KERRY TD John Brassil has written to Ger Reaney of the Cork and Kerry Community Healthcare Organisation and demanded an immediate meeting with the HSE about the cuts to disability services in Kerry.
He said Fianna Fail have committed to reversing the cuts in their election manifesto and increasing spending on the sector by €20 million.
Letters have been been sent this month to local providers by the HSE outlining a nationwide 0.7% cut in funding.
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This amounts to cuts in the region of €60,000 for the Kerry Friends and Parents Association and €160,000 for the St Mary of the Angels.
John Brassil said he has had a lot of involvement with groups like the Kerry Friends and Parents Association and has seen first-hand the good work that these organisations do.
“I have been speaking with the families who will be impacted by these cuts and they are furious. They are already running vital services on a shoestring and these cuts are simply not fair. Fianna Fail have given a commitment to reverse these cuts and to properly fund disability services in Kerry adding a further 20 million euro to the national budget.
Amongst the measure that Fianna Fail has promised in its manifesto include the introduction of a 10 euro disability payment; increased personal assistance hours, increased housing adaption grants, extension of the free travel scheme to children in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance and 20 million annually in additional funding
FIANNA Fáil TD for Kerry John Brassil has described the number of children and young people on waiting lists for orthodontic assessment and treatment across Kerry and Cork as unacceptable.
Figures released to Fianna Fáil reveal that 2,170 young people are waiting on orthodontic treatment across Cork and Kerry, with a further 1,496 waiting for an assessment.
Deputy Brassil said; “I am absolutely appalled by these latest figures, which merely confirm the dire situation that Fine Gael has left our health system in. It’s appalling that there are now more than 3,500 children and teenagers waiting for an appointment, but worse is the fact that so many of them are waiting years to be seen. There are 162 under 18s waiting more than three years.”
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“Staffing is most definitely a factor. There are only two consultant orthodontists covering all of Cork and Kerry. There is no way that that is sufficient to cope with the demand on services – and these figures are clear evidence of this.
“I have real concerns about the outcomes for these kids and teenagers. Based on these figures, a 14 year old needing orthodontic intervention could be 17 or 18 by the time they get called for an appointment. That is simply unacceptable. These should be routine appointments,” said Deputy Brassil.
FIANNA Fail election candidate John Brassil has hit out at what he describes as a lack of interest in Kerry road projects by the last government.
Speaking as he launched his 2020 election campaign, Brassil described the lack of progress on the proposed 27 kilometre Killarney Bypass as unforgivable.
“This is one of the biggest issues facing residents in Killarney as they head into another busy tourism season. They need action, not words. Action which was promised last May. This is one of the biggest tourist towns in the country which comes to a standstill with heavy traffic at peak times during the season.
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“Tourism brings in millions of euros to Kerry every year and Killarney is at the epicentre of that growth. If services, locals and tourists can’t get around because they are stuck in continual traffic, the town starts to feel it.
“I want to make this road a priority. The 200-million-euro bypass would be the biggest ever undertaken in Kerry and I think it would show the ambition we have to grow our local economy, create more jobs and continue to make Kerry a great place to visit.
Brassil has called for urgent talks with Transport Infrastructure Ireland to discuss moving this road project forward and has vowed it will be a key priority for a Fianna Fail led government, should the public place their trust in them.
FIANNA Fáil TD for Kerry, Deputy John Brassil, has written to the Road Safety Authority to establish if the agency can devise a driving licence app which would override the need for people to carry their driving licence with them at all times.
Deputy Brassil put forward the idea in response to a proposal from Minister Shane Ross, which could see drivers automatically receiving three penalty points for failing to produce their driving licence if stopped by a Garda.
The current law allows Gardaí to use discretion and in the majority of cases, drivers are given 10 days to present to a Garda station with their licence without incurring a fine.
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“Shane Ross’s proposal is completely over the top and will penalise drivers unnecessarily. There could be a range of simple explanations for a driver not having their licence on them, but this blanket penalty will needlessly punish drivers. It’s just another example of Minister Ross making legislation on the hoof, without thinking it through,” said Deputy Brassil.
“We should be making life simpler for good drivers and I believe we should be looking at alternative solutions to the current hard copy driving licence. In this digital age, I believe it should be possible for the RSA in conjunction with the National Driver Licence Service to devise an app that people can have on their phones – in essence a digital version of their driving licence.
“Most people carry their phones with them when out and about so it makes sense to be that a driving licence app could be used, which would make it much easier for drivers to ensure that they have their licence with them. I have written to the Road Safety Authority and look forward to engaging with them on this issue”.
FIANNA Fáil TD for Kerry John Brassil is warning that more patients will be facing long waits on hospital trolleys this winter unless the government begins tackling the issue of delayed discharges.
Deputy Brassil said that following inquiries, more than 3,000 bed days have been lost at University Hospital Kerry so far this year.
The latest INMO figures show that more than 3,000 people have been treated on trolleys at UHK in 2019.
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“The health system, home support crisis, and capacity issues in hospitals are all linked,” said Deputy Brassil. “The simple fact is that we do not have enough home support hours or step-down facilities, and as a result, acute hospital beds are filled for longer than they should be, and Emergency Department wait times grow.”
“It’s an all too common practice for patients, who are perfectly well, to be kept in hospital because there is no step-down facility or home care support available to them. This government needs to wake up to the seriousness of this crisis. The solution is relatively simple, and will in the longer term, actually save the State money. If we had proper step-down facilities and home care supports, we could free up capacity in our hospitals and vastly reduce the trolley figures.”
“Unless urgent measures are taken, we will be facing a rise in the number of people waiting on trolleys, and healthy people being kept in hospital because the supports are not in place to allow them to be discharged. This winter could be the worst we’ve seen to date”, warned Deputy Brassil.
FIANNA Fáil TD for Kerry, John Brassil, says new figures from the Department of Justice reveal that Kerry is not getting its fair share of Garda resources.
The stats – which outline what divisions recently qualified Gardaí were allocated to – show that over the past four years 41 Gardaí have been assigned to Kerry.
Deputy Brassil explained; “I have been warning for some time that we need to see serious investment in Garda resources in Kerry. Under Fine Gael, we have seen the closure of a number of Garda stations, with the promise of “smart” policing – something which has yet to materialise. Communities across Kerry – particularly in rural areas – are genuinely worried about the lack of Garda resources in their area,” he said.
“The figures released to Fianna Fáil, while unsurprising, make for worrying reading. Only 41 new Garda recruits have been assigned to the Kerry division since 2015 – out of a total of 2,361. That’s less than 2%. Given the fact that over 3% of the population live in Kerry, the number of Gardaí allocated to the county falls well below what it should be. In fact, based on the current population, Kerry should’ve received at least 70 new recruits over the past four years.
“There is no doubt that Garda resources in Kerry are anywhere near where they should be. These figures merely support that reasoning. I will be following up with the Justice Minster to ensure that Kerry gets its fair share of resources when the next allocations are made,” concluded Deputy Brassil.
THOUSANDS of parents and students may be missing out on valuable tax relief on qualifying third level fees because they are not claiming it, according to Fianna Fáil TD for Kerry, John Brassil.
Deputy Brassil was speaking after his party received figures from the Ministers for Finance and Education & Skills which point to a significant under claiming of this tax relief.
“It seems to me that the level of awareness of the tax relief that applies to certain third level fees is quite low and as a result millions of euro of tax relief is not being claimed by parents and students. In the 2015/16 academic year, some 94,000 students paid fees in excess of the Student Contribution Charge whereas there were less than 24,000 claims for tax relief.
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“Tax relief is given at the standard rate of 20% on a maximum of €7,000 of fees per person per course. The relief is available on certain full-time or part-time undergraduate or postgraduate courses at private and publicly funded colleges. The relief can be claimed by the person paying the fees.
“While there is no tax relief on the first €3,000 of any claim (including the Student Contribution Charge), many parents do not realise that there is tax relief on the Student Contribution Charge payable for second and subsequent children in the same year. In other words, a single disregard of €3,000 applies to a claim relating to qualifying undergraduate course fees irrespective of how many children are being claimed for.
“We are approaching a very expensive time for families who have students starting or returning to third level college in the autumn. Many of them will be facing massive accommodation costs over the year ahead. They would be well advised to familiarise themselves with the rules around tax relief on third-level fees as they could well be missing out significant tax relief,” concluded Brassil.
KERRY’S Fianna Fáil TD has written to the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Cork-Kerry Hospital Group to outline his very serious concerns about the ability of University Hospital Kerry to carry out its functions.
Deputy John Brassil wrote the letter in the context of the lack of key personnel which he claims makes it very difficult for the hospital to function in a safe and efficient manner.
“We currently do not have a consultant cardiologist, the last remaining consultant pathologist is leaving the hospital, and the hospital has only one consultant geriatrician.
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“Two very important units, the stroke and diabetes units are barely operational due to a lack of key staff. UHK is at crisis point. It cannot be allowed to continue, and unless the Cork-Kerry Hospital Group, and the wider HSE, get its act together, patient safety will continue to be put at risk.”
“In my letter to the COO, I argue that if there are staff shortages, and especially clinical staff shortages, at a certain hospital, it is the responsibility of the Hospital Group to step in and alleviate the pressure.
“This situation cannot be allowed to continue. The Hospital Group must urgently intervene or we risk putting the lives and wellbeing of patients at risk,” said Brassil.
KERRY’S Fianna Fáil Deputy, John Brassil says the Government is continuing to fail Kerry children with disabilities after it emerged that 50% of all long waiters for assessments are in Kerry and Cork alone.
“At what point is Minister Finian McGrath going to fulfil his role as Disabilities’ Minister and deal with the unacceptable delays in Assessment of Needs (AONs) for Kerry children with disabilities?” asked Deputy Brassil.
Deputy Brassil was commenting after receiving fresh data from the HSE on the number of children waiting for an Assessment of Need in Kerry and Cork is 1,795.
“To make matters worse, 9 in 10 are now overdue by over three months. How is this acceptable? There is a statutory obligation on the HSE, under the 2005 Disability Act, to ensure that AONs take place within three months of an application being received.
“Minister McGrath’s delivery of progress on this issue leads me to believe that he is not being forceful enough with his Fine Gael colleagues in Government.
“Until children with disabilities receive their AON report, they are unable to receive the full therapeutic supports needed to enable them lead normal lives. However, waiting times for AONs continue to rise and in Kerry, children with disabilities are faring much worse than the national average.
“Why are 50% of the total number of children nationally waiting longer than 12 months in Cork and Kerry alone? Minister McGrath must identify why assessments are not being completed on time and what additional resources are needed to reduce the waiting times for children and their families,” concluded Brassil.
FIANNA Fáil TD for Kerry, John Brassil, has strongly criticised the Government after new information compiled by Fianna Fáil reveals there has been a decrease in the number of dedicated traffic corps members in the Kerry Garda Division since 2009.
According to their figures, the Kerry Garda Division is down by 17, from 35 to 18, a 49% decrease. Nationally, there has been a 42% decrease.
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“The Garda Traffic Corp is directly responsible for the full enforcement of road traffic legislation and to assisting the free flow of traffic in and around the county,” said Deputy Brassil.
“Despite there being a significant increase in the numbers using our road network with more road users including cyclists and motorists, the number of dedicated Gardaí policing our roads has fallen.
“Kerry has a large number of big towns and busy villages. There is a need to have a fully functioning and equipped Garda Traffic Corps in the county. It makes no sense to me to see such a large drop in the last decade in the total number of Gardaí dedicated to traffic matters,” he added.
“While operational and deployment matters are the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner, it is the Minister for Justice’s responsibility to set the government’s priorities and ensure the right level of resources,” concluded Brassil.
Fianna Fáil TD for the Kerry constituency, John Brassil, was selected to run for the party in the next General Election by party delegates last night at the convention in Ballygarry House Hotel.
He received 465 first preference votes from Fianna Fáil delegates, which saw him elected on the third count when he exceeded the quota of 506.
Cllr Thomas McEllistrim was in second place with 256 votes, while Cllr Michael Cahill was next with 119 first preferences. Cllr Norma Moriarty received 104 votes and Cllr Michael O’Shea got 66.
AT an special house in Killerisk, newly elected Fianna Fáil TD, John Brassil, helped launch Organ Donor Awareness Week which runs from April 2-9.
The purpose of the week is to raise awareness of the Irish Kidney Association and the importance of carrying a donor card.
The launch took place at the holiday home run by Kerry branch of the Irish Kidney Association for patients on dialysis.
Newly elected TD, John Brassil’s late father Noel was on kidney dialysis for a number of years. In 1999 he received a transplant which unfortunately was unsuccessful and he passed away later on that year.
“The work done by the Irish Kidney Association is fantastic,” said Deputy Brassil. “Now in my role as a new TD, I will do everything I can to promote the association,” he said.
John’s father Noel was a former Cathaoirleach of Kerry of Kerry County Council. One year before he passed away he took part in the St Patrick’s Day parade in New York as Mayor of Kerry.
This was made possible due to the work of the Irish Kidney Association who organised dialysis for him while he was in America.
The Irish Kidney Association in Kerry run a holiday home for dialysis patients, the only one of its kind in Ireland, at Castlelawn in Killerisk.
“We saw a need in Kerry as a holiday destination where people on dialysis could visit free of charge,” said Patient Support Officer on the Irish Kidney association in Kerry, Theresa Looney.
The service runs from April to October and invites a new family each week to come and stay free of charge.
The four-bedroom-house in Killierisk is over-subscribed every year and is of huge benefit for people all over Ireland who come to stay.
The house is also used for therapies, counselling and group meetings. Patients with long commutes to and from Kerry University Hospital stay over at the house which eases the stress and strain of travel.
Organ donation received massive publicity during the week after the video of Killorglin man, Brian O’Sullivan, paying tribute to his late friend Ger Foley, who had two lung transplants, went viral.
The star of the video has since reminded people of the importance of carrying a donor card with them at all times.
“The amount of awareness it created was huge, you couldn’t buy the publicity,” said Theresa Looney. “After receiving a double lung transplant Ger went on to live an normal life as possible, he was able to get married and have children,” she added.
However, the medication that Ger Foley took following the double lung transplant over time damaged his kidneys and as a result he was put on a waiting list for a kidney.
For more information on donor cards, or if you wish to contact the Irish Kidney Association, you can visit their website HERE or contact Theresa Looney by email – tlooney@eircom.net. You can also call the Irish Donor Network on LoCall: 1890-543 639.
IT looks like Michael Healy Rae and Martin Ferris formed some sort of pact at the Office Chair Racing event on The Mall this afternoon.
The lighthearted fun, organised by Tralee Chamber Alliance in aid of St Vincent de Paul, was lit up by a ‘coalition’ between the two Kerry TDs.
In one of the races, Michael got off his chair and pushed the Sinn Féin Deputy at great speed to the finish line.
It was a fun moment in an event which is proving very popular in its second year. In an earlier race, the two were joined by Fianna Fáil councillor and general election candidate, John Brassil and Labour councillor Graham Spring as you can see in the video below.
I’m afraid Cllr Brassil didn’t read the rules properly as he turned his chair around and got an unfair advantage over his opponents, but was duly disqualified. He’ll need that ruthless streak in a few months time!
The final was won by Paul Keane from Denis Moriarty Civil Engineering and we’ll have a video and photos tomorrow.
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KERRY Library re-launched their website this week after undergoing a redesign by the IT department of Kerry County Council.
Mayor of Kerry, Cllr John Brassil, was on hand on Thursday afternoon to officially unveil this updated service to the public.
“It’s an improvement on the services already offered by the Kerry library which is outlet for people all over Kerry,” said Cllr John Brassil.
“The Kerry library is going from strength to strength. Where other councils have cut their budgets in the hard times because they felt it was a non-critical service, in Kerry we’ve always seen it as being a vital service that we provide. I’m very glad that we’ve funded as it always should be funded,” said Cllr Brassil.
“Knowledge broadens the mind, so a good library service is very important to the population,” he said.
New features include: Up to date Facebook and Twitter feeds for library information and events, a monthly top title feature, Interactive map of Mobile Library routes and online membership application.
The Kerry Library website received 75,156 hits in 2014. There were also 66,245 usages of online sources, such as current national and international, newspapers and languages online.
The library’s Facebook page has 495 likes while on Twitter it has 1,497 followers and growing.