Tag Archives: Budget

Mary Mitchell O’Connor thanks local business community for engagement on Budget 2014

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Submissions made at local level were invaluable in feeding into Advisory Group for Small Business.

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has welcomed the engagement made by small and medium business community in Dun Laoghaire in the run up to the framing of Budget 2014.

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor said that the business community making its views known at government level is essential to ensuring that their needs are met. This ensures that the measures that encourage future investment are put in place to allow for the job creation we need.

“I have been working hard for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) both at constituency and national level since I was elected in 2011 by holding meeting with Government Ministers who can determine, first-hand, what the business community needs most. Earlier this year, I organised an SME conference at Fitzpatrick’s Killiney Castle Hotel called, ‘Listening to Small Business’ which was attended by the Minister for State for Small Business, John Perry TD, who took careful note of the information being relayed to him.

“As recently as last week, I brought a group of local small business representatives into the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation so that they could make their case to the Advisory Group for Small Businesses. In his post-budget speech, Minister Perry stressed the importance of recommendations from the Advisory Group, which he brought to the attention of Minister Noonan during his Budget deliberations.

“There is no doubt that this Budget is pro-jobs and pro-business; a fact which is reflected in the response to it from business leaders. Among the measures included in yesterday’s announcements are a €500 million jobs stimulus package; 25 new measures to support entrepreneurs and job creation; the retention of the 9% VAT rate on tourism and hospitality; a Building Your Business initiative; a 2 year income tax exemption for long term unemployed who start a business; Capital Gains Tax relief on reinvested proceeds to encourage future investment from businesses; an increase in the VAT cash receipt threshold to €2m; the removal of Employment and Investment Incentive from Higher Earners Restriction; an improvement to R&D Tax Credit and a Training and Mentoring programme for SMEs.

“Minister Bruton estimates that more than 48,000 new jobs will be supported next year through the Department of Enterprise budget. I am delighted that the efforts of all the businesses who engaged at a local, or indeed, national level have paid off. I will continue to work for SMEs to ensure that their concerns continue to be met so that they can grow and prosper and create the jobs we need. “

16 October 2013

Great news in Education as fee-charging school funding and pupil teacher ratios maintained

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Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has today (Tuesday) welcomed the news that funding for fee-charging schools has been maintained in Budget 2014.

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor, who is the chair of the Fine Gael Internal Committee on Education which has worked extensively on this issue, went on to say that the protection of the pupil teacher ratios for primary schools at 28:1, DEIS schools at 18.25:1, post-primary schools at 19:1 and fee-charging schools at 23:1 is a victory for our children’s future learning.

“The decision to leave funding for fee-charging schools untouched in the Budget was the right one. Apart from the impact reducing funding for this sector would have on the school going population in certain areas, the reality is that a large number of parents with children who are attending fee-charging school are struggling to cope with costs, as a result of job losses and wage reductions in recent years.

“In some areas, such as Dun Laoghaire, there are simply not enough public school places to cater to the number of children in the area. As a result, some parents, who want their children to attend a local school, are left with no other choice than to stump up for a fee-charging education. In border areas, or for many minority faith families, ensuring that children can avail of an education of their choosing, means attending a fee-charging school is one of necessity. The argument that the bill to mitigate against any reduction in the State subvention for these schools would be picked up by the parents of the children attending them, fails to take account of the financial reality facing a huge number of these parents.

“Ensuring that parents have choices when determining what sort of school their children will go to is so important. Whether it is an Educate Together, a single or co-ed school, or a school with a particular religious ethos, it is essential that we continue to provide a range of options that do not unfairly financially penalise parents.

“Each year, as the Government attempts to undo the economic damage inflicted on the economy by Fianna Fáil, the Budget adjustment becomes increasingly challenging. Minister Noonan and Howlin, along with the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the Cabinet, have crafted a Budget that is fair and equitable, which aims to support job creation in the most effective way possible and allows for our successful exiting of the Troika bailout.

“I am delighted that, despite the fact an adjustment of €2.5 billion has to be taken out of the economy again next year, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn TD recognise the contribution fee-charging schools have made to fiscal consolidation in previous years and have maintained funding and the pupil teacher ratio at current levels.”

15 October 2013