Balancing payments for farmers in Galway and Mayo under the 2014 Single Farm Payment Scheme will begin on 1st December. The payments totalling €35.99 million in Galway and €26.6 million in Mayo will benefit 10,906 farmers in Galway and 10,286 in Mayo. These payments are an essential part of many farmers’ budgets. Farmers in Galway… Continue Reading
JobsPlus ‐ the incentive scheme to encourage businesses to recruit long term unemployed – has benefited 290 people in Galway and Mayo since its introduction in July 2013. In Galway 157 companies are participating in the scheme providing employment to 194 jobseekers while in Mayo 73 companies are providing employment for 96 jobseekers under the… Continue Reading
The HSE Service Plan for 2015 has been published by Minister for Health, Leo Vardakar, and contains a welcome increase of €25 million in funding as well as a number of important projects at the Saolta Hospital Group in the West. After many years of significant reductions, there is a modest increase in funding for… Continue Reading
On Wednesday I chaired a meeting of the Fine Gael Committee on Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on the plans for commemorating the 1916 Rising and its legacy. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys attended the meeting and outlined the various plans for ‘Ireland 2016’. The Government has also appointed Mr… Continue Reading
This week agreement was secured between the Government and the European Commission on Ireland’s Partnership Agreement for the European Structural and Investment Funds. There are five main funds which aim to promote sustainable economic development on a regional basis. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) European Social Fund (ESF) Cohesion Fund (CF) European Agricultural Fund for… Continue Reading