Picking on rural Ireland

LAOIS/OFFALY TD BRIAN STANLEY ON BUDGET 2012 | ANTI-RURAL BUDGET CUTS AND TAXES

BY MARK MOLONEY

Sinn Féin TD for Laois/Offaly Brian Stanley

IN FEBRUARY 2011, just ahead of the general election, the Labour Party issued a number of statements on the issue of ‘Rural Renewal’. They said that “for far too long the establishment had closed the door and neglected rural Ireland”. Labour claimed that a change of strategy was needed to “help renew local communities” and “help rebuild our country”. At around the same time, Fine Gael “reiterates its commitment to rural Ireland, the future of the family farm and agricultural Ireland”.
Quite how the Government can square these commitments with the recent Budget cuts is unclear. A particularly important initiative, one used by more than 22,000 people, is the Community Employment (CE) scheme. These initiatives employ long-term unemployed people on a part-time basis, offer training and education services, upskilling and help to get people back to work while providing essential services in local areas. The funding for educational and material grants for CE schemes has been cut by two thirds (66%). Such a drastic attack on the programme has resulted in widespread anger and the Government has claimed it will carry out a “review” of the cuts.
Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley (Laois/Offaly) suspects this is just a holding exercise by Government to let the steam run out of protests.
“These schemes exist because the services they provide are not being provided by the private or public sector. These include youth and drugs projects, resource centres, meals-on-wheels and even transport.”
“Social Protection Minister Joan Burton has buckled under pressure but the devil is in the detail and this review could just be a case of prolonging the ultimate demise of these schemes.”
“I’d like to know the criteria for this review and who is doing it,” he said, “because if it’s bureaucrats from FÁS or the Department of Social Protection they wouldn’t have a clue about the needs of these communities. If it’s simply an accountancy process then they would just simply be kicking closures down the line till later and that is totally unacceptable. There shouldn’t be any ifs, buts or reviews, they should just stop the cuts and allow these CE schemes to continue. CE schemes are tried and tested.”
Deputy Stanley also pointed out the hypocrisy of Fianna Fáil, who brought forward a motion on the issue of cuts to rural communities in the Dáil on 13 December.
“It shows just how opportunistic Fianna Fáil are. When they were in government they withdrew services from rural communities and stunted public service growth in infrastructure, transport, education and business. Now they are coming back saying this Budget is wielding a cosh on rural Ireland. This is simply a continuation of their policies.”
The complete incompetence of Fianna Fáil along with the other major parties is brought sharply into focus when you look at the new Septic Tanks Bill, which requires rural dwellers to register their septic tanks and upgrade them to EU standards, standards which were drawn up by the EU in 1975 but never acted upon.
“Consecutive governments have failed abysmally to deal with this. And now the Exchequer is being threatened with massive fines by the EU for non-compliance because of downright negligence from Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour and the Greens. They have all been in power since 1975 and have failed to deal with it.
“The regulations were strengthened in 2009 and the EU are now saying ‘We’re going to fine you’. So alarm bells are going off in Government Buildings and they’ve decided decided to rush through this draconian legislation without any real thought put into it.
“Rural dwellers must register their septic tank and there is no problem with that but they have to pay to do it and the Government are saying that it must meet a certain standard. This is completely unfair.
“How was the householder who installed the septic tank to know the tank did not meet EU regulations, considering the Government of the day did not comply with them? And now, because of the failure of consecutive governments, people may have to pay for upgrades of anything from €500 to €17,000.”
Stanley hit out at the increase in motor tax and the new Household Charge.
“We in Sinn Féin have no problem trying to cut carbon emissions and pollution but simply whacking up motor tax without putting in a viable public transport alternative is hypocrisy.
“The Household Charge is another regressive tax. Somebody living in a cottage in rural Ireland will be paying the same as somebody living in a mansion — that is unfair. The Government has completely failed to provide basic services to people living in these communities and now they are saying ‘We’re going to charge you for living in a house.’
“They must have taken out their books and asked ‘Who are the most vulnerable people we can hit?’ and time and time again they’ve picked on rural Ireland.”