selection

Reform the CPO procedure

Justify to Dáil Éireann their economic rationale for the imposition of road tolls

Dáil Extract:
Mr. McGrath: I too welcome the fact that we are going to improve our infrastructure by the development of roads. The crucial point at stake is how we are going to do it and what level of communication we will have with those concerned and how involved they will be in planning the future infrastructure.
As my colleague outlined earlier, approximately 25,000 acres of land will be taken over the next two or three years for necessary road development and that will involve approximately 8,000 landowners. Most of the land will have to be acquired by compulsory purchase order. In my constituency there will be approximately 400 landowners involved with land purchases for the N4, N6 and N52. It is hard for anybody to comprehend what it is like to have a compulsory purchase order placed on you which is going to affect your livelihood.
I can think of one landowner in particular with a barely viable 50 acres of land. He is already struggling and compulsory purchase orders are going to take 11 of his best acres. That is going to make his farm totally unviable. How can he have a sense of the future, of being able to look after his family and feel the State is treating him properly? He is not involved in the design of the road or where it will be. He is simply told it is coming through his land, end of the story, and there is not a lot he can do about it. This is happening because we have an outdated compulsory purchase order system which dates back to 1919. It is cumbersome, slow and very rigid and it needs to be changed urgently. When one looks at the cost of new developments, about 5% of the total cost of roads goes to the landowners. Compare that to the money paid to a landowner in the case of housing or other developments. He gets a far higher percentage than 5% of the total.
Toll roads are commercial developments. As those who build them will make money out of them, why is the land being taken for them, which is being purchased by CPO, not development land? How can the Minister of State subject farmers and others to payment of the agricultural rate for land which will enable commercial developers to reap a rich reward, that is, if the toll road option is pursued? With the State awash with money, as the Tánaiste said, we should be able to build the necessary infrastructure without having toll roads. In my area of County Westmeath and the midlands generally we will have to pay tolls to get to our major cities. This will affect the viability of industrial projects in our area. We will be at a disadvantage, although we are in the BMW area. Why should we be at such a disadvantage compared to industries in other areas which can avail of cities and ports without paying such tolls? This is unfair.
I recently met some landowners who will be affected by this and want to convey the message to the Minister of State that if he proceeds with compulsory purchase orders in the same way as is being done at present - without communication or information, bulldozing in on top of people - he is in for a rough ride. It will be difficult to get the land needed for those roads. I ask the Minister of State to have a fresh look at the matter.

Minister must bite the bullet on decentralisation as public servants seek 32,000 jobs outside Dublin - McGrath
With public servants currently looking for 32,000 jobs outside of Dublin, the Finance Minister must bite the bullet on decentralisation, warned Fine Gael’s Deputy Spokesperson on Finance, Paul McGrath T.D.
"Decentralisation has been long fingered by the Minister because the Government is terrified of the political fallout and is leading to a 'brain drain' from the public service. It is time that this Government, after 4 years in office, started to make decisions, which can have positive benefits for state employees, for towns throughout the country and for every person in the country who deserve the best quality civil service that can be provided.
"Government Departments based in Dublin are finding it increasingly difficult to fill vacancies in the capital, while demand for positions in the country is extremely competitive. It is obvious that public servants are voting with their feet by either leaving or seeking transfers due to the high cost of living in Dublin and because they want to be closer to family and friends.
"There is no sound reason not to go ahead with decentralisation as information technology ensures that work can be done as easily in Mullingar as Marlborough Street," he said.
Return to Media Centre

Home | Top

	"No money for Mullingar Hospital," says McGrath Deputy Paul McGrath expressed his disappointment with the recently published Health Estimates for next year. "This Fianna Fáil led Government have proposed a £32million increase in spending for hospital buildings for 2002 - this increase in spending is not even enough to complete Mullingar General Hospital," says Deputy Paul McGrath. "While we are regularly told by local Fianna Fáil Representatives that 'money is coming' nonetheless the facts of the matter are that firstly, Mullingar General Hospital is not included in the projects for the National Development Plan. Secondly, the estimate announcement for next year is not indicative of good news for Mullingar. "In 1980 when we were much poorer than we are now, Ireland spent 8.7% of wealth (GDP) on Health. By 2000 Ireland's spend had dropped to 5.1% of GDP, 6.05% on a GNP basis, which is probably a fairer measure (£4,066 million spent; GNP estimated £67.2 billion; GDP £79.7 billion). It has to be acknowledged that Irish GDP increased rapidly in recent years. Nonetheless, despite the rapid growth in our economy, Ireland is 22nd in a list of 29 OECD countries in terms of health spending. From a low base in the early 1990s health spending has more than doubled, but it remains far behind the European average of over 8% of GDP. "The money contained in this estimate does nothing to restore the health service spending to 1980 levels, despite the fact that the Exchequer has run budget surpluses of £6.4 billion. That is very regrettable. It is more than regrettable for the many thousands of people who are waiting for hospital beds. It is more than regrettable also for the doctors, nurses, therapists and paramedics and others who work within the health services and those people who rely on their expertise and care. It is deeply disappointing for all of those people who believed the Minister's press releases and expected a reforming and revitalising response. Instead of the stimulating injection expected, this estimate will act as a sedative to the ailing health service: at best maintaining the current unacceptable status quo, at worst allowing a rapid deterioration of its critical condition. "Let us look at the facts contained in these figures and examine a few key areas which give the lie to any assertion of change or improvement. "The total net increase in this year's estimate over last year's is £850 million - an increase of 17%. Good so far. But when we examine the detail we discover that of this £850 million, 49.5% or £421 million goes to pay salaries. The payment of salaries is an essential part of any estimate, and I fully concur with the need to pay good salaries. I have no quibble with salary payments. What I do have a problem with is what this Government has allowed for health spending, after the allowance for salaries has been removed. The increase is now reduced to just £429 million. The reality is that this estimate simply aims to continue existing programmes and to pay staff. "The shortage of beds in Mullingar General Hospital continues - despite the fact that four floors of this hospital continue to lie empty," says McGrath. "On a recent visit to this hospital, Michael Noonan T.D. gave a firm commitment that on Fine Gael’s return to office, he would provide the funds to complete the hospital," says Deputy McGrath.
	Live Register Figures Down in Westmeath Deputy Paul McGrath welcomed the recent 'Live Register' figures for unemployment which showed a total of 2,627 on the Register at the end of May. "Unemployment figures for Westmeath have steadily declined and the present figure of 2,627 is the lowest for our county for many years," says Deputy McGrath. "The comparable figures for May 1996 and May 1997 are 4721 and 4272 respectively. This represents a drop of 2094 persons (45%) in the five year period from 1996 to 2001. "The breakdown of the 2001 figures show 1085 on the live register in Athlone, 1316 in Mullingar and 226 in Castlepollard. "When we compare the Athlone figures with May 1996 we find that there were 2291 on the live register then and in the five year period these figures have fallen by 1206 or 52%. "The Mullingar figures for the same five year period show a drop of 737 from 2053 to 1316 - a 36% reduction. "The Castlepollard figures for the same five year period went down from 377 in May 1996 to 226 in May 2001. This is a fall of 151 or 40%. "Growth in the economy and the creation of additional jobs have contributed to this huge increase in people at work in Westmeath," says Deputy McGrath. "I also acknowledge the good work done by Leader, Westmeath Community Development, County Enterprise Board and other job facilitating agencies who have enabled many people to establish their own enterprises or expand their businesses," says Deputy McGrath.
	Dáil Éireann Private Members Motion on Roads That Dáil Éireann Aware of the importance for the economy of the speedy delivery of the planned upgrading of our national road network Conscious of the need for adequate and genuine consultation with the communities affected by these projects Mindful of the widespread concern and anxiety throughout the country on major road development projects Concerned that the current Compulsory Purchase (CPO) procedure is too cumbersome and slow and can result in unfair prices being paid to landowners Believing that bottlenecks in the planning system are delaying the delivery of key projects and that the Planning and Development Act 2001 has not been and cannot be implemented due to lack of qualified personnel Knowing that in the National Development Plan public/private partnerships are envisaged for eleven major road projects and that the NRA has decided that this will involve widespread road tolling Condemns the Government for the delays in the delivery of the national road network and calls on the Government to immediately Take steps, including amending Legislation to ensure a greater level of accountability on the part of the NRA in its relationship with local authorities, public representatives and citizens Establish procedures to allow for meaningful public consultation by ensuring early publication and circulation of all appropriate studies, reports, surveys, maps, constraints, studies, investigations and all essential documentation and to ensure that the views of public representatives and citizens be duly acknowledged and considered prior to the announcement of any route selection Reform the CPO procedure Justify to Dáil Éireann their economic rationale for the imposition of road tolls Dáil Extract: Mr. McGrath: I too welcome the fact that we are going to improve our infrastructure by the development of roads. The crucial point at stake is how we are going to do it and what level of communication we will have with those concerned and how involved they will be in planning the future infrastructure. As my colleague outlined earlier, approximately 25,000 acres of land will be taken over the next two or three years for necessary road development and that will involve approximately 8,000 landowners. Most of the land will have to be acquired by compulsory purchase order. In my constituency there will be approximately 400 landowners involved with land purchases for the N4, N6 and N52. It is hard for anybody to comprehend what it is like to have a compulsory purchase order placed on you which is going to affect your livelihood. I can think of one landowner in particular with a barely viable 50 acres of land. He is already struggling and compulsory purchase orders are going to take 11 of his best acres. That is going to make his farm totally unviable. How can he have a sense of the future, of being able to look after his family and feel the State is treating him properly? He is not involved in the design of the road or where it will be. He is simply told it is coming through his land, end of the story, and there is not a lot he can do about it. This is happening because we have an outdated compulsory purchase order system which dates back to 1919. It is cumbersome, slow and very rigid and it needs to be changed urgently. When one looks at the cost of new developments, about 5% of the total cost of roads goes to the landowners. Compare that to the money paid to a landowner in the case of housing or other developments. He gets a far higher percentage than 5% of the total. Toll roads are commercial developments. As those who build them will make money out of them, why is the land being taken for them, which is being purchased by CPO, not development land? How can the Minister of State subject farmers and others to payment of the agricultural rate for land which will enable commercial developers to reap a rich reward, that is, if the toll road option is pursued? With the State awash with money, as the Tánaiste said, we should be able to build the necessary infrastructure without having toll roads. In my area of County Westmeath and the midlands generally we will have to pay tolls to get to our major cities. This will affect the viability of industrial projects in our area. We will be at a disadvantage, although we are in the BMW area. Why should we be at such a disadvantage compared to industries in other areas which can avail of cities and ports without paying such tolls? This is unfair. I recently met some landowners who will be affected by this and want to convey the message to the Minister of State that if he proceeds with compulsory purchase orders in the same way as is being done at present - without communication or information, bulldozing in on top of people - he is in for a rough ride. It will be difficult to get the land needed for those roads. I ask the Minister of State to have a fresh look at the matter.
	Minister must bite the bullet on decentralisation as public servants seek 32,000 jobs outside Dublin - McGrath With public servants currently looking for 32,000 jobs outside of Dublin, the Finance Minister must bite the bullet on decentralisation, warned Fine Gael’s Deputy Spokesperson on Finance, Paul McGrath T.D. "Decentralisation has been long fingered by the Minister because the Government is terrified of the political fallout and is leading to a 'brain drain' from the public service. It is time that this Government, after 4 years in office, started to make decisions, which can have positive benefits for state employees, for towns throughout the country and for every person in the country who deserve the best quality civil service that can be provided. "Government Departments based in Dublin are finding it increasingly difficult to fill vacancies in the capital, while demand for positions in the country is extremely competitive. It is obvious that public servants are voting with their feet by either leaving or seeking transfers due to the high cost of living in Dublin and because they want to be closer to family and friends. "There is no sound reason not to go ahead with decentralisation as information technology ensures that work can be done as easily in Mullingar as Marlborough Street," he said. Return to Media Centre