Latest news with #FineGael
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Compulsory purchase order system to be reformed — eight years after overhaul was recommended
The Government is moving to reform the compulsory purchase order (CPO) system eight years after an overhaul was recommended. Legislation introduced by Fine Gael's James Geoghegan seeks to streamline the process and reduce the current 18-month timeframe. Mr Geoghegan said the existing laws predate the foundation of the State and are fragmented, outdated, and overly complex. "It causes unnecessary delays, inflates costs, and slows down the very projects we urgently need — from new homes to vital infrastructure," the Dublin TD said. The legislation will streamline the CPO process, provide legal clarity, and reduce timelines which Mr Geoghegan said will make it easier to deliver the infrastructure needed at a national scale. It is expected that the bill would see the CPO process reduced by six months with the possibility of it being reduced to below one year in the future. "Research from the Department of Finance shows that a six-month delay can reduce the return on a project from 10% to 8% and a 12-month delay pushes it down to just 6%," Mr Geoghegan said. "That 40% drop is enough to make some projects unbuildable. We cannot allow bureaucracy to kill off good development." Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan said the system 'causes unnecessary delays, inflates costs, and slows down the very projects we urgently need'. Judicial review and CPO uncertainty are already driving up the cost of major projects that require CPOs for land acquisition such as the Shannon Water Pipeline, he said. Uisce Éireann has cited the risk of both judicial review and CPO-related delays as "major cost drivers" in terms of the Shannon project. The bill will also support faster housing delivery and unlock vacant buildings making it a key step towards tackling the housing crisis, Mr Geoghegan said. Under the Dereliction Sites Act, local authorities can CPO premises but this legislation would provide "stronger tools" in dealing with the vacant and derelict site registers. "Recent data shows over 12,000 residential and commercial units [in Dublin] lie empty and shockingly, 40% have been vacant for more than four years," Mr Geoghegan said. "These buildings could be transformed into badly needed homes." Another element of the bill involves providing compensation upfront to landowners who would get market value for the land. The final piece of the bill is consolidating over 70 pieces of legislation that deal with the area of CPO, Mr Geoghegan said, acknowledging that it will require a "significant body of work" by the Department of Justice.
Extra.ie
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
PJ Gallagher would run for President on one condition
We're at the time of year where everyone who is anyone is being asked on whether they'll run for Áras, and PJ Gallagher is the latest to 'rule himself out.' The comic and presenter made the admission on his radio show on Wednesday morning, revealing what one thing could potentially change his mind. To date, Fine Gael candidate Mairead McGuinness and independent TD Catherine Connolly have confirmed they will launch campaigns to become the next president. We're at the time of year where everyone who is anyone is being asked on whether they'll run for Áras, and PJ Gallagher is the latest to 'rule himself out.' Pic: Instagram With plenty of speculation as to who else could throw their hat in the ring, PJ Gallagher and his Radio Nova co-host Jim McCabe had their say on some celebrity candidates. Jim said: 'Michael Flatley was being rumoured to be considering a run and we just thought, look, an auld celebrity candidate is never a bad thing just to keep the general interest up' PJ added that it 'puts a bit of spice' into the campaign. With plenty of speculation as to who else could throw their hat in the ring, PJ Gallagher and his Radio Nova co-host Jim McCabe had their say on some celebrity candidates. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock Jim went on to share that listeners to the show had text in putting Johnny Logan's name out there, before then asking PJ was he in or out. 'I am ruling myself out,' PJ confirmed, 'Both Jim and me are ruling out a dual-presidency and until there is a dual presidency.' 'And we are adamant in that,' Jim added with a laugh, 'We will not accept the presidency until it's a dual presidency and we've established what way the Áras will be split up and who gets which bits.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Radio Nova 100 (@radionova100) 'As long as Jim gets to do the awkward parties and I get to just hang around the house,' PJ said. The conversation led Jim to put fellow broadcaster Pat Kenny's name forward, noting he would be a 'great President.' 'Yeah,' PJ said before launching into an impression of the former Late Late Show host. Jim said Pat was a 'very articulate' man who 'holds himself well.' Pic: G. McDonnell / Jim said Pat was a 'very articulate' man who 'holds himself well.' PJ continued with his impression of the broadcaster, with Jim admitting Kenny for President would be 'worth it just to see the presidential addresses.' 'People of Ireland,' the pair said, exaggerating the pronunciation so to sound like Pat. A new President will be elected later in the year as Michael D Higgins steps down from the role after 14 years at the helm. The current favourite to take over is former MEP Mairead McGuinness, who is currently running unopposed for Fine Gael after Seán Kelly confirmed he would not be seeking a nomination from the party.
Extra.ie
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Dustin the Turkey to 'run for Irish presidency'
Dustin the Turkey plans to 'give back' to the people of Ireland by running to replace Michael D Higgins as the nation's next president. The iconic turkey has announced his intention to run for the position and is prepared to challenge Fine Gael candidate Mairead McGuinness and independent TD Catherine Connolly after their recent campaign confirmations. Dustin told RTE Entertainment: 'Look, I'll be honest with you – I am willing to move to a smaller property, I will go to the Phoenix Park and I will embrace it. Olympic boxer and brand ambassador Jack Marley with Dustin the Turkey at the relaunch of Chadwicks Sallynoggin. Pic: Conor McCabe Photography 'I can do stupid poems in Irish like your man, Mickey D Higgins, and funny enough, Michael D said to me, 'Dustin, you should go for it and I'll leave my wardrobe here at Áras an Uachtaráin because it is the exact same size, it will fit you', so I can just go straight up. 'Now, he has bit more of a Ned Kelly then me but I'd be straight into Áras an Uachtaráin and you know, my First Lady, or Vogue Williams as she is known, would be great, too.' This is not the first time Dustin has declared his intention to be Ireland's head of state. In 1997, the singer and tv host ran against Mary Robinson in an ultimately unsuccessful bid for office. He continued: 'The short answer is of course I will be running for the presidency, I am not ruling myself out because the people of Ireland have been good to me and I should be giving back to them. 'I ran against Mary Robinson and she was a good president but she put a light in the window and left the door open and that's a dangerous thing to do on the north side. 'Then we had Mary McAleese and then we nearly had a lad from Cavan, that's how bad this country was getting but Mickey D stepped in and I think he was a good president apart from the stupid poems as Gaeilge but he is a good, honest man.' Dustin the Turkey also ran for presidency in 1997. Pic: RTÉ Dustin announced his ambitions while opening the newly refurbished branch of hardware shop Chadwicks in his native Sallynoggin, Dublin. The veteran bird is supporting his local hardware shop as a way of repaying the neighbourhood that raised him before he gained fame as the host of RTE kids show 'The Den'. Dustin added: 'The people of Sallynoggin raised me. It is one of those communities where you can leave your back door open. Now, you'll get robbed, but you can leave your back door open. They'll even rob the back door. 'When Chadwicks told me they were refurbin', I put in a tender for it, right? But apparently, some Eastern European builders got it because they turn up in time and charge a fair price and come back if there's anything wrong with the job.' Despite his big ambitions, Dustin is not limiting his campaigning to just the Irish presidency. He believes he could fall back on the vacant Liveline position left open by the recent departure of Joe Duffy, should his Áras bid fall through. He said: 'Me and Joe get on well. Joe was the ringmaster of a circus full of clowns and I'd be able to continue that on Liveline. You get all the nuts and madsters coming on and you just say, 'dear god, dear god, dear god . . . I don't know what to do' and you get a quarter a million a year. It's that simple.'
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Catherine Connolly formally announces bid to seek election for presidency
Independent TD Catherine Connolly has formally announced her bid to seek election for the presidency. The left-wing Galway West representative said she did not make the decision overnight and was doubtful enough about the move, but was convinced by the correspondence she got from people asking her to run. She outlined the reasons why she decided to run and her vision for the presidency while speaking on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta Adhmhaidin programme. 'I was taken aback by the support I received, I wasn't expecting that level of support from people across the country, in English and Irish,' she said speaking in Irish. READ MORE She said she was independent, was 'not afraid to speak out' and outlined her vision for the role. 'I will give an ear to everyone, I worked as a clinical psychologist for seven years, and then I worked as a barrister. From that experience I can hear everyone's opinion.' On Tuesday, Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness became the first official nominee in the presidential race to replace Michael D Higgins after his term comes to an end in the autumn. Ms McGuinness, who was a TV presenter and farming journalist before becoming an MEP and EU commissioner, is the nominee to become Fine Gael's presidential candidate. The election to succeed Mr Higgins is set to take place in late October or early November. Prospective candidates need the support of 20 Oireachtas members to get on the ballot paper. Fianna Fáil has not clarified if it will run a candidate and is to make a decision in the early autumn. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also refused to rule herself out of the running. Ms Connolly has received the backing of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, with the Labour Party to 'very seriously' consider backing her. Ms Connolly worked as a barrister and a clinical psychologist before becoming a councillor for 17 years and spending a term as Galway mayor until 2005. She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006 after being turned down to be a running mate of then incumbent TD Michael D Higgins. She was first elected to the Dáil as an independent candidate for Galway West in 2016. Speaking on Wednesday, she said she did not 'fall out' with the Labour Party and said she understood that Labour and Sinn Féin were considering support her, adding she already had the support of more than 20 Oireachtas members. Asked about who would pay for her campaign, she said the parties that have backed her 'were happy' to give her any support she needs, but the details had not yet been worked out. She was also asked about her stance on the war in Ukraine – about the suggestion that she did not clap during Volodymyr Zelenskiy's address to the Dáil in April 2022 and whether Ukraine should be sent arms by other countries. She said she had criticised Russia 'many times' and was despondent about the failure of diplomacy in relation to the conflict, but that does not give Russia 'any excuse'. She said she did clap for Mr Zelenskiy in April 2022 but said some journalists reckoned her applause 'did not go on long enough or was not strong enough'. She added: 'I want us to use our voice as a neutral country. I am very worried about the direction Europe, the US and other countries are going in. More war does not bring about peace, that is not the way. 'We're a small country with a particular history and we should use that experience and influence, not just in relation to Russia, but in relation to Israel and Gaza too.' - PA
BreakingNews.ie
11 hours ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Catherine Connolly confirms presidential campaign
Independent TD Catherine Connolly has said she will seek to become the next President. The left-wing Galway West representative said she did not make the decision overnight and was doubtful enough about the move, but was convinced by the correspondence she got from people asking her to run. Advertisement She outlined the reasons why she decided to run and her vision for the presidency while speaking on RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta's programme Adhmhaidin. 'I was taken aback by the support I received, I wasn't expecting that level of support from people across the country, in English and Irish,' she said speaking in Irish. She said she was independent, was 'not afraid to speak out' and outlined her vision for the role. She added: 'I will give an ear to everyone, I worked as a clinical psychologist for seven years, and then I worked as a barrister. From that experience I can hear everyone's opinion.' Advertisement On Tuesday, Mairead McGuinness became the first official nominee in the presidential race to replace Michael D Higgins after his term comes to an end in the autumn. Ms McGuinness, who was a TV presenter and farming journalist before becoming an MEP and EU commissioner, is the nominee to become Fine Gael's presidential candidate. Prospective candidates need the support of 20 Oireachtas members to get on the ballot paper. Fianna Fáil, the party with the most TDs in the Dáil, has not clarified if it will run a candidate and is to make a decision in the early autumn. Advertisement Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has also refused to rule herself out of the running. Ms Connolly has received the backing of the Social Democrats and People Before Profit, with the Labour Party to 'very seriously' consider backing her. Left-wing independent Ms Connolly worked as a barrister and a clinical psychologist before becoming a councillor for 17 years and spending a term as Galway mayor until 2005. She resigned from the Labour Party in 2006 after being turned down to be a running mate of then incumbent TD Michael D Higgins. Advertisement She was first elected to the Dáil as an independent candidate for Galway West in 2016. Speaking on Wednesday, she said she did not 'fall out' with the Labour Party and said she understood that Labour and Sinn Féin were considering support her, adding she already had the support of more than 20 Oireachtas members. Asked about who would pay for her campaign, she said the parties that have backed her 'were happy' to give her any support she needs, but the details had not yet been worked out. She was also asked about her stance on the war in Ukraine – about the suggestion that she did not clap during Volodymyr Zelenskiy's address to the Dáil in April 2022 and whether Ukraine should be sent arms by other countries. Advertisement She said she had criticised Russia 'many times' and was despondent about the failure of diplomacy in relation to the conflict, but that does not give Russia 'any excuse'. Explained Explained: Who is presidential candidate Catherine... Read More She said she did clap for Mr Zelenskiy in April 2022 but said some journalists reckoned her applause 'did not go on long enough or was not strong enough'. She added: 'I want us to use our voice as a neutral country. I am very worried about the direction Europe, the US and other countries are going in. More war does not bring about peace, that is not the way. 'We're a small country with a particular history and we should use that experience and influence, not just in relation to Russia, but in relation to Israel and Gaza too.'
