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CIARA CONWAY TDConstituency Office:36 Mary Street, Dungarvan, Co. WaterfordPhone: 058 24514 Email: ciara.conway@oireachtas.ie

People in Waterford and across the South East needaccess to a fully functioning Cardiology service that isavailable 24 hours a day.

I have continued to call for this service to be prioritisedthrough the my work on the Oireachtas Health Committeein the Dáil. A second Cath lab is needed and we need tohave a full staff of consultants and staff to keep thisoperational. I will be continuing to demand action on thisissue.

The majority of former workers at WaterfordCrystal have now received their lump sumpayments from the Department of SocialWelfare as part of the glass settlement.

Former staff and their families will now havethe peace of mind to plan for their futures.Having been in constant contact with theTánaiste to advocate for former workers I’mobviously delighted that this stage has beenreached.

Extra money was secured by the Tánaiste topay for the lump sums which are worth around45 million euro in total.

It has been a challenging process and creditmust go to all those involved; UNITE, Kieran Mulvey at the LRC, the Tánaiste my colleague Minister Joan Burton, Liam Daly andthe team at the Department of Social Protection on the Cork Road , the local Labour team - and most importantly of course toformer workers and their families for their courage and dignity throughout the process.

CONWAY CONTINUES TOCALL FOR 24/7 CARDIOLOGY

Over 70’s can now sign up for free GP care and Labour T.D.Ciara Conway is encouraging people to register for thescheme.

Anyone who is over 70 and who does not already have amedical card or GP visit card can now sign up for freedoctor’s visits . The provision of free GP care to those over70 was a key focus for Labour’s Minister for Primary Care,Kathleen Lynch, and builds on the recent successful launchof free GP care for under 6’s. The fact that we are now at thisjuncture proves that Labour is delivering in Government andrecognises the need to support the elderly in our society.

FREE GP CARE

Funding for a 100 Bed Community Nursing Unit on thegrounds of St Patricks Hospital Waterford has been ring-fenced under the newly announced Capital Plan.

A design team is being appointed and a planning permissionapplication should be submitted shortly, with tendering due tobegin early next year . This facility is much needed to provideresidential and rehabilitation services to older people inWaterford and I welcome the announcement that the funding isthere to see it through.

COMMUNITY NURSING UNIT

A new 20-bed Specialist Palliative Care In-Patient Unit is to bebuilt as part of the €20m redevelopment of UniversityHospital Waterford.

Enabling works have been completed and a planning permissionapplication has been submitted to Waterford City and CountyCouncil. Construction is planned to start in early 2016 and isexpected to be completed by the end of 2017. Following fit-outand commissioning the unit is planned to open in early 2018 andwill comprise of 20 in-patient palliative care beds, palliative careday care, and a further three floors of 24 single rooms on eachfloor. The Waterford Hospice Movement has committed toproviding substantial capital funding towards the palliative careelement of this development.

HOSPICE PROGRESSING

FOR WATERFORDWORKING TOGETHER

€45,000,000 PAYOUT OF CRYSTAL LUMP SUMS

Tánaiste Joan Burton meeting with former Waterford Crystal employees . Pictured fromleft, Martin Skelton, Nicky Sheehan, Deputy Ciara Conway TD, Cllr.John Pratt, MariaO’Grady, Tommy Allen,Ian Paul, Michael Boyle and Andy Skelton.

HEALTH MATTERS

WATERFORD IS GETTING BACK TO WORK� Live register in Waterford has

fallen by 10.2 percentbetween May 2014 and May2015

� In the past year the liveRegister in Co. Waterford hasbeen reduced by 1,288.

Infographic courtesy of Waterford City & County Council. Designed by Emagine.

County & Change since Change over Change in Change in 1 Year Local Office March 2011 two years last year last month % Decrease

Waterford County -2709 -2365 -1288 132 -10.2

Dungarvan -674 -534 -364 -11 -17.8

Waterford City -2035 -1831 -924 143 -8.7

Well done to the Imagine Arts Festival team who are ploughing aheadwith a fantastic programme despite a huge cut in funding from the ArtsCouncil.

A total of 62 different cultural events, many of them free, have beenannounced for the 13th Imagine Arts Festival, which takes place acrossWaterford from the 15th of October.

I spoke out against the funding drop in the Dáil recently and am pleasedto see that Festival Director Ollie Breslin has managed to keep the festivalvibrant with help from local businesses and Waterford City and CountyCouncil.

I’m calling on the Arts Council to reconsider their actions and to fullysupport this community arts festival when they’re awarding funding nextyear.

PATERNITY LEAVEMy colleague, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin the Minister for Equalityis working on providing two weeks of paid paternity leavein the Family Leave Bill. Ireland is one of 9 EuropeanCountries that doesn’t already have statutory paternityleave, so we aim to be able to change that .

An interdepartmental government group is also looking atmeasures such as shared maternity leave. This proposalwould see mothers allowed to double the amount of leavethey take after having a baby and receive extra weeks offif they agree to split the time at home with their partner -and of course it would give their partners more scope tobe involved. These are good moves that would benefitfamilies while we continue the work of improving thequality of and investing in our childcare and early yearseducation centres.

People in Waterford planning to have work done on their houses will be able to benefitfrom the news that the government is to extend the successful Home RenovationScheme until the end of 2016 .

This scheme has been of benefit to home owners and local builders and tradespeoplealike. Homeowners can apply for a tax relief of 13.5% when they spend up to €30,000on renovation and maintenance work - provided they use a tax-compliant contractor.

Small jobs can be added together in order to reach the threshold. The works must cost aminimum of €4,405 (before VAT) and the tax break is being extended to December 31st2016. Extending the scheme will allow extra time for homeowners and landlords tomake the necessary changes to their properties, and provide additional support to theconstruction sector for another year.

Anyone who wants further information about this scheme would be welcome to contactmy office on 058 24514.

HOME RENOVATION SCHEME EXTENDED

IMAGINE ARTS FESTIVAL CONTINUES TO INSPIRE

Ciara Conway T.D. demanding Arts Council funding forWaterford’s Imagine Arts Festival in the Dáil

This state of the art building will become the regional centre for firefighting, river rescue, public consultation and training for the wholeof the south east of Ireland; provides a 24 hour response unit for theregion.

Waterford Ladies claim All Ireland Glory in Croke Park.Congratulations tothe Waterford women who won the All Ireland Intermediate final, beatingbeat Kildare 3-14 to 0-10.

WATERFORD CITY FIRE STATION

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Under the Capital Plan there are proposals to develop and regenerate the Waterford City North Quays in a move designed to supportjobs and tourism in the region. This is very welcome news as a lot of work has gone into proposals to develop the North Quays, and thesooner the funding is made available to put these plans into action the better.

€35 million investment plan for Waterford, including regeneration projects for Tramore and Waterford Cityand further development of the Deise Greenway

Development and regeneration of Waterford City North Quays

BUILDING ON RECOVERY CAPITAL PROGRAMME 2016-2021

NORTH QUAYS EXPANSION INCLUDED IN WATERFORD'S 35 MILLION CAPITAL PLAN

Building work will soon begin on the Grow HQ in Ardkeen. This will be the the base of the world wide ‘Grow It Yourself’ movementwhich was started by Michael Kelly here in Waterford. The Grow HQ will support 12 full times jobs and will lead the way inencouraging and educating people as to the benefits to growing some of your own fruit and vegetables.

The Minister for Employment , Community and Social Support, Kevin Humphreys in Waterford, accompanied Ciara Conway T.D. to visit the ‘Grow ItYourself ’ project in Arclabs, Carriganore.

GROW IT YOURSELF MOVEMENT GATHERS MOMENTUM

Constituency Office:36 Mary Street, Dungarvan, Co. WaterfordPhone: 058 24514Email: ciara.conway@oireachtas.ie

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@ciaramconwayCiara Conway TD

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Better SchoolsThe Capital Plan will deliver €3.8 billion in direct funding for primary, secondary, and third level facilities. This will mean moreplaces for children, better and more modern school buildings for them to learn in, and better funding for research at third level.

Better HealthBetter health services means better facilities for vital treatments for those who need them most. The Capital Plan will provide €450million funding for improvements to nursing homes, and for the provision of more Primary Care centres.

Better ConnectivityBetter broadband is vital to the development of local communities throughout Ireland. Better connectivity brings better quality oflife and better opportunities for jobs and growth. The Capital Plan is investing significantly to deliver better broadband services.