I have called on the HSE to act urgently to provide vaccines to patients in small rural practices who have not yet received their long awaited and much needed Covid-19 inoculation.
I received a number of queries from family members of people in the over-80 and over 70 categories over the past few days. Initially I thought perhaps it was an issue within a practice, but I was subsequently contacted by a GP in a small practice who confirmed that he has yet to receive a single Covid-19 vaccine.
The Irish Medical Organisation have been involved in coordinating the rollout. Practices with small numbers in the various cohorts have been asked to ‘buddy-up’ with another practice. In one such case the combined numbers in the two practices did not reach the threshold set out by the IMO.
At this stage there seems to be nothing but bureaucracy stopping these patients accessing vaccines. The normal rules that cold chain delivery of vaccines will only issue from the HSE every 10 days is still applied, despite the national emergency in which we are all operating.
I am told that at this stage the patients in these and presumably other practices are about four weeks behind the rest of the country. I have contacted officials locally and nationally in the HSE and have asked Deputy Brendan Smith to do likewise.
These patients and their families are entitled to the peace of mind that the Covid-19 vaccine can give. They, like patients of other larger practices have endured cocooning, isolation and worry, they are entitled to the same treatment also. Action is needed urgently.
ENDS
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Roads Funding of € 15 million welcome but increases of €300,000 hardly keeps pace with inflation.
[image: Roads Allocation A 2021 1.jpg] The announcement of € 15,484,815 in funding for 2021 for Regional and Local Roads in County Cavan is of course welcome. In addition, funding for a number of specific projects has been announced also. This represents the core funding for the County Council to main and improve the bulk of our road network, but it does not include the allocation for National Primary and Secondary Roads which are dealt with separately. This allocation will allow the Council to continue with the multi-annual road works programme the details of which will be formalised and approved in the coming weeks the increases provided will not have a transformative effect on our roads. The increase will hardly meet the increases in construction inflation and will not provide the kind of step change that the Council engineers and staff would like to see implemented in 2021. It is incumbent on all Oireachtas members to continue to lobby at every level for better funding to address the deficit in roads spending in County Cavan. I am well aware of the efforts of Deputy Brendan Smith in this regard. The specific funding allocations are all welcome and will address issues that I and other Councillors have been raising over recent months and, in some cases, years. Funding for Former N3 from Butlersbridge towards Cavan € 150,000 has been provided to upgrade the old N3 from Butlersbridge Village towards Cavan Town. This road may not carry the same level of traffic it did in the past it still caters for a large number of local residents. The road has become uneven and dangerous in recent times. This is a much-needed investment. Drumlark Cavan € 40,000 – Loreto Road Cavan County Council have worked closely with local residents in the Golf-Links Road & Loreto Road to install footpaths, public-lighting, widen bridges and other necessary works under various funding streams. The Council are currently considering a number of options to build on this progress in 2021 to continue the progress of recent years. Belturbet – Staghall Roundabout The need to improve pedestrian safety and reduce the speed of vehicles on the approaches to Belturbet from Staghall but also at Erne Hill on the other side of the Town has been raised with me and other Councillors on numerous occasions. This announcement will hopefully allow the Council to upgrade the pedestrian crossing at Centra, install signage and provide speed cushions and better road markings on both approaches to the town. Kilnavara Lane – Cavan Town € 30,000 has been provided to install traffic calming measures along this stretch of road. Adjacent to Terry Coyle Park this location has a significant number of residents and resultant traffic. Given the nature of the junction the footpaths are narrow. It is essential that measures are implemented in consultation with local residents. Bridge Repairs 2021 Programme Cavan-Belturbet Municipal District The ongoing programme of Bridge Repairs will see investment in the following bridges in 2021. Quivy Bridge € 85,000 Drumcrow Bridge € 58,000 Coppanagh Bridge € 39,500 A number of bridges for which funding was allocated in 2020 were delayed due to Covid-19 restrictions and work will completed in 2021 . <www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1057476864753713&set=pcb.1057477728086960&__cft__[0]=AZWyDOlL2tStoHeBgOneK_mIZ5PLD6A2G1uIXsT467l0gFSW0VQ7kVw5s4z7Tkw52yM1gt8TcOtobYUqiPivYjV0svWGBIuBWI3JGmkjcdTLzw&__tn__=*bH-R> <www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1057476944753705&set=pcb.1057477728086960&__cft__[0]=AZWyDOlL2tStoHeBgOneK_mIZ5PLD6A2G1uIXsT467l0gFSW0VQ7kVw5s4z7Tkw52yM1gt8TcOtobYUqiPivYjV0svWGBIuBWI3JGmkjcdTLzw&__tn__=*bH-R>
Public Lights turned on on Cavan Urban Greenway & at Swanlinbar & Blacklion
Delighted to see the lights switched on on the Cavan Town Urban Greenway. The Council included the ducting for public lighting as part of the first phase and it really makes a feature of the old bridge on the route. I look forward to seeing the next phase back towards the town constructed in the near future and the plans finalised to extend it to Butlersbridge. In recent days additional public lights have also been finished in Swanlinbar (Creamery Road) and Blacklion (going up the Backlane). Delighted to have worked with local community groups and individuals to move these projects along.
[image: Greenway 3.jpg] [image: Greenway 2.jpg]
Expansion of Breifne College, Cavan welcome but ETB needs toshow some good faith towards St. Bricin’s & St. Mogue’s Colleges -Feeley
Confirmation that the Department of Education & Skills have approved an application from Cavan Monaghan ETB to increase enrolment in Breifne College, Cavan and indeed in Cólaiste Dún an Rí, Kingscourt is a great tribute to the management and staff in both schools who are clearly delivering for the students in their region is most welcome. I join with my council colleagues Seán Smith and Patricia Walsh and Deputy Brendan Smith in welcoming these announcements.
Cólaiste Dún an Rí is a particular project for Cllr. Clifford Kelly and I know that he will have been at the very heart of this application as he is at every positive development in that school.
I too acknowledge the work Cavan Monaghan ETB in advancing these projects and hope to see funding announcements follow these approvals in early course, but it is important to note that Cólaiste Dún an Rí is a new building and new buildings have only recently been put in place in Breifne College. The question arises as to how much thought went into those initial projects, how much ‘future proofing’ was actually done by the ETB. This points to me that the schools run by the ETB are successful in spite of and not because of the planning of the ETB.
I also note that there are no announcements regarding St. Mogue’s Bawnboy and St. Bricin’s, Belturbet. Of course, ministers can only approve projects sent up to the Department and despite a lot of talk not much is happening to improve infrastructure in these two schools. It is time that the ETB showed some good faith towards both school communities.
I fear that the ETB Executive are playing a long game, they are obfuscating with reviews that do not seem to be happening, suggestions of a few euro hear and there for both schools and hoping that with time, opposition will dissipate. The reality is that the proposal to close both schools remains the formal policy of the ETB. It is past time that the members of the ETB deal with this issue and make it clear that both schools have a future.
In simple terms, if the ETB invested properly in St. Bricin’s it could cater for many of the students who might otherwise go to schools in Cavan Town. If the ETB were looking at the most recent statistics it is clear that population growth will continue in the Cavan Town Region and that expansion of the schools in the Town would still be needed but part of that demand could be catered for by fully using the infrastructure in St. Bricin’s College, sustaining it and protecting the benefit of the school for the Town.
The same case arises for St. Mogue’s, let us see the ETB act, let us see the plans submitted to the Minister and her Department.
ENDS