1. Anthony Lawlor’s
Newsletter
thony
A message from An year since I
been that it has
It is hard to believe s been!
at a busy time it ha
was elected, and wh eep learning curve an
d
Person ally it has been a st es every
counter new challeng
I will continue to en myself
have tried to make
day. Over the past year I have a
public as possible. I
as accessible to the ily, and
as which is open da
cons tituency office in Na to raise an
drop in if you wish
I encourage you to ppy to
also be more than ha
e with me. I would oups
issu n for individuals, gr
organise tours to Dáil Éirean Please do
is your parliament!
or schools. After all it tour.
act me to arrange a
not hesitate to cont
FINE GAEL’S FIVE POINT • Renegotiated the IMF/EU agreement
to reduce the interest rate ALLOCATION OF
PLAN – A YEAR LATER: • Provided no more cash to Anglo FUNDING FOR ROADS IN
1. New Politics - Aim: To reform and • Forced State-owned banks to reduce CO. KILDARE
improve the current political system interest rates to be in line with ECB Kildare County
Achieved to date: 4. Public Sector Reform - Aim: To reform Council is to
• Cut the number of Oireachtas committees and streamline the public service receive €20.8
Achieved to date: million in
• Changed the legislative process to overall grants
give backbenchers more of a voice • Drafted a plan to reduce the size of
the public service by 23,500 for Road
• Passed a referendum on judges’ pay Allocation
• Implemented ministerial pay cuts and • Ended privilege days in the public
sector and the decentralisation plan Funding in
eliminated the use of State cars 2012. Included
• Opened up senior positions to private
2. Jobs - Aim: To do everything possible sector applicants is a Restoration
to create jobs Grant of €4.8
• Plans to abolish or merge 40 quangos million which
Achieved to date: in 2012
• Reduced the VAT rate for hotels, gives local
5. Health-Faircare - Aim: To reform our authorities the discretion to spend the
restaurants and leisure to 9% health services by transitioning to a
• Reduced employers’ PRSI in order to funds as they see fit.
universal health care model
reduce the cost of hiring people Achieved to date: Funding to the value of €410,000 has also
• Increased tourism marketing • The HSE Board has been replaced been allocated in a Block Grant to Naas
• Established NewEra, the Strategic Town Council. This grant gives greater
• The Minister for Health is taking
Investment Fund, the JobBridge greater control of the health service flexibility to Naas Town Council to select
Scheme & an Action Plan for Jobs roads which they believe require work.
• Cancer care and screening have been It also allows for a greater consultation
3. Tax and the Budget Deficit - Aim: To improved
get the budget deficit under control process with their colleagues in the County
• A Special Delivery Unit (SDU) has Council to allocate funding appropriately
Achieved to date: been set up to drive changes within
individual hospitals to roads in the Naas area.
• No increase on income tax
Anthony Lawlor TD - Working for the people of Kildare North

2. STATE SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES
Along with the recently announced Government’s Job Plan to create
100,000 jobs by 2016, there are also a number of supports available
to assist start-up business or enterprises wanting to expand and/or
take on new recruits.
If you are starting up your own business assistance can be found
through:
• County Enterprise Board
Their role is to provide a source of support for micro-enterprise in the
start-up and expansion phases, to promote and develop indigenous
micro-enterprise potential and to stimulate economic activity and • Seed capital scheme
entrepreneurship at local level. If you start up and work full-time in your own company, you can
See: www.enterpriseboards.ie/ for further information. claim back the income tax you paid in the previous six years to
invest equity into a company (subscribed as shares) engaged in a
• High Potential Start Up (EI) qualifying trade. For full information see: http://www.revenue.ie/
Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-Up (HPSU) team provides en/tax/it/leaflets/it15-seed-capital-scheme.pdf
intense support, seed and venture capital to entrepreneurs and early
stage companies that are considered to have an innovative product, If you require assistance to take on new workers:
service or technology, and have the potential to achieve exports • Revenue Job Assist
sales and create employment. See http://www.enterprise-ireland. Revenue Job Assist offers both employers and workers an incentive
com/en/Start-a-Business-in-Ireland/ for more information. where people who have been 12 months on the live register (or
• Competitive start up fund (EI) disability allowance) are taken on.
The Competitive Start Fund awards €50,000 to innovative start- - The employer gets double write-off of the wages plus employers
ups, which have the capability to succeed in global markets. PRSI for three years. Further information for employers is available
For more information on the Competitive Start up Fund e-mail: here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/it59.html
csf@enterprise-ireland.com or phone 01 7272202
- The worker gets an extra tax allowance. Further information for
• Micro Finance fund employees is available here: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/
The Government is finalising a Micro finance fund targeted at start- leaflets/it58.pdf
up, newly established, or growing micro enterprises across all
sectors, employing not more than 10 people. It will provide loans • JobBridge
of up to €25,000 for commercially viable proposals that do not meet JobBridge is a new National Internship Scheme that will provide
the conventional risk criteria applied by commercial banks. It should an initial 5,000 places for 6-9 months in the private, public or
be up and running by April 2012. community and voluntary sectors. To qualify you must be signing
on as available for work and getting a payment or credits for three
mounts. Participants will receive an additional €50 on top of their
Relief for Stressed Home Owners welfare entitlement. For further information see www.jobsbridge.ie
Minister John Perry also recently launched a new website which
When the Budget was announced last December it was brought to
is an open resource for small businesses of all background at
my attention that some homeowners who bought during the years various stages of development on business planning and financial
2004-2008 would not be entitled to the higher rate of 30% interest management. www.smallbusinessfinance.ie
mortgage relief. I raised this matter on a number of occasions with
the Minister and was delighted to know that my efforts paid off with
an amendment in the Finance Bill. According to Minister for Finance
Michael Noonan TD: “I have been impressed with how active Anthony GOVERNMENT CREATION
Lawlor has been in working for his constituents. After the Budget, OF JOBS TO DATE
he actively lobbied for the inclusion of those who drew down their
mortgage between 2004 and 2008 and those who made their first
✔✔Extra 15,900 places for further education and
training programmes
interest payment in those years in order to qualify for the revised
mortgage interest relief arrangements. After considering his proposals ✔✔New National Internship Scheme providing 5,000
and consulting with the Revenue Commissioners, I was pleased to be work experience places
able to extend the eligibility in the Finance Bill.” ✔✔Lower rate of employers’ PRSI halved
✔✔VAT on tourism-related services cut by a third
under the Jobs Initiative
New contact details for Naas Town ✔✔Reversal of minimum wage cut
Council planning applications ✔✔Extra €75m for shovel-ready transport projects to
From January 2012 Planning Applications relating to Naas Town create/sustain 1,000 jobs
Council are to be submitted to Naas Town Council Planning ✔✔Extra €40m for 2011 Summer Works Scheme for
Department, Aras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co. Kildare. 453 schools to create 2,400 jobs
Contact details in relation to planning applications are as follows: ✔✔New support programme for home energy
Planning Enquiries 045 980845 retrofitting to create 2,000 jobs
Fax Number 045 980834 ✔✔Rolling out the last phase of the National
Email Address plandept@kildarecoco.ie Broadband Scheme
Development Contributions 045 980843
Compliance 045 980833
ANTHONY LAWLOR TD • Tel: 045 888488 • Email: anthony.law

3. Success of al
oc
Punchestown 2011
It was recently revealed that €60 million A ll Po litics is L
CASUAL TRADING
was generated by the 2011 Irish National VATION
Hunt Punchestown Festival. Interestingly, ISE A ND INNO ive
Following an extenss, Naas Town
in excess of €8 million was spent on attire ENTERPR R NAAS t at the
s budge as the consultation proces
FUND FO passed it ced a new
alone. A staggering €7 million was spent by n council hieveme
w nt
n council has introdu bye-laws.
Naas tow011. The key ac e and Innovatio set of casual tra ding
female attendees on hats, dresses, coats, d of 2 f an Enterpris 00,000 fund e it illegal
shoes and accessories in 2011. Almost half en o €1 These bye-laws mak ted without
creation the town. This initiatives thatof for stands to be erec
of the visitors attending the Festival were fund for sed to support mic wellbeing ly al of the
the express approv ly limited
female and on average spent €196 preparing will be u te to the econolors are current council and under
on
for the day. contribun. Town council f the scheme circumstances.
the tow on the terms o shortly. Further
working ublication due at
with a p tion is availablee
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VIC AWA osted its
www.na NAAS CI cil h
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annual . The awards s in
y
OSBERSTOWN JUNCTION SALLINS Februar iduals or group de an
to indiv ave ma to the
I have made a number of representations in n who h n
the tow nt contributio ony
relation to the need to install traffic lights at im porta s. The cerem and
aa all
the Osberstown Junction to aid pedestrians life of N in the town h ulate
accessing the train station. Negotiations are wa s held e to congrat
lik
Male attendees also went to extra lengths to currently underway in relation to the allocation I would ell deserved
of grant funding to undertake this work and our all the w f awards.
compete with their female counterparts by ts o
spending in excess of €1 million on racing
local Councillors are working hard to ensure this recipien
work is completed without delay.
attire. This is very welcomed news for the
local shops and boutiques, particularly in
Naas, who reap the benefits of such spending.
58% decrease in people
on trolleys in Naas
General Hospital
The number of people waiting on trolleys
in Naas General Hospital has been
reduced by 58%, thanks to initiatives
undertaken by the Special Delivery Unit
(SDU) over the winter months. Between
January 3rd and 25th of this year, there
was a total of 178 people waiting on
trolleys at Naas General Hospital, which
is a significant drop of 58% compared
to the figures for the same period last
year, which saw 425 people waiting on
trolleys. While having 178 people waiting
on trolleys over a three week period
is still too many, a decrease of 58% on
last year means we are moving in the
right direction.
The SDU, which was established by It will aim to ensure that 95% of patients I’d like to thank the hospital management
Minister James Reilly last June, is will be discharged or admitted within six and staff of Naas General Hospital for their
providing tailored guidance to hospitals hours of registration at an emergency tremendous hard work and dedication
on how to cope with, and reduce, department. We also want to ensure no over the last 12 months which delivered
overcrowding in emergency departments. one is waiting more than nine months for such impressive results. It is important
The success of the SDU to date will be planned surgery and further targets will that we continue to work together and
further built on over the coming year, be set to improve access to outpatient further improve on these figures.
with more ambitious targets than before. and diagnostic services.
ny.lawlor@oireachtas.ie • www.anthonylawlor.ie

4. Useful Numbers Competition Time!
Kildare County Council (045) 980200
www.kildarecoco.ie For the opportunity to win a tour to Dáil Éireann
followed by a meal in the Dáil Restaurant for two
Naas Town Council (045) 980990
www.kildare.ie/naastowncouncil people, email me the answer to the
HSE Local Health Office (045) 876001 following question:
St. Mary’s, Craddockstown Road, Naas
Naas Citizens Information Board (045) 879 489
www.citizensinformation.ie Q.Who is the for
current Minister
Naas Social Welfare Office (045) 884430/884431
Unit 2, Rathesker Square, Naas Transport, Tourism
Naas Garda Station (045 897 333) and Sport?
Kilcullen Road, Naas
All correct answers to
Naas General Hospital (045) 897 221
www.hse.ie anthony.lawlor@oir.ie.
Naas Fire Station (045) 879964 Deadline for receipt of
entries Friday 16th March
KDOC (out of hours GP Service) 1890 599 362
Vista Primary Care Campus, Ballymore Rd., Naas.
New website
I have launched my ‘new look’ website page www.anthonylawlor.ie. If
you are interested in how I spend my time in the Dáil and my opinions
on various matters, log onto the website to see my speeches, responses
to Dáil Questions and Press Statements. As your public representative
in the Dáil it is important that you know of my activities.
Cllr. Fintan Brett MCC
Email: fintanpbrett@gmail.com
Address: 5 Johnstown Gardens Johnstown Naas
Contact Numbers: 087 6257842
0612
Cllr. Darren Scully MCC TC
Email dpscully@hotmail.com
Address: 3 Kerdiff Park, Naas, Co. Kildare
Contact Number: 086-3860955
Cllr. Alan O’Kelly TC
Address: 67 Oak Glade, Blessington Road,
Your Local Naas Naas, Co. Kildare
Contact Number: 086 3623940
Fine Gael Team:
Cllr. Emer McDaid TC
Email eimearmcdaid@hotmail.com
Address: 11 Maple Walk, Oldtown Demesne,
Naas, Co Kildare
ANTHONY LAWLOR TD
Contact Number: 085 7054862
Email: anthony.lawlor@oireachtas.ie Clinics: Naas – Every Monday 4pm – 7pm
Constituency Office: 56 South Main Street, Website: www.anthonylawlor.ie
Naas, Co. Kildare.
Find me on Facebook
Contact Number: 045 888488
Opening Hours: 9am -12am & 3pm – 5pm