Latest news with #DannyHealy-Rae
Extra.ie
3 days ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Danny Healy-Rae's vote move riles up the Coalition
Danny Healy-Rae has angered Coalition leaders after calling a Dáil vote against the Government's position in an 'undemocratic and unprecedented move'. The Independent TD, a supporter of the Government, took the highly unusual step of calling a vote on a People Before Profit-Solidarity Bill to ban fox hunting at the 'first stage', when typically all pieces of legislation are allowed to proceed to 'second stage' where they can be debated. Taoiseach Micheál Martin, seemingly unaware a Government-supporting TD had called the vote, on Thursday condemned Sinn Féin for voting against the Bill passing to second stage, saying it showed a 'sense of populism' and a 'lack of backbone'. Danny Healy-Rae. Pic: Alan Rowlette/ He said that an individual TD, be it a member of a party, a backbencher or an independent, 'should have the right to at least bring legislation forward, and… to introduce it to second stage, where then there is a debate'. Mr Healy-Rae's brother Michael, the junior minister at the Department of Agriculture, was absent for the vote, while Michael Lowry – the de facto leader of the Government-supporting Regional Independent Group – also voted against. The Government is opposed to the legislation itself, but voted it through to the second stage for debate on a point of principle. Coalition sources called Mr Healy-Rae's decision to call the vote 'not just unusual', but 'unprecedented in 20 years'. Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Bloom. Pic: Liam McBurney/PA Wire A Government spokesman commented: 'The decision to call a vote on this Bill at first stage means that in effect this has become a vote on the right of a TD to table legislation. It would be undemocratic and unprecedented in the modern parliamentary era for the Government to vote down the right of a legislator to table a Bill at first stage. We are clear that the vote should not have been called at this stage, and it is not good practice for TDs to be denied their right to table bills. 'For that reason the Government will vote for the Bill at first stage but will oppose it at second stage.' At the Bloom festival in Dublin on Thursday, the Taoiseach said he was 'shocked' to hear Sinn Féin had voted against the Bill at the first stage. has asked Mr Martin's spokesman if the Taoiseach was aware Mr Healy-Rae had called the vote at the time he made those comments. A response was not received by time of publication. Danny Healy-Rae. Pic: Leon Farrell/ Mr Healy-Rae defended his position on Thursday. He told the 'Things like that I have my own knowledge and I couldn't vote at any stage for fox hunting to be banned. 'If they got away with that maybe the next time they'd stop a farmer from shooting a fox. And I know what the fox has done even to my own son this year. Wherever the ewe had two lambs, the fox took one of them. The ewe can only take care of one. So that's one of the things. That was replicated right around the place and that's pure nonsense, the foxes have taken over. 'I couldn't allow that… I knew what I was doing from the first minute with that Bill. I met one deputy that didn't know that a fox would kill a lamb. I won't say his name out of respect.' Asked who had called the 'unprecedented' vote, Mr Healy-Rae, said: 'You've got me there, I called for it… What benefit is it to allow it to go through only to vote against it anyway? Wasting money and there are important Bills sitting there in the Bills Office and to think we would clog it up further? It doesn't make common sense to me anyway.' The Bill passed to the second stage despite Mr HealyRae's opposition.
Irish Examiner
23-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Healy-Rae plant hire company earned €182,000 from Kerry County Council last year
More than €6m was paid by Kerry County Council for external machinery contracting services in 2024. Figures released on foot of a council motion for the plant hire services show the Healy-Rae company associated with TD Danny, and run by his son Johnny, a Kerry county councillor, earned over €182,000. In what is now an annual motion, Independent Killarney councillor Brendan Cronin sought the full list of plant hire and haulage contractors. Among the top earners in 2024 were Mike Cronin & Sons Limited, Coolnageragh, Currow, Co Kerry who were paid €634,562; followed by Nicholas Browne & Son Limited, Clahananoe, Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, were paid €529,829, and Eamonn & Seamus Hobbins Ltd, Coolroe, Killorglin, Co Kerry paid €497,926. A car and van rental company, Newbridge Car & Van Rental Ltd T/A Go Rentals, Newhall, Naas, Co Kildare, was paid €401,040. The company associated with Danny Healy-Rae and his son the Kerry County councillor Johnny Healy-Rae, Healy-Rae Plant Hire Ltd, Main St, Kilgarvan, Co Kerry, earned €182,730. The figure is down from just over €250,000 in 2023; Sunville Construction Ltd, of Main St, Kilgarvan, a subsidiary of Healy-Rae Plant Hire Ltd, received €21,434. Founded by the late TD Jackie Healy-Rae in 1956, the company specialises in civil engineering, haulage, site clearing, and road markings and such. It employs around 70 people. Danny Healy-Rae stepped down as a director of Healy-Rae-Plant Hire during 2024 and the company plant hire is now run by Johnny Healy-Rae and his brother Dan. Dynamic Purchasing System The hire of plant and machinery for Kerry County Council was procured through the Dynamic Purchasing System for Local Authorities (the 'DPS'), which suits small operators, the council said in a statement. 'The DPS is an 'open market' procurement mechanism that remains open to new or previously unsuccessful applicants. "This makes the DPS an effective compliant arrangement for supporting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. "This was developed by the Local Government Operational Procurement Centre, based in Killarney and managed by Kerry County Council,' the council said. The procurement arrangement 'is a wholly electronic process ' and a competitive tendering process. Pricing and machine type and rates per hour are all taken into account during what is a careful assessment by Kerry County Council. 'Ongoing achievement of cost effectiveness/value for money and focus on achieving efficiencies in this expenditure area, as in all other activities, remains critically important to the council.' Tree Cutting companies, tool hire, hedge trimmers, and waste disposal companies are also on the list of just under 60 external contractors providing services to Kerry County Council in 2024. Dillons Waste Disposal, The Kerries, Tralee, Co Kerry was paid €160,834; RT Hedge & Tree Cutting Limited, Mullin, Cordal, Co Kerry, was paid €131,184. Mr Cronin said his 'annual notice of motion' was about accountability. It was very important information for the general public to see how their money is being spent and it was to ensure the ratepayers and the public are getting value for money, Mr Cronin said. Read More Tánaiste takes responsibility following 15th pushback on children's hospital completion
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Taoiseach drawn into Fossa Road row as subject raised in Dáil
Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae told the Taoiseach that people are very upset and concerned with works being carried out between the Golden Nugget Bar and the Gap Cross outside Killarney. Deputy Healy-Rae said the works have seen the width of the carriageway reduced, while the footpaths, cycleways and grass margin are wider than the road on each side. 'There are videos of buses trying to pass each other. They have to pull in their mirrors to get by. People are concerned about the value for money. I ask that until some review, investigation or assessment is done and people are sure of what is happening, no more of this kind of work be carried out,' he said. 'It is proposed to do the same work on the N22 from the Cork side into Killarney, to eliminate and take away Daly's roundabout and to narrow the carriageway. I ask that a proper assessment and review of value for money be carried out before that happens.' The Taoiseach said he understood to some degree what Deputy Healy-Rae was saying. 'There should be a thorough evaluation of the value-for-money aspects of any of these projects and everybody should be clear on the objective,' he stated. 'Sometimes it is to provide for cyclists, but sometimes the roads are so narrow to begin with that the outcome of works makes it difficult for everybody to use such a carriageway. I have seen it myself. Some roads are historically narrow.' Deputy Healy-Rae said the section of the Fossa Road was the widest part of the route around the Ring of Kerry. 'We are looking to widen the rest of it and what did they do? They narrowed the good bit of road that we had,' he said. 'Tractors, agricultural vehicles and hauliers cannot pass each other anymore.' The Taoiseach supposed that these vehicles should not be passing each other anyway, and said he would come back to Deputy Healy-Rae and talk to him about the road. The traffic calming works ongoing on the section of the N72 are intended to slow down vehicles travelling on the route, which is adjacent to Fossa National School. The works have been the source of some controversy in recent weeks, with locals and operators of large vehicles relaying their concerns to Killarney councillors. Local representatives, speaking at last week's fiery Killarney Municipal District Meeting, proposed to Kerry County Council (KCC) that the road be widened while works are still ongoing. Frank Hartnett, director of services for roads and transportation at KCC, rebuffed the councillors' proposal for the road to be widened to 6.5m. Mr Hartnett said roads that are 6.5m wide have not seen a reduction in speed while routes that are 6m in width have been effective at slowing down traffic. He said the local authority is satisfied to continue working on the road, and that the works must align with the planning granted to it in 2022, which was subject to a public consultation. The section of the N72 will have been reduced to six metres in width when the project is largely completed by the end of July.
