West Cavan Fianna Fáil Councillor, John Paul Feeley has welcomed the
submission of an application for funding through the Environment
Section of Cavan County Council to the Department of the Environment
for funding to complete Phase 2 of the Network Rehabilitation of the
Glangevlin Group Water Scheme.
‘I congratulate the Committee of Glangevlin GWS for the huge efforts
they have made over the past few years to bring this Scheme up to the
highest standards. Firstly, as part of the West Cavan Bundle the
treatment works were upgraded and in the past two years, I was pleased
to work closely with the Committee to secure funding for Phase One of
the network upgrade, funding granted under the previous Government.
Cavan County Council has made every effort to work closely with Group
Schemes and Glangevlin GWS has benefited from very practical help and
encouragement from Eoin Doyle, Director of Service and all Council
Staff in the Water Section.’
The Glangevlin GWS covers a very significant geographic area and pipe
network. The cost of operating the Scheme are significant with a small
number of households and farm holding served given in the low level of
population meaning. It is therefore very difficult to raise sufficient
funds locally to operate the Scheme.
‘The local Committee and Cavan County Council have done the ground
work, put detailed plans together. This, together with a host of other
applications in the County, including for the provision of a Sewerage
Treatment System for the Village of Milltown have been submitted to
the Department of the Environment, Community and Rural Government. All
of the work is much needed. It is now for the Government
Representatives and Minster Hogan to make a substantial allocation to
the County to allow this much needed work to commence, encourage the
great people on these committees to continue with their efforts and
give local contractors and their staff much needed work.’
Category Archives: Press Releases
HSE Medical Card Review frightens Senior Citizens
Fianna Fáil Councillor, John Paul Feeley has criticised the issue of
review forms to hundreds of Over -70 Medical Card holders in recent
days. Referring to the concerns expressed to him, he believes older
people are being frightened by these forms and the level of
information required.
‘I have been contacted by numerous people in recent days who have
received Review Forms for Over-70 Medical Cards. These forms are
causing huge concern to many people requiring that they obtain details
of their income, bank accounts and other assets and return these
within two weeks to the HSE.’
The forms require details of land, bank accounts and other assets. In
some cases this will require details of tax returns for the past year.
‘Many people received their Medical Card automatically and never had
to make application to the HSE in the first instance. Most of them are
on very modest incomes. There Cards are supposed to be valid into
2014, yet people are being asked to complete review forms now. This is
a bizarre practice and is a waste of money as all of the forms
returned will have to be dealt with by the HSE.’
The HSE centralised the Medical Card Office, moving the local
responsibility and administration to a centralised office in Dublin.
‘Local common-sense has been removed from the administration of
Medical Cards. I am concerned that people holding a few cows or sheep
in their retirement will now be required to make Tax Returns with the
additional costs involved with that. The HSE must accept the details
provided to them in respect of these small holdings. They must use a
reasonable approach. The removal of, or even any doubt about a Medical
Card causes huge concern to a person who needs regular medical
services, medication and access to other professionals, their GP and
District Nurses.’
Concluding, the Fianna Fáil Councillor emphasised that the HSE should
not review Medical Cards without good grounds and should not continue
to issue indiscriminate review form.
Tenant Purchase Scheme ends on December 31st – Feeley
Fianna Fáil Councillor, John Paul Feeley has called on all Council
Tenants, who may be considering purchasing their homes to contact the
Housing Office of Cavan County Council as soon as possible.
‘The 1995 Tenant Purchase Scheme will end on the 31st October 2012.
Applications must be with the Council by that date with the sale
completed by the 30th June 2013. In the New Year a new system will be
introduced, the details of which will only become available when the
new legislation in introduced.’
Prospective tenants can benefit from a 3% discount per year of tenancy
up to a maximum of 30% of the open market value of the property. The
will also get additional 3,180 discount. Purchasers will be
responsible for their own legal cost.
‘I would urge anyone considering buying out their house to act
immediately so that there house can be valued and they can get finance
in place to complete the purchase. I know that it is difficult to get
money together to buy there own home but this is a good scheme that
will allow more people to own their own home. In addition, this scheme
is available for all houses not just family homes but those occupied
by older people which were not previously offered for sale by the
County Council.’
Councillor Feeley, noting that tenants would already have received
communication from the Housing Office should not delay but act
immediately.
Feeley condemns legal charges rip off
Fianna Fáil Councillor, John Paul Feeley has condemned increases to be
imposed from the 1st December 2012 by the Property Registration
Authority (PRA) on property transactions some of which will increases
by up to 87%.
‘The PRA are hiking up fees at a time when there is less and less
money available, at a time when people are struggling to get
mortgages, at a time when we are all being asked to be more
competitive. These fee increases are totally unacceptable.’
The PRA comprises the Land Registry and Registry of Deeds and is
responsible for recording all property transactions. The fees proposed
by the PRA were approved earlier this year by the Minister for
Justice, Alan Shatter TD.
‘To give some examples, a property valued at 13,000 now attract a fee
of 125, that will now be 400. Prior to this there were three tiers of
fees up to a property value of 50,000. The lowest fee is now 400.
Prior to this the fee to register a mortgage was 125, that is will now
increase to 175,’stated Feeley who is also a solicitor.
Even the cost basic information from the PRA is increasing by 50% with
the cost of a plain copy folio going from 2.50 to 5.00.
Referring to voluntary transfers, Feeley noted that there is an
ongoing emphasis on getting farmland transferred to young farmers. The
new Fees Order increases the cost of a voluntary transfer from 85 to
130. The State has always advocated the need for property to be
registered in the Land Registry rather than in the old Registry of
Deeds system. The cost of bring property over to the more modern
system has been increased from 85 to 130.
‘At a time when the rest of the economy are cutting costs, when legal
fees are at there lowest in many years, at a time when Government are
calling for more active farmers, the PRA, with the approval of the
Minister for Justice in increasing fees sometimes in the order of 87%.
This is extort under the cloak of legality, it is unacceptable, at the
very least a more moderate level of increase should be introduced
rather than these figures.’