OCEAN Hero Awards

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Speech by

MINISTER DAMIEN ENGLISH T.D.

Minister for Housing and urban Development

at the OCEAN Hero Awards

on

21st November 2017 at the Royal College of Physicians, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 @ 13:00.

Michael John, Clean Coast volunteers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

It is my very great pleasure to be invited here today to present the 2017 An Taisce’s Ocean Hero Awards and I hope that you enjoyed the range of excellent and interesting contributions which were presented here this morning. Events like this provide a great opportunity to build networks and share experiences and most importantly, honour the invaluable contribution that Ireland’s coastal communities have made towards conserving our spectacular coastline.

For an island nation with one of the largest maritime areas in the European Union, the importance of the sea to Ireland cannot be overstated. We deeply value our marine and coastal environments in all their beauty and diversity, but increasingly we are aware of the growing threats from human activities that face complex marine ecosystems some of which remain unknown to science.

In this context, litter accumulating in the marine environment is a significant environmental issue facing the World today. The exact quantity of litter, including plastic in the ocean and volumes entering the ocean from waste generated on land or lost or discarded at sea is unknown and is the subject on ongoing extensive national and international research. Estimates vary widely, but there is no doubt that it exists in vast quantities with undetermined impacts and that levels of marine litter are growing at an unacceptable rate.

My Department is committed to working, both nationally and internationally, with our EU and OSPAR partners and national stakeholders, to determine the key sources of marine litter, the pathways by which it can enter the marine environment and the harm it causes. This will inform the development of our national and international measures to address the problem.

Ireland is already implementing a suite of measures identified in our Marine Strategy Framework Directive Programme of Measures to address this issue. This will be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis as new marine litter sources and pathways are identified. Ireland will also continue to identify ways of treating plastic waste as a resource.

Ireland also supports the aims of the Plastics Strategy in the Circular Economy which aims to address the challenges posed by plastics across the value chain and take into account the entire life cycle. The implementation of programmes such as the Circular Economy package will, I believe, be a key measure in reducing marine litter inputs in the future.

Because of the transboundary nature of the problem, Ireland continues to cooperate collaboratively with international partners to try and identify the extent and impact of the problem and to develop solutions to address the issue in tandem with our EU partners under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic.

It is important to note that the problem of marine litter is only one aspect of our marine environmental policy. We are also are working to ensure that :

• Biodiversity is maintained
• Non-indigenous species do not adversely alter the ecosystem
• The population of commercial fish species is healthy
• Elements of food webs ensure long-term abundance and reproduction
• Eutrophication (the impacts of sewage and nutrients such as fertiliser leading to loss of oxygen in the water is minimised
• Sea floor and seawaters are not altered in such a way as to harm ecosystems
• Contaminants in seafood are below safe levels
• Introduction of energy and underwater noise does not adversely affect the ecosystem

However, the problem of marine litter remains a particular focus for us at this time.

Raising public awareness and effecting societal change in environmental behaviour is very important when it comes to issues such as reducing marine litter. That is why my Department has a long-standing relationship with An Taisce and we are pleased to support initiatives administered by An Taisce, such as Clean Coasts and the Two Minute Beach Clean programmes. The recent Love Your Coast photography awards and similar projects represent just some of the many high profile and high value initiatives that An Taisce operates. These are tremendous vehicles for encouraging public participation and fostering a sense of environmental responsibility. They are considered exemplars in their field and worthy of support at home and replication abroad

It is also worth noting that exciting developments are ongoing in relation to the Green Schools module on marine environmental issues, especially litter. This is also administered by An Taisce and supported by my Department. It was piloted in a number of schools in 2016 and is currently being rolled out, on a nationwide basis, involving over 250 schools. I am convinced that this internationally ground breaking module will augment and dovetail with the current suite of green school offerings and will further educate the children of today and improve the environmental behaviours of tomorrow.

We regard these programmes as international best practice models and are keen to present them as such to our international partners in the EU and further afield. In recognition of this fact, the Government has committed to continue to support the Coast Care and Green Schools Global Citizenship Marine Environment programmes into the future. At the “Our Oceans” Conference in Malta in October, Irelandundertake to incorporate these initiatives among our formal measures to address the marine litter and environmental protection targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

But today is about you, the Coast Care groups, Businesses, Schools and individuals, who give of your time and energy to make the marine environment a better place. The contribution of local communities and community based enterprises cannot be overstated. Your efforts are crucial in achieving and maintaining the aesthetical appeal and the amenity and economic value of the coastal resource. The work of coast care groups is actually making a tangible difference to the quality of our coastal environment, removing nearly 200 tonnes of litter from our coast annually. As well as environmental benefits, this has tremendous social and economic benefits, not least for our tourist industry.

I understand that there are over 600 active Coast Care groups, involving 18,000 volunteers, and representing a quarter of a million hours are dotted around the Irish coast. Your tireless activities, augmented by environmentally focussed enterprises and schools are both civically admirable and environmentally beneficial, and are rightly being recognised here today.

Attaining Ocean Hero awards does not come easily. It requires a lot of commitment, a lot of effort and a lot of civic spirit, which makes the achievement all the more satisfactory and recipients here today should be justifiably proud of their achievements. These awards are a tremendous example of community school and business collaborations and local and individual pride harnessed for the improvement of the marine environment. I think that the recipients here today, in the various categories, should feel enormously fulfilled in achieving these hard-won and much-sought-after accolades.

We, as current custodians of the marine environment have a duty and a responsibility to pass on a resource to be sustainably developed and enjoyed by future generations. But there is no room for complacency and as a society, we need to redouble our efforts in identifying and implementing environmentally sustainable solutions to current and future environmental challenges.

So, in conclusion, I hope you had a thought-provoking and enlightening seminar and I hope that you had an opportunity to share information and experiences over lunch. I am confident that, with the help of marine conscious stakeholders, like yourselves, that we are well positioned to deal with the significant environmental issues ahead.

It only remains for me to congratulate all those who have been nominated and will receive awards here today. You deserve recognition for the trojan efforts that you have made to help improve the quality of the marine environment.

Go raibh maith agaibh agus comhghairdeas.

Meath Enterprise Week Business Conference and Expo

Speech by Damien English T.D., Minister for Housing and Urban Development

for Meath Enterprise Week Business Conference and Expo 

Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim

Thursday, 16^th November 2017

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Ladies and Gentlemen, entrepreneurs of County Meath, it is a great pleasure to be in Trim for the 4^th Annual Meath Enterprise Week Business Conference and Expo.

I would like to pay tribute to Gary O’Meara and his team at Meath Enterprise for continuing with this showcase event that brings together the very best of Meath Entrepreneurship under one roof.

This year’s conference theme of ‘Collaboration, Innovation and Entrepreneurship’ encapsulates the essence of what it takes to bring an idea for a product or service from inception right through to the market.

But it is the ‘Innovation’ aspect of the expo that excites me the most. Innovation is nothing new to Meath.

Innovation is not just driven by bright ideas, innovation is driven by entrepreneurs, who take great ideas and bring them to life as new products, new services and new businesses.

Five thousand years ago Meath was at the cutting edge of innovation in Europe. The best Scientists and Engineers in Europe, in the world, were working to build the megalithic structure at Newgrange.

That building was precisely aligned to flood the inner burial chamber with light at dawn on the shortest day of the year and demonstrates just how innovative and skilled our remote ancestors were.

The factors which led to the creation of Western Europe’s first innovation hub in Meath, location and connectivity, a highly skilled workforce and a great quality of life, are still present in the county.

In point of fact they are stronger than ever.

My vision for Meath, a vision shared by Meath Co Council, Meath Enterprise and business in Meath is that Meath will not just be a great county to live in, but a great county to work in & to invest in.

And the Boyne Valley Food Innovation District is absolutely critical to making that vision a reality.

I think the secret to success for the Food Innovation District is collaboration. And the same is true for your success in business.

Collaboration within industry, between businesses and with academia and researchers can help unlock the full potential of what you are offering and deliver real impact for Meath and for job creation in the county.

It is through your success over the past few years in business that has seen more jobs created in Meath.

The national unemployment rate is now at 6%, and it continues to drop.

4 out of 5 jobs created in the last 12 months have been outside Dublin.

There are now approximately 85,000 Meath people in work

927 Meath jobs supported by the Local Enterprise Office (2016)

8,732 Meath Jobs in Meath Business supported by Enterprise Ireland, IDA and Uduras na Gaeltachta (2016)

Thousands upon thousands of jobs created by small business in Meath.

I want to thank you for your work, for developing your business and for your dedication to job creation in Meath.

I want to thank Meath Enterprise, Meath LEO, the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and all the State Agencies for working with you when needed.

I would like to leave you with a quote from Ewing Marion Kauffman

“All of the money in the world cannot solve problems unless we work together. And if we work together, there is no problem in the world that can stop us”

I have no doubt that if work together we will drive your business, our county and the Boyne Valley Region well on its way to being at the cutting edge centre of innovation & job creation in the 21^st Century.

Together we will make Meath a great place to live, work, and build a brighter future for our children.

ENDS

 

Meath and Westmeath Libraries set to benefit from over €456k in Local and Nat. Govt. funding – English

Thursday, 9th November 2017

Libraries in Meath are set to benefit from €206,644 in Government
funding, whilst in Westmeath Government has allocated €135,486, local
Minister Damien English T.D. has said. This will be matched with Local
Authority funding of €68,881in Meath and €45,162 in Westmeath
resulting in a total investment of €456,171 in Libraries in Counties
Meath and Westmeath.

The funding was announced this week by the Minister for Rural &
Community Development, Michael Ring TD.

Minister English said this represents an unprecedented Government
investment in our Meath and Westmeath public libraries. The funding
will allow for the modernisation of our library service and for the
extension of library opening hours.

Minister English continued “This investment package comprises €342,130
into Counties Meath and Westmeath from the Department of Rural and
Community Development, supplemented by additional funding locally of
€114,043 from the 2 Counties. This funding is in addition to
significant funding already provided by Minister Ring’s Department for
public libraries here this year.

“Here in Meath West this investment will enable the implementation of
our new public library strategy which will be launched early next year
and which will be focused on modernising the public library service
and enhancing the range and quality of services available to users.
It’s an ambitious strategy which is aimed at increasing library
membership and usage of our public libraries. This programme of
funding demonstrates Fine Gael’s continued commitment to the public
library service over the coming five-year period of the strategy.”

Minister Ring said: ““This is an exciting time for the public library
service and for library staff. The roll out of self-service technology
in our libraries will free up librarians who can use their expertise
to assist library users and direct people to the many excellent
services offered by the libraries.

“The public library service has recently introduced a single library
management system and a national distribution service that provides
branch to branch collection and delivery.

“Through this ground-breaking new lending service there is access to
15 million items for all library users in Ireland and nationwide
access to all library services.”

ENDS

Speech to Library Association of Ireland (LAI) & Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Ireland (CILIP) Joint Conference

Library Association of Ireland (LAI) & Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Ireland (CILIP) Joint Conference

 
Tullamore Court Hotel: 30th March 2017

‘Dynamic Innovative Libraries: Connecting with the User.’
 
Damien English T.D. Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal.

10.30am

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Introduction
Good morning everyone and welcome
 
Thank you for inviting me to address your conference this morning.

As the Minister responsible for the Public Library Service I am delighted to be here with you in Tullamore today.

Today’s theme, ‘Dynamic Innovative Libraries: Connecting with the User’ is especially relevant as we continue in our journey to develop the new Strategy for Libraries 2018-2022.
 
You will hear more about the progress to date around the new strategy later on and I am delighted to hear that it is going to be ambitious for everyone involved in the Public Library sector.

The strategy will build on the achievements of ‘Opportunities for All’.
 
It will position the Library Service at the centre of communities. It will keep abreast of technological advancements. And it will enable our library users to engage in many and varied ways.

To quote: Andrew Carnegie:

“A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert.”

Another quote from Albert Einstein:

“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.”
 
Opening

Over the course of this conference, you will be exploring your connection with service users.  You will examine what innovations can be utilised to improve customer service and to increase library membership.

The connection we have with library members and reaching potential new members is the central objective for the library service.
Through your efforts, libraries are more popular than ever before.  The position of the library as a trusted and supportive community resource continues to grow.

Library visits, for example, continue to increase year-on-year and we expect this to continue.  
In your role you have reached the milestone and connected with over one million library members.

And we need to ensure that when people visit our libraries, we are providing the best service we can.
 
This is a time; of rapid change.

This is a time; our public libraries are challenged to face and adapt to these changes.

This is a time; for the New Strategy for Libraries to be implemented.
 
These are exciting times; we can look forward with confidence and enthusiasm as we embrace innovation and changes which develop a library service that is highly valued by all our communities.
 
In recent years we have expanded the library’s influence in the community.  In what was always a safe place for communities, libraries now offer a range of community focused services which serve to enrich the lives of citizens.  
 
The delivery of innovative quality services provided by dynamic staff, that’s you, is central to the continued development of our services.

Yes ! This is an exciting time for public libraries in Ireland.

The 3 Main Areas I would like to focus on today are:

1         ‘Opportunities for All’ – Achievements

2         The Next 5 Year Strategy
 
3         Working Together

Firstly, to look back on ‘Opportunities for All’
 
We are in the final year of this national public library strategy and we are now looking towards the next phase of national development.
 
Our aspiration is to continue to build on the accomplishments achieved through the implementation of the strategy.  
 
I would like to recognise and compliment some of the important achievements that have been made under‘Opportunities for All’ to date.
 
Firstly:
The Capital Programme 2016 – 2021 of €23M is a very central ambition of the public library strategy.   It will support the development of 16 library capital projects.  It is acknowledged that constant funding is required to update and renew library buildings;
So, I will continue to push to secure additional funding where possible to further this important work.
 
Secondly:
A huge achievement of note from ‘Opportunities for All’ is that as of January 2016, public library membership in Ireland is free for all users.  This is a huge step as now libraries are fully inclusive and accessible to all.
 
Thirdly:
The Library Management System; (LMS) is a key development which has been rolled out to enhance the library services for the user

The LMS provides one single access to over 15 million items for library users no matter where they live across the country.  It is a significantly enhanced service for users.  

It is a platform for the provision of a single library membership card, universal membership for all children and a national digital library.
 
The development of the LMS required the work, co-operation and support of library staff from all local authorities and the co-ordination of a dedicated project team in Dublin City Council, with contract management by the LGMA.
 
Fourthly:
E-Resources
From January 2016, the quantities of e-resources available for public library users was greatly increased across the country with the implementation of a national framework for a suite of online resources including:

e-books,                                         e-audio books,        
e-magazines/journals,                         e-learning courses
online languages,                         online newspapers.
 
All of these services are available to library members within the library and also via remote access from anywhere in the world.
 
As part of the recommendation under Opportunities for All to deliver enhanced opening hours, three pilot My Open Library sites were established and opened in 2014 / 2015.
 
Funding was made available by my Department to support the development of a further 20 sites across 18 local authorities.
 
The ‘My Open Library’ service has been operating very successfully for almost two years here in Offaly; both in Banagher and Tullamore, and in Tubbercurry Community Library in Sligo.
 
There has been a significant uptake in the use of this service.     To date, there is a 91% increase in ‘My Open Library’ use in Banagher and Tullamore.  

As a result, we now have a very important community service available when people need it most.
 
Fifthly:
The progression of the ‘Right to Read’ initiative nationally is also in train.  Guidelines on implementing literacy support action plans and local ‘Right to Read’ Networks will be circulated shortly by my Department to all Chief Executives of the local authorities.
 
In 2016, 23 local authorities participated in a pilot study to establish best practice models for the ‘Right to Read’ initiative.  Through their work, models for literacy support services with the potential for national roll-out have now been developed.
 
This ground-breaking initiative was developed collaboratively.  A framework is being developed under a National Steering Group, chaired by my Department. It includes representation from the City and County Librarians, Libraries Development, LGMA and key stakeholder Departments and national agencies.
 
‘Right to Read’ will be led by the library services locally. I believe it is a most important milestone in literacy development because its reach has the potential to improve literacy nationally.
 
Another excellent initiative from ‘Opportunities for All’ is services to business and enterprise.  This is being advanced to assist business and support job creation and is led by a cross government National Steering Group.
 
The Group is chaired by my Department and Local Government and has representation from the LGMA and key stakeholder Departments and national agencies.  It is overseeing the development of library services to support business, enterprise and employment in the local community.
 
Again it has been developed and supported through pilots in libraries.  In 2016, a six-month initiative entitled ‘Work Matters’ was piloted in 10 local authorities. It established a role for public libraries in the support of these sectors
 
A roll out to 15 more local authorities is underway testing the set of services identified and working with local partners to establish protocols for co-operation, with a view to establishing a national Work Matters offer.
 
The second main area I want to focus on today is the Next five year strategy.

We need to ensure that the library service is dynamic and in step with, or better still, ahead of a rapidly changing society and that it can meet the requirements of the public.
 
It is vital that we formulate a blueprint so that libraries can continue to deliver the relevant and valued services to the public that you provide at the moment.
 
Developing a blueprint for planned progress is a really important and useful device to deliver planned innovations to a uniform and  co-ordinated level.

It is essential to include elements that are progressive, challenging and innovative.
 
With your input, my Department’s role is to devise the strategy, source the funding and oversee and support its implementation.
 
The local authorities and specifically the library management and staff deliver the strategy at local level.
 
The LGMA, as national library advisors, initiate, co-ordinate and monitor its implementation.

Strong co-operation, effective communication and a unified approach to both planning and implementation between the partners are required to deliver successful outcomes.
 
This is why events such as the City and County Librarians workshops held in February and the library staff workshops held in early March around the country are so important to provide a forum for all library staff to input and bring their insights to the new strategy.
 
I want to remind you of the dedicated  email address;

 libstrategyreview@housing.gov.ie

for such feedback.  I would encourage everyone to feed into this process by making your views known if you have not done so already.
 
The views of the public are being sought through a series of focus groups and full public consultation and consultation with other stakeholders and partners is also being arranged.
 
Public comments of note in a recent focus survey deserve mention.  They portray the importance of the library as a community resource and civic space… comments such as

1.        ‘libraries provide a safe and non-judgmental space in society for all ages’,

2.         ‘Knowledgeable staff, public service, public good and safe space’.

3.        ‘Hard working, skilled & passionate staff who inspire a nation to read and reach levels of income and education that comes with literacy’

These demonstrate ownership and pride in the library service.

They also remind us of the core function of the library which is to promote the educational and restorative practice of reading in all of its forms.

The last area that I would like to touch on today is ‘Working together’

The roles of the essential partners, the local authorities, my Department and the LGMA in developing and delivering the new strategy are complementary, interlinked and supportive.
 
The feedback and ideas coming from the consultation sessions with library staff held so far has been excellent, with a very positive engagement from all involved.
 
There has been a robustness in the engagements that reflects well on you all and shows your passion for your profession.  Indeed, the motivation, dedication and professionalism of staff at all levels within the service is inspirational.
 
Your engagement in the process so far has been most impressive and I am asking you to keep up the momentum.  

In each of the sessions, your participation and contributions provide great ideas for the shape of the new strategy for Public Libraries in Ireland.
 
Your views show strong consideration for the individual customer and an ambition to position our library service at the centre of the community.

And ultimately, it is you and your staff who will be delivering the strategy so it is crucial that you are 100% behind it and feel a sense of ownership for the future direction of the library service.

To conclude, it is clear that you are very passionate about your role in creating:
 ‘Dynamic Innovative Libraries, Connecting with the User’.
 
I am fully confident the library’s role in the community will develop and you its custodians are safe hands to expand its reach and connections to support broader community goals.
 
These words from a recent focus survey on libraries convey this well:
 
‘I wouldn’t be the person I am without my local library.’

 To quote Katharine Hepburn:

 “What in the world would we do without our libraries?”

Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen and Members.  Thank you for your time.  I wish you all a very enjoyable and productive conference.

Together may we leave a lasting legacy of Libraries for all our communities and all our families.

Minister English welcomes €1,866,495 in ICT funding for Meath and Westmeath schools

Meath West Fine Gael T.D. and Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal
Damien English has welcomed the news that Minister for Education and
Skills, Richard Bruton T.D., has today Tuesday 3rd January 2017
announced he will invest €30m in ICT infrastructure grants for all
primary and post-primary schools in the country.

According to Minister English, today’s investment will be worth €1,202,651 to Meath’s 123 primary and post primary schools and €663,844 to the 89 primary and post primary schools in Westmeath. This is a total of €1,866,495 between the 2 counties. No application is necessary and the payments are being made directly into the schools’ accounts.

Minister English stated: “This investment marks the start of the
implementation of the Government’s new €210 Million Digital Strategy
for Schools. This funding will support the development and
implementation of an eLearning Plan for each school to embed ICT into
teaching and learning. No matter what career a young person
contemplates, there is one thing for sure, digital technology is
revolutionising it. We want our young people in Meath West to be leading
this revolution and have the best prospects in life.”

Notes to Editor

The rates payable are €2,000 per school plus €22.20 per mainstream
pupil in primary schools, with additional per capita payments for
pupils in DEIS schools, Special Classes and Special Schools.

At post-primary, the rates payable are €2,000 per school plus €31.90 per
student, with an additional per capita payment for students in DEIS
schools. The grant is worth approximately €4,000 for a 100 pupil
school and approximately €11,000 for a 500 pupil school at primary
level. At post-primary level, the grant is worth circa €15,000 for a
500 student school, and over €27,000 for a 1,000 student school.

This is not an exhaustive list, and schools will be advised to
consider how best to support an eLearning Plan for their school in
allocating this funding. Advice and support for schools will be
available from the PDST Technology in Education website –
www.pdsttechnologyineducation.ie.

Further information about the terms applying to this funding are
available at circular:

http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0001_2017.pdf

ENDS

‘Interpreting Ireland through Writers, Historians and Local Collections.’

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Speech by Mr. Damien English, T.D.,Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal

Writing Ireland:

‘Interpreting Ireland through Writers, Historians and Local Collections.’

Conference 2016

Main Conference Hall, Dublin Castle, 6th December 4pm

Good afternoon everyone.

I am delighted as Minister to represent the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government at today’s Conference:

Interpreting Ireland through Writers, Historians and Local Collections.

Due to other Government business I have missed the many contributions from today’s speakers including:

• national figures from print and broadcast media,
• national authorities on history,
• local history and literature from the academic sector
• and prominent figures in the local authority library sector.

The importance of collecting cultural memory, the impact of the national collections on the local, and the local on the national, has been examined; this is an area of great interest to the State and its people.

Local history provides insights on how life in Ireland in the past evolved in a variety of settings, both urban and rural.

Future generations will one day mine these treasures, to better understand their heritage and culture.

The preserved history and research within the collections, will allow them glimpses into the diverse, interacting worlds that are the basis of the Irish historical experience.

Even the unique regional diversity of Irish society in the past will be preserved within these collections.

I hope the experience of the Conference has been an exciting and thought provoking event for you.

The influence of politics, historians and writers has been explored.

The value and opportunities for the public provided by the national collections and the local studies collections in public libraries has all been debated, challenged and refreshed.

Indeed this Conference is a very fitting addition to the great number of really worthwhile events which have been held throughout this year as part of the Ireland 2016 celebrations.

I know that in many cases, the entire Ireland 2016 programme of events in the local authority was co-ordinated by the County or City Librarian and their library teams.

I have had many interactions in my current role with the librarians and library staff.

Their dedication and passion for the service they provide is an inspiration to me.

The fantastic showcase, including the Dublin City 1916 Exhibition bus, has been provided by many of the public library services from across the country and made available throughout the day for everyone to explore and enjoy.

Such a showcase demonstrates the work undertaken by the public libraries on collecting and making available information and resources on Irish history and writers as an on-going practice and also particularly on the commemoration of 1916.

2016 is now drawing to a close, but the Decade of Centenaries is of course on-going.

The local place is becoming more and more important as we move towards events such as the War of Independence, which directly impacted on and still resonate in the towns, villages and parishes across the country.

In light of this, the role of the local collections will come even more to the fore in the coming years.

Collecting and making available resources for the history and culture of communities and places is one of the key roles of the public library.

All thirty-one local authorities have local studies collections as part of the library service and provide a dedicated local studies service for the public.

Local studies collections are like an ‘Aladdin’s cave’, rich and abundant with treasures.

These hold the precious gems of our culture, and the list is astounding; such as:

• manuscripts of local interest,
• collections of local and national newspapers and journals;
• iconic photographs and other visual materials;
• ancient maps, church records; estate records;
• and administrative records such as ‘of the Poor Law Union’.

Public libraries not only collect original source materials, but also seek to acquire copies of materials held in national and other repositories, making it easier for users to access these materials.

Examples of these are:

• the Primary Valuation (Griffiths’);
• the Tithe Applotment Books,
• and the Census returns.

There is no doubt that the existence of excellent local studies collections, and the support and expert advice offered by local studies librarians, has contributed greatly to the interest growth and development in local history publications.

Public libraries also collect these local publications, ensuring that knowledge gained about a locality is widely shared, enabling successive researchers build upon previous work.

The socio-economic development of Ireland in recent decades has led to huge changes in the make-up of even the most rural communities.

There are now large numbers of people living in areas with which they have no personal or family connections.

In addition, housing and other developments have changed both the infrastructural and cultural landscapes of many communities, leading to changes in how local people interact with their own localities.

In such an environment, local studies are important as a means of fostering a sense of place and belonging – crucial to the well-being of individuals and communities alike – is more important than ever.

Public library collections are fundamental to the pursuit and enjoyment of local studies. Of course, as you have heard, there are variations in the nature and extent of collections across the country.

The question of providing and managing access, physical and digital, has both enormous benefits and some extra challenges.

The need is, of course, to balance providing the widest possible access to the public with the preservation of the materials for the future.

There is the need to ensure that copies, particularly digital ones, cannot be exploited inappropriately.

It is a delicate balance.

But the overriding requirement and the basis on which the public libraries operate is to make as many of the resources as accessible to as many people as possible.

I know, from my constituent’s exploration of the local studies collection in both the Meath and Westmeath library services, the importance of being able to research and find information on family and place through the centuries, through local sources in our local area.

The development of local studies, collections and enhancing access to these formed part of the public libraries strategy 2013 to 2017, Opportunities for All.

As my Department now starts to plan for a new strategy, it is important that we build on the developments achieved in the last five years and that we incorporate the learnings from today to help shape the future of local studies.

I look forward to hearing a full overview of Today’s proceedings.

I look forward also to your input next year into the framing of the successor to ‘Opportunities for All’ – A new strategy for Public Libraries in Ireland.

We are in a wonderful position to learn from the past and plan for the future so that we can do something positive for the Library Services in Ireland.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you again for inviting me today, congratulations on an excellent conference and I wish you all the very best for the festive season and the New Year in 2017.

ENDS

Speech to Chambers Ireland Social Responsibility Awards, including Apple Tax.

Speech by Mr. Damien English T.D. Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal at Chambers Ireland Corporate Social Responsibility Awards 2016

Thursday 1st September

The Double Tree Hotel, Dublin 4.

Check Against Delivery

Ladies and Gentlemen. Good evening to you all.

I would like to thank Chambers Ireland and particularly Chief Executive Ian Talbot for your invitation to speak tonight.

My congratulations to your team Ian, and to Tina Roche and all at ‘Business in the Community Ireland’ for your initiative in promoting Corporate Social Responsibility in Ireland.

Nights like tonight are worth having. They reward effort, encourage excellence and highlight your work to new and wider audiences.

I am a big fan of CSR. In my previous role in the Department of Education I saw first-hand the benefits of companies getting involved in combating exclusion through programmes for literacy, numeracy and coding.

Tonight I have learnt even more about the great work that you do up and down the country.

Through your CSR you are contributing to the social recovery of Ireland, as well as our economic recovery.

For all of that, I want to sincerely THANK YOU.

I note that earlier in the year, at the launch of these awards, Gerard O’Neill of Amarach Research spoke about the link between CSR and Customer Relationship Management.

In Government we have many customers and many relationships to manage.

One main group of customers we have is you; Chambers Ireland member businesses. Both indigenous Irish and Multinational Companies.

Earlier this week the European Commission attempted to drive a wedge in our long standing relationship with you, by their ruling on Apple, and it would be remiss of me not to discuss this with you tonight.

The ruling is an attempt by the Commission – an appointed body, not an elected body, to meddle in the national taxation affairs of a sovereign member state.

The European Union draws it authority from the EU Treaties which were voted upon by the Irish people. The Irish people have not authorized the EU to look after our tax affairs.

It is important Ireland maintains control of its taxation and economic affairs, because we are a small island country, off another island, off the coast of Europe. We have few natural resources in the traditional sense.

And yet, we are a magnet for global investment. Why?

• Because of our relationship with you and our pro enterprise environment – one of certainty and stability.

• Because we have a young, well educated, and flexible workforce.

• Because we have an education system responsive to the need of enterprise. One that is reforming and changing, with new apprenticeships and traineeships.

• We have a historic friendship with Britain which will not diminish with Brexit.

• We are a bridge between America and the European Union.

• We have a vast global diaspora acting as unofficial ambassadors worldwide.

• And finally, because of our taxation policy.

A taxation policy that all major political parties have bought into and respected whilst in Government through the years.

A taxation policy that the European Commission and others have tried to strike down, most recently in their response to the economic crisis.

The Apple tax ruling by the European Commission is our biggest economic and sovereign challenge since the arrival of the Troika.

Unless overturned, it is a challenge to our open global economy and Irish jobs. We cannot have CSR if we have no corporations.

Our position in Fine Gael is that we need to appeal the decision. I hope the Cabinet meeting tomorrow, and all elements of our Partnership Government, endorse this position.

My personal view is that we will make an appeal. Our position is right. The Commission is wrong. And I believe we will win the appeal.

On that note I want to thank Chambers Ireland for being one of the first organisations to call for an appeal.

You in Chambers Ireland know that backing this position is backing Ireland as a location for the best of international capital, investment and jobs.

Backing this position is backing Irish research, innovation and talent.

Backing this position continues to create opportunities for all of our people, beyond what an island nation of ours could otherwise expect or hope.

And backing this position is backing the members of Chambers Ireland.

To conclude, our relationship with Chambers Ireland can be described as a mutually beneficial one. Government needs your businesses to be viable and sustainable.

We need you to be profitable to pay tax and create jobs, to employ people that will drive your business forward.

In turn it is through your success in business and your people that allows you to drive your CSR programmes forward.

All of this is at stake if we do not defend our historic open and transparent corporate tax regime.

Finally ladies and gentlemen, that is the serious stuff out of the way. Congratulations to everyone who has won an award so far, I know there are more to come.

I would like to hand you back over to our host Mary Kennedy.

ENDS

Jobless fall welcome but we cannot pause until we reach full employment again – Minister English

Monday, 11th July 2016

Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal Damien English T.D. has
welcomed the fall in unemployment nationally from 9.4% in June 2015 to
7.8% in June 2016 gone by, but said that the Government, state
agencies and local County Councils/LEOs cannot pause for a moment
until we reach full employment.

“I welcome the news that unemployment continues to fall.  Indeed it is
now halved since the Great Recession of 2008 struck our country with
all of its dreadful consequences for our people and society.  The next
task is to see this figure being cut in half again with the reaching
of full employment” stated Minister English.

Minister English, who in his previous role in the Department of Jobs,
was a key driver of the Action Plan for Jobs process, along with the
Science Strategy and Skills Strategy, said that continued Research,
Development, Innovation and Education locally in Meath and nationally
were key to keeping job creation on track.  Ireland’s business climate
and its tax rates must remain both competitive and attractive to
investors and to returning Irish people in a post Brexit environment
he said.

“All of the barriers big and small, locally and nationally, to
creating jobs must be identified, examined and removed.  In the early
and mid 2000s we took the recovery for granted in this country and
squandered the boom, we cannot take our eye off the ball this time
until we reach full employment again” concluded Minister English.

Response to Fintan O’Toole and the importance of FDI to Ireland

I was somewhat surprised to learn that Fintan O’Toole takes his policy views from US talk Radio (I would have thought he was more a Guardian reader myself) but that probably explains why his view on foreign direct investment and Ireland’s industrial policy is so out of touch with reality.

As the economist Seamus Coffey recently argued elsewhere we need to kick back on ill informed taunts that Ireland is some kind of tax haven. Multinationals make a massive contribution to the Irish economy.   According to a recent report by Grant Thornton, there are 1,033 overseas companies operating in Ireland, employing over 161,000 people, spending €24bn, paying Irish staff €8bn in wages and generating €122bn in exports.

The taxation of multinationals is based on a fundamental principle: corporate profit-taxing rights are granted on the source principle. Put simply countries can tax the profits from operations located in their countries. Although some of the world’s largest companies have operations in Ireland, we can only tax them on the profit they generate from their activities in Ireland, which we do.

The issue being debated in the US at the moment however relates to a loop hole in the US tax code which allows ‘deferral’ of corporate income taxes, and allows US multinationals to delay certain tax payments until the profits are transferred to US-incorporated entities in their corporate structure. As Seamus Coffey pointed out a result of the deferral provisions in the US tax code, some companies create an artificial division between their US and non-US source profits and give the appearance of very low tax rates on their non-US profits. The reality is that most of the profit is sourced in the US, and the companies owe US corporate income tax on those profits. It is not the case that the profits are untaxed.

In plain English we aren’t the problem; the US tax code is. Even the US Treasury Secretary has written to the EU Commission stating that while they don’t collect the tax until repatriation the US system of deferral “does not give EU Member States the legal right to tax this income.”

Ireland’s 12.5% corporate tax rate is a fundamental part of our offering to multinationals but equally important are access to EU markets and most critically talent.  IMD ranks Ireland’s educational system as being amongst the top ten in the world. We rank number one in the world for the availability of competent senior managers and flexibility of our workforce. If (for example) you want to find people who really understand pan-European operations, Shared Services or Compliance you come to Ireland.

Ireland’s big idea isn’t attracting foreign direct investment its building Irish capabilities. Foreign direct investment is one of the key ways we build real capabilities.

Couple of practical examples Dublin is known as the shared services capital of Europe. We have built that expertise over many years. We are now applying that expertise in shared services to the business of Government. The adoption of Shared services by the Irish Government is core to public sector modernisation and delivering better and more cost effective public services.

Another example the Tyndall Institute which has built up a huge expertise in working through working on research projects with some of the world’s leading high tech multinationals. It is now partnering with Teagasc to apply that learning to developing the food sector in key areas like traceability. In short we are using capabilities developed with multinationals to deliver better Government and develop Irish industry.

My work as Minister of State was focused on making sure we continued to build Ireland’s capabilities through a new national Innovation Strategy and a new national Skills Strategy. Both strategies are fundamentally about making sure we have the skills and capabilities to compete in a rapidly changing world. Both strategies were developed in partnership with the key stakeholders and can only be delivered by a partnership between Government, Industry and Academia. The innovation strategy offers us the potential to use the Irish research community to build cross industry collaboration between some of the world’s leading companies here to really drive innovation. The Skills strategy will ensure we have the highly skilled workforce necessary for the incremental innovation needed to stay competitive.

The task of the last Government was to stabilise the public finances and start getting people back to work.  This gives us the resources to future proof the Irish economy by investing in education, research & innovation. It gives us the resources to turn our economic growth into a social recovery by investing in new and reformed public services, and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to benefit from a return to growth.

The success of the last Government (and we had some pretty major successes despite what our critics say) provides us as a nation with the time and space to think about the future we want for our children not just how do we pay the national debt. We now for the first time in almost ten years have real choices. We can start to think about the big ideas that will shape Ireland’s future. That is a task not just for Government but for all of us. We have a second chance of succeeding as a nation. I hope we use it well.

Shire to create 400 jobs in Meath at new state-of-the-art facility

Damien English TD, Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation welcomed today’s announcement that Shire will create a new, state of the art biologics manufacturing campus, in Co. Meath which it expects will lead to the creation of approximately 400 permanent jobs on a 120 acre site in Piercetown.

This is a huge boost for the Irish economy and for business confidence in County Meath. There will also be some 700 jobs during the construction period of the new facility in South Meath.

As Minister of State at the Department of Jobs I have seen the good working relationship between Meath County Council and the IDA in recent years.  This has ensured that Meath has fast become an attractive location for many industries, including the life sciences and biotechnology sectors. This investment, coupled with other recent investments in Meath such as Facebook, is really putting the county on the map for business investment.

I look forward to continue working towards significant economic impact in Co Meath through jobs and capital investment with the IDA, Meath County Council, Enterprise Ireland, Meath Enterprise, the LEO office in Meath and all business and entrepreneur minded people” concluded Minister English.