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As Deputy Spokesperson on Innovation and the Office of Public Works I focus my efforts on ensuring the undertakings made in the Programme for Government are realised.
My first accomplishment in my OPW portfolio was to coordinate a project which saw Leinster House become one of the first Fair Trade Parliaments in the world. All teas and coffees now served in the Houses of the Oireachtas are now Fair Trade sourced and the House will annually host a Fair Trade Awareness day. To view Leinster House’s Fair Trade certification please click here
Two major areas of OPW policy that I have been in involved with are concerns over mobile phone masts and the ensuring that the GPO becomes a museum of Commemoration before 2016.
• Issues surrounding emissions from mobile phones and masts have been a grey area for legislators for sometime, scientists are unable to confirm the effects of the emissions but are unwilling to say that there are no adverse effects. In cases like these, the Precasutionary Principle needs to be employed. The Principles calls for Governments to err on the side of caution and apply the highest safety standards rather than the lowest, I will continue to urge my colleagues in Government to adopt this approach.
• On the issue of the GPO, the Programme for Government states that
“Commemoration
We believe that each tradition on this island is entitled to commemorate its past with dignity and respect for others. In recent years we have worked to allow the public of this State to honour those who sacrificed so much for the achievement of independence. The State commemoration at Easter 2006 amply justified this policy.
In light of the seminal importance of 1916, we will:
• Push forward with plans for a substantial commemoration in the lead up to 2016.
• Establish the GPO as a museum of celebration of Irish progress and achievement across a broad spectrum as a landmark 1916 centenary project”.
I have been working to maintain pressure on this important provision and see that it is achieved.
Along with Deputy Niall Blaney I am also working on a project that aims to see every school in the country presented with a flag that has flown over the GPO by 2016. Please click here to view the proposal.
For my latest news on Innovation and OPW and all other recent releases please click here.
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