Time to cut back to school expenses - O' Súilleabháin

A Gorey teacher has described the results of local back to school expenses survey as disturbing and serving as a wakeup call for reps from local government parties who have ignored the plight of parents at this time of year for too long.  Fionntán O' Súilleabháin, a spokesperson for North Wexford Sinn Féin and representative of the INTO, said that successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fail governments had ignored their constitutional responsibility to children's education.

Mr O' Súilleabháin said;

"Ireland is one of the last states in the EU where the government does not contribute to some, if not all, of the cost of a child's education.  It should be the opposite.  The Irish constitution lays a firm responsibility on the government to take responsibility for a child's education.  Article 42.4 of the Constitution states, 'The State shall provide for free primary education'."

"A survey carried out by local Sinn Féin over the past six weeks reveals the financial strain that Wexford parents are put under at this time of year as a direct result of the states shirking of its constitutional responsibilities.  91% of parents surveyed said that they find this time of year to be a source of huge expense and stress."

"There are clear and concise actions that the government can take to cut down on this expense.  Sinn Féin have put forward progressive measures that would bring on us on a par with the six counties, where for example school books are financed by the state."

"We are calling for the establishment of a centralised book lending scheme which would provide all primary and secondary school children with access to free text books.  In addition to this, the wasteful workbook should be abolish as it is nothing but a source of expense on parents.  School crests that can be affixed to generic supermarket bought jumpers should be made freely available to cut down on the cost of school uniforms."

"Wexford County Council should begin consultation with the Department of Education, every school in the county and suppliers of electronic tablets and similar devices in order to launch Wexford as the first county to go completely over to digital learning.  The tax on digital devices used for learning should be removed in line with school books.  Digital learning could be a much cheaper and more efficient form of education if properly subsidised by the government."

O' Connell welcomes IFA pre budget submission

The Chairperson of County Wexford Sinn Féin has welcomed the IFA's pre budget submissions for 2014, describing them as being mainly common sense policies that any right minded government would already be implementing.  Oisin O' Connell said he was particularly supportive of the call to utilise more of the EU rural development funding available to us.

Mr O' Connell said;

"Up to €290 million will be available to the Irish government to draw from the EU Rural Development Programme this year and every year until 2020.  That's a rise of over €100 million since last year and all of it comes at no additional cost to the Exchequer."

"Since 2011, agricultural funding has been cut by 13% while other government departments have seen cuts of around 5%.  These disproportionately high cuts have come at a time when Irish farming faced a weather generated crisis which has led to a shortage of fodder and credit." 

"If agriculture is to survive and flourish in this state, in keeping with the impressive targets laid out in the Food Harvest 2020 plan, then funding will have to be made available to the sector.  Rural Ireland is dependent on a strong agri sector.  This EU funding would not just benefit farmers, but entire rural communities across this country."

Sinn Féin support Seanad abolition

Sinn Féin will be calling for a yes vote in the referendum to abolish the Seanad, which will take place on Friday 4th October.  Cllr Anthony Kelly said that his party favour political reform across this state.  "That goes for the Dail as well as the Seanad," he said.

"The Seanad is an outdated, elitist structure which has acted as a glorified boys club for the favourites of the government of the day for decades.  There is no doubt that honourable men and women have served with distinction in the upper house, but there numbers have been outweighed by the ranks of unelected individuals with vested interests who have been accountable to nobody."

"99% of the Irish population have no say in who gets elected to the Seanad.  Where is the democracy in that?  It has 60 members, 43 of whom are elected by county and city councillors, TDs and Senators, six are elected by graduates of NUI colleges and Trinity College Dublin, and eleven are appointed by the Taoiseach."

"Some people worry that without the Seanad, the Dail will have too much power.  Sinn Féin accepts that reform of the Dail should go hand in hand with the loss of the Seanad, but the fact remains that the upper house has acted as cheerleaders for the government for many years now."

"The Seanad has supported this austerity government on every single occasion including the introduction of the property tax, cuts to disability payments and the promissory note deal which is costing the tax payer €30 billion.  They supported the previous Fianna Fail/PD/Green unholy alliance when they were busy squandering the wealth of the nation and digging a debt hole for every man, woman and child in this state.  They have failed time and time again to carry out their mandate and prevent the Dail from making mistakes that will impact on the lives of the citizens of Ireland."

22 robberies in one day is intolerable - O' Connell

A local Sinn Féin representative has appealed for people to come forward with information to the Gardaí following a spate of robberies in recent times, cumulating in twenty two house burglaries between Duncormick and Fethard in a single afternoon.  Oisin O' Connell said information that might seem insignificant to the holder could be of huge value to the Gardaí and help prevent future attacks.

Mr O' Connell said;

"In a single afternoon twenty two homes were robbed between Duncormick and Fethard.  That's twenty two families violated in one day.  The situation is becoming intolerable.  Sinn Féin is appealing to anyone with any information about these robberies to come forward to local Gardaí now.  This situation will only get worse unless we meet it head on and take decisive action."

"People, particularly the elderly who live alone, are living in constant fear at this stage.  It seems that gangs carrying out these attacks have an intimate knowledge of local areas and know exactly when to strike.  This aside, they are not invisible and many of these burglaries are being carried out in broad daylight."

"Everyone has a role to play in preventing these burglaries.  The Gardaí in this county are doing everything they can but thanks to government austerity cuts, they are too few in number.  There are only 18 Gardaí to every 10,000 people in Wexford compared to a national average ratio of 25  to 10,000.  Rural garda stations, such as the one in Ballywilliam, have been closed down leaving communities even more vulnerable."

"Recently some local communities have started text alert schemes to try and keep their neighbours updated on suspicious behaviour in the area.  It is this type of community spirit and collective responsibility that will be crucial in eventually smashing the gangs who are carrying out these robberies.  It's vital that information is shared to the local authorities.  Even the most inconspicuous piece of information could prevent a robbery or attack"

Phone scammers are targeting Enniscorthy residents too - Mythen

Cllr Johnny Mythen has warned people to be vigilant of phone scams after being contacted by several constituents  recently.  The Vice-Chairperson of Enniscorthy Town Council said that cybercriminals were no longer staying on line and were increasingly engaged in ringing homes and claiming to be representing reputable organisations like Microsoft and Dell.

Cllr Mythen said;

"This international criminal activity has long operated in other countries, but now  it's happening right here in Enniscorthy.  Local people are reporting that they are getting  bogus phone calls from individuals who claim to represent  trusted organisations.  They will tell you that there's a serious problem with your computer or smart phone, gain your trust, and then ask for personal details which they will use to gain access to your bank accounts or steal your identity."

"These cybercriminals will often claim to represent one of the following reputable institutions; Windows Helpdesk, Windows Service Centre, Microsoft Tech Support, Microsoft Support, Windows Technical Department Support Group or Microsoft Research and Development Team (Microsoft R & D Team).  Do not under any circumstances purchase  services or software from these callers and also ask them immediately if there is a fee involved with this call.  Never provide them with your credit card information and never give them remote access to your computer, even if they claim that there is a serious problem with it."

"These scams are becoming more and more prevalent.  Unfortunately with new technology comes new ways to rip you off.  Be aware and alert to phone calls requesting any private information or personal details.  Other scams to watch for are emails claiming that you have won the lotto in a foreign country despite not having purchased a ticket.  They will ask you to cover the admin costs or ask for your bank account details so the money can be transferred.  Another common scam is by means of text congratulating you on winning a substantial prize which can be claimed by ringing a special premium rate number to arrange for collection."

SUSI grants must be processed on time this year - O' Súilleabháin

A local teacher and spokesperson for Sinn Féin has said that Wexford students cannot afford a repeat of last year's SUSI grant scheme debacle.  Fionntán O' Súilleabháin called on local government TDs to insure that their administration guarantee that Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) will process third level grant applications and payments on time for the 2013/2014 academic year.

Mr O' Súilleabháin said;

"Last year we heard horror stories from County Wexford students who found themselves without money for the most basic provisions because of the failure of the governments 'revolutionary' SUSI programme.  Many local students were forced to drop out due to the economic hardships they were experiencing.  All this because thousands of applications were delayed, rejected in error, lost and, even now, some remain outstanding. We cannot have a repeat of that fiasco this year."

"On top of all the hardships already incurred by affected students, those with fees that remain outstanding will not be entitled to graduate."

"Last year the government introduced SUSI to replace the work previously carried out very efficiently by VECs and County Councils as their innovate measure to improve the pay out of college grants.  It was a complete failure from the start and many would have very real concerns that the same thing will happen this year."

"Local government TDs, Deputy Paul Kehoe, Minister Brendan Howlin and Deputy Liam Twomey need to represent the students of this county now by insuring that their government does not allow SUSI to collapse for a second year running.  They need to move now because it will be too late when students are hungry, impoverished and being forced to drop out in October."

Sinn Féin choose O' Connell for New Ross

A Foulkesmills farmer has been chosen to contest next years local elections in the New Ross district for Sinn Féin.  Oisin O' Connell, a trained economist, was chosen at a packed election convention in the Horse and Hound, Ballinaboola last night.

Speaking after being elected unanimously to represent Sinn Féin in New Ross, Mr O' Connell said;

"The New Ross district has been crippled by the austerity policies of this government and their predecessors.  Unemployment is rampant and communities have been purged of their young people, who through no fault of their own have been forced to emigrate to find work.  A change of direction is long overdue."

"Sinn Féin have stood against the policies of austerity from the beginning.  We have offered fully costed, solid alternatives which have been ignored by the very people who got us into this economic mess.  As a Sinn Féin candidate, I pledge to push for stimulus and job creation in South Wexford and to oppose the failed plan of cuts, cuts and more cuts which has clearly not delivered economic recovery."

Cherishing all the children of the nation equally

County Wexford Sinn Féin Back to School Paper 2013

 

Introduction

Never before have so many Irish families found themselves struggling to equip their children to go back to school in September.  A combination of five years of recession, failed government austerity measures and an unwillingness by successive Ministers for Education to tackle the very obvious burdens within the system have created a situation where many parents in County Wexford will borrow, let other bills go unpaid and even cut back on food just to meet the back to school costs.

The Irish Proclamation of 1916 laid out the very progressive ideal that the state would cherish 'all the children of the nation equally'.  A century later, this ideal does not hold up to reality.  Its estimated that one in five Irish children have gone to bed hungry and woke up cold on a regular basis in the past year.

Social benefits like the back to school clothing and footwear allowance and childrens allowance are not sufficient for families who are in serious debt and mortgage arrears.  Despite the best efforts of parents across the land, children are going to school hungry, without proper clothing or equipment.

Article 42.4 of the Constitution states, “The State shall provide for free primary education”.  Clearly this is not the case and it is our children who are suffering as a result.

 

2013 Survey

In order to gauge an accurate view of the expenses faced by parents of school children in County Wexford today, local Sinn Féin commissioned their second annual Back to School Survey.  The survey was completed by just over four hundred parents from New Ross to Gorey during the months of June and July 2013.

The findings of the survey have been summarised here;

91% of parents surveyed find back to school time expensive

62% of parents surveyed find school books to be the biggest expense during the back to school period.  29% cited school uniforms, while 6% said footwear and 3% identified school transport as the biggest expense.

83% of parents surveyed find secondary school to be the most expensive period in a child’s education.

96% of those parents surveyed felt that any cuts to, or the introduction of means testing to the children’s allowance would impact seriously upon their families.

91% of parents surveyed believe that school crests that could be affixed to a supermarket-bought school jumper should be made available to cut the high costs of school uniforms.

81% of parents surveyed said that the introduction of a book rental scheme in all schools would cut education costs. 

89% of parents surveyed find that the children’s allowance is not adequate to meet the cost of sending children to school in 2012.

56% of parents surveyed are in receipt of the back to school allowance.

57% of parents surveyed said that they would like to see schools switch to using laptops, e-books and iPads in order to cut down on the expense of school books, writing materials and constant updates to the school curriculum.

48% of parents surveyed spend over €350 on back to school expenses.  39% of them spend more than €400.

19% of parents surveyed believe that the back to school allowance should be available to all parents while a further 56% felt that the back to school allowance should be available to all families but means tested.

7% of parents surveyed are forced to sell personal belongings to finance back to school expenses.  Another 13% rely upon loans taken out from the provident and other door to door loan agencies.

 

Comments from Parents

Its a worry on us from the time they get the holidays.  You're trying to think of what else you could cut out to make sure they have everything they need

Voluntary contributions are not voluntary.  Its just another bill and if you dont pay it, your child is stigmatised

The last two years I borrowed money off the provident but I wont even be able to do that this year.

He ripped his new jumper at the end of September.  We had only been able to afford one.  We went without food to get a new one so he wouldnt be laughed at.  Its like a third world country.

 

Our proposals;

Stop further government budget cuts to our education system. 

Make school crests that can be easily affixed to supermarket bought school uniform jumpers available.  An average school jumper costs around €60 when its true value is less than a third of this price. 

Establish a book-lending scheme across all primary and secondary schools in the county.  Such a scheme should be centralised and would see books provided free of cost to schools for children’s use.

Abolish the charge for the leaving certificate, junior cert and the mocks.

Extend eligibility for the Back to School Allowance to include all families in receipt of Family Income Supplement in addition to those in receipt of social welfare.

Provide every primary school child in the state with a free lunch meal.  Its been estimated that one in five children have gone to school hungry at some point since the recession began.

Wexford County Council should begin consultation with the Department of Education, every school in the county and suppliers of electronic tablets and similar devices in order to launch Wexford as the first county to go completely over to digital learning.  If the tax on digital devices used for learning was to be removed in line with school books and attempts were made by the state to do a deal with providers of such devices, then digital learning would be considerably cheaper over the course of a child’s education.

Oppose third level fees through any guise and reform the grants system to take into account the real costs of going to college.

End the system where schools are reliant on voluntary contributions from parents by raising the capitation grants to cover the real cost of running a school.  An estimated 76% of parents are requested to make voluntary contributions to schools, amounting to €130 on average per child.  Capitation grants which pay for the day-to-day costs of running the school were reduced by 2% in 2011 and a further 1.5% last year.  These cuts combined with the freezing of the summer improvements scheme is making it increasingly difficult for schools to meet their daily running and maintenance costs.

Abolish the post primary transport scheme which unfairly discriminates against students in relation to where they live.  The cost of school transport should be capped at €100 per year, with free transport for primary school children.

End the state subsidy for private education and cap the salaries of university and college heads at €100,000.

Kelly commends customs drug seizure

A Wexford Borough Councillor has commended the customs team that seized €1.5 million of heroin in Rosslare Europort today.  Cllr Anthony Kelly said the huge haul had no doubt been destined for the towns and villages of the south east, including Wexford town which has seen a worrying increase in people seeking help for heroin addiction in recent months.

"The customs officers at Rosslare Europort have done another huge service for this county and the whole of the south east," Cllr Kelly said.  "The 10.26kg of heroin seized by them today was destined our local town and surrounding areas across the region.  This drug has been a cause of misery and death across this country and every effort to eradicate it from our community must be made."

"Recently there has been a worrying increase in people seeking help for heroin addiction in the Wexford area.  We can't hide our heads in the sand and pretend that heroin is only a problem for cities like Dublin and Limerick when it's clear that it has penetrated every town and village in the region.  This huge bust indicates the potential market that dealers believe now exists in the south east.  Local politicians need to combat the threat posed by this drug now and stop pretending that our town is somehow immune to its growth."

O' Connell calls for reopening of Duncormick Post Office

The Chairperson of County Wexford Sinn Féin has reiterated his party's call for the reopening of the village post office in Duncormick.  Oisin O' Connell, who visited the closed post office with Cllr Anthony Kelly last week, said that its continued closure was causing huge inconvenience for locals and was putting massive strain on small businesses in the area.

"Duncormick Post Office was closed without warning fourteen months ago," Mr O' Connell said.  "No explanation has ever been given by An Post.  The closure has had a shocking effect on the area.  Local businesses have seen a massive fall in custom since the post office was closed proving that it was the lifeblood of the local community."

"While visiting the village last weekend with Cllr Anthony Kelly, I was stunned by how much of an inconvenience this closure has caused to the local community.  Publican John Sinnott, whose business joins the now empty post office told me that local elderly residents have to book a taxi to travel up to eight miles to get to their next nearest post office in Bridgetown to draw their old age pension."

"The parish of Rathangan is the third largest in the diocese of Ferns and has no post office.  The neighbouring parishes of Kilmore and Bannow have three and two respectively.  Duncormick itself had a post office for one hundred and sixty years until the unexpected closure in May 2012."

"The loss of Duncormick's post office is another clear example of the erosion of services currently being witnessed across rural Ireland.  It is unacceptable that people on benefits have to hire a taxi to go collect them.  It's unacceptable that struggling rate paying businesses are sent to the wall because government services are being withdrawn from the local area.  It's unacceptable that Duncormick has gone fourteen months without these basic services or any explanation as to why they have been removed."