Official website of Trevor Sargent, Green Party TD for Dublin North
13 May 2010
In this evenings Adjournment Debate in the Dáil, Trevor Sargent raised the issue of investment in sports and recreation facilities for young people and specifically, facilities in Balbriggan Community College. The full text of his address is below, along with the reply from Deputy Áine Brady on behalf ofDeputy Mary Coughlan, Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills. Continue reading ‘Sargent calls for investment in Balbriggan Community College’
29 April 2010
Trevor Sargent has been told that a new Social Welfare office with 18 staff, providing a full service for the area, will open in July 2010, during a debate in the Dáil with Minister Ó Cuív. The Minister added that he looks forward to officially opening the new premises in Balbriggan himself.
Local TD Trevor Sargent was granted leave to raise an urgent matter in the Dáil this week to press his government colleague Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív T.D., on the urgent need to open a full service Social Welfare office in Balbriggan which has approximately 5,700 claimants at present.
Responding to the strong case put forward by the Balbriggan-based Deputy Sargent, Minister Ó Cuív said:
“The Office of Public Works has recently acquired temporary premises in Balbriggan. The new permanent office will be a Social Welfare Local Office, operated by the Department and staffed by civil servants. The address of the new office is 18 Mill Street, Balbriggan. Staff and a Local Office Manager are in the process of being assigned to the new office.
“Work started on alterations to the premises on 6 April 2010, and a 10 week period has been allowed for structural work and fitting out. It is expected that the new premises will open at the beginning of July 2010. 18 staff are in the process of being assigned for the new office and the staffing will be kept under review.
“The new office in Balbriggan will provide a full service. New claims for Jobseeker’s Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance or One-parent Family Payment will be taken and decided. However the temporary premises is not adequate to also provide for the signing function and there are a number of options for this work being investigated by the Department at present.
“Pending the opening of the office in Balbriggan and in preparation for the move to Balbriggan, staff assigned to the new office have moved to North Cumberland Street Local Office, because there is more room there for both the staff and claimants and there are also better facilities for the training of the new staff. New claims for jobseeker payments will continue to be dealt with in Coolock for the moment and the review of claims and maintenance of claims for Balbriggan will also be dealt with there for the present.
“Once the new premises is available for occupation it will start service to Balbriggan customers.”
On hearing of the new Minister’s interest and commitment to Balbriggan, Deputy Sargent said, “I thank the Minister for stating that the new office in Balbriggan, which is to serve the north Fingal area, will be providing a full service. Given that the Minister’s grandmother, Sinead De Valera (née Flanagan) came from Balbriggan, I hope he will be visiting the town for the official opening of the new facilities.” On hearing Deputy Sargent’s comment, Minister Ó Cuív said he looked forward to the opening.
Update 14 July 2010: The new office is to open on Monday, 19 July.
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4 February 2010
Local TD and Government Minister Trevor Sargent has welcomed news that funds are being provided for housing projects for elderly and homeless people.
Commenting on the announcement today of financial support for numerous housing projects nationwide, including some in Fingal, Minister Sargent said that “despite the difficult economic situation, the government has recognised the need to look after the most vulnerable in our society and is providing the funds necessary to provide suitable housing for them.”
The grant aid of €157 million announced today by Minister for Housing and Local Services, Michael Finneran TD, includes provision for 12 housing units at Hamlet Lane in Balbriggan, 7 at St. Michael’s House in Swords and 2 units at Pinewood Green Court, Balbriggan. These are all operated by voluntary bodies which also provide a number of additional services including communal meals, laundry and security.
“In these challenging times, the role of voluntary organisations becomes even more important.” Minister Sargent continued, “I’m pleased to see that we have been able to secure for them the necessary financial support to allow them to continue their important work.”
Minister Sargent also expressed the hope that Minister Finneran would soon be issuing a call for proposals for further projects, perhaps making use of available built housing, in addition to the new build schemes already funded.
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21 January 2010
“The announcement of a three quarter of a million euro award from the Government’s Smarter Travel Projects Fund to develop cycling in Skerries and Balbriggan is cause for celebration and appreciation” said local Minister Trevor Sargent, himself a keen cyclist.
Ray Ryan of the Skerries Cycling Initiative with Minister Sargent on the occassion of the opening of Ardgillan Park to cyclists last year.
“I especially wish to thank the Skerries Cycling Initiative and Fingal County Council for running with this plan to develop a local cycling network on behalf of residents and visitors to both Skerries and Balbriggan.
“Cycling is as attractive in Fingal as in Denmark or the Netherlands. Our coastal views, our flat terrain and our reasonable cycling distances between towns and villages make Fingal an ideal area in which to cycle. Skerries is already the cycling capital of Fingal and Fingal the potential cycling capital of Ireland. Apart from that, doctors have found that the health of a regular cyclist is generally as good as an average person 10 years younger. So the message is cycle further and enjoy a healthier and longer life” said Minister Sargent.
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Minister Sargent signs in with his message on the electronic message board on arriving at the Young Scientist Expo at the RDS.
18 January 2010
Minister for Food & Horticulture and local T.D., Trevor Sargent, has requested his government colleague, Mr Batt O’Keeffe, T.D., Minister for Education and Science, to assist with the provision of a new Irish language post-primary school in North County Dublin, given the number of Irish language medium primary schools now operating in the area. With Balbriggan, Swords, Kinsealy and Rush and Lusk at primary level all producing pupils seeking an Irish medium post-primary school it is clear that the demand for such a post primary school is continuing to grow in the area.
Following representations from Minister Sargent to Minister O’Keeffe, the Minister for Education and Science replied, “overall post-primary accommodation requirements in the Balbriggan area, including the case for the provision of a new Irish language post-primary school, will be considered.”
In response, Minister Sargent said that “the success of Irish language schools in the area and the clear demand from parents for their children to be educated through the medium of Irish points to the need for a post-primary secondary school not just for the primary schools in North County Dublin, but also for nearby schools such as the Irish language medium primary school in Drogheda.”
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21 December 2009
Minister Trevor Sargent, TD for Dublin North, has welcomed confirmation from Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe that an extension at Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan has got the go-ahead.
Minister Sargent said, ‘I welcome this additional cause for celebration in the run up to Christmas for the whole community involved with Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan. The approval for the Stage 2B submission for this project is a decision I have pushed for as a matter of urgency given the huge demand for places in the school. The high standard of education in Loreto can now continue into the future. As a former Principal and teacher this is very important to me.’
11 December 2009
Minister Sargent visited the Balbriggan branch of Bank of Ireland today to speak at a breakfast meeting organised by the bank as part of their ‘Show your Business’ week.
The ‘Show your business’ week is a nation-wide initiative, organised by the bank to promote and encourage small local businesses. Since the last similar event held earlier this year, the number of businesses that participated in Balbriggan has risen by fifty percent.
Despite pressing Oireachtas commitments, the Minister took time to review many of the products and services on display in the bank. He complemented the Manager of the bank, Eoin Kelly and his staff for their energy and commitment in promoting and organising the event.
For Information (supplied by Bank of Ireland):
Those customers who attended our final day breakfast gathering for BOI Balbriggan’s SHOW YOUR BUSINESS week were :
1. Jacinta El Masri – Classic Car Accessories
2. Jude Ennis – SportWorks
3. Naill Keady – Mobile Media Store
4. Tom Walsh – Tristar Travel
5. Frank Coghlan – The Suit Tux Warehouse
6. Conor O’Neill – O’Neill Opticians
7. Edward Breen – SuperSavers Opticians
Others involved in the week were – Bagel Bar, Apache Pizza, Exile Clothing, Nouveau Bathrooms, Jack Murphy Fashion Wear, Salon Viva Vita Bella, G&M Tiling, The Cake Shop, Saffron Indian Restaurant, Sheridan Kitchens, DORO Handcrafted Jewellery, CastleMill Meats & Devlins Cycle & Angling Store to name but a few.
20 November 2009
Local TD and Minister for Food and Horticulture, Trevor Sargent, launched a very successful inaugural meeting of ‘Grow it Yourself’ Balbriggan in the Bracken Court Hotel last night. GIY networks aims to encourage home growers to get together on a regular basis to talk, learn from each other and exchange tips. The meetings are free and open to people interested in food at all levels, from beginners to old hands.
The Minister said, ‘The packed attendance at the first meeting of GIY Balbriggan highlights the enormous interest and potential for people with small gardens, or indeed no gardens, to grow some of their own food.’
Michael Kelly, the founder of GIY Ireland, told the large crowd about other GIY groups setting up in every county in Ireland. He also invited people to log on to www.giyireland.com, which will also be the place where people can get news about GIY Balbriggan along with other groups in towns and villages throughout the country.
The Minister continued, ‘I want to particularly thank Seán Corrigan, and his daughters Maeve and Helen, who undertook the organising and stewarding of the meeting. I’m available to help the new steering group in every way as a local TD, enthusiastic vegetable and fruit grower and as Minister for Food and Horticulture.’
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He continued, ‘There has been a very good reaction to these services from the travelling public. As such, during the next three weeks, I’m assured that they will monitor use of these services and will evaluate the requirement for the retention of some or all of these departures depending on customer usage.’
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