Fine Gael General Election candidate for Dublin North West has spoken of “huge frustration and disappointment in the community” as the badly-needed new secondary school for the Dublin North West area has been relegated to a secondary list in new school building projects programme, which was announced today (Tuesday).
 

“Obviously investment in education is to be welcomed. However, Dublin North West, across Dublin 9 and Dublin 11, has a very clear need for a new second-level school. Therefore, it is disappointing that we are only going to be kept under ongoing review according to the latest list,” Councillor Rock stated.

“I am calling on the Minister for Education to look at this decision again, as all measurement indicators very clearly show that this area is in dire need of a new secondary school, with petitions by over 3,000 parents also testifying to this need.

“I am bitterly disappointed for the parents of those who were hoping for a big announcement today. It clearly underscores the need for this area to have a strong Government voice at the table, to fight for this area and to battle to get this project brought over the line,” the Councillor concluded.

Fine Gael General Election candidate, Noel Rock, today welcomed the latest official employment figures from the Central Statistics Office, which show that 135,800 extra jobs have been created since the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs was launched at the beginning of 2012.
This latest report also shows:

• The unemployment rate has hit 8.9%, the lowest rate since the end of 2008, and down from a high of 15.1% in February 2012 

• The total number of people unemployed has moved below 200,000 for the first time since the end of 2008 

• 56,000 extra jobs were created in the past 12 months

• The number of people in part-time employment fell in the past 12 months, meaning that the numbers in full-time employment actually increased by 59,400

• Employment grew in 12 out of 14 economic sectors, with largest increases in construction and industry

• The number of people long-term unemployed has declined from 204,300 at the beginning of 2012, to 109,800 today, representing a decrease of 46%

“Since the Government was formed in 2011, the single biggest focus has been on job creation,” Councillor Rock stated. “The Government set a target to reduce the unemployment rate to under 9% by the end of 2015 and I am pleased that that target has been reached one month ahead of schedule.

“It is also good news that the long-term unemployment rate has fallen from 6.4% to 5% in the past year, but I still want to see that figure reduced further. It’s imperative that those who have been out of work for over a year receive support to upskill, so they can return to the workforce with confidence and optimism.

“We are not fully where we intend to be just yet, but we are moving in the right direction and today’s report proves that the Government’s policies are working and will continue to bear fruit.”

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Fine Gael’s General Election candidate Noel Rock has slammed Sinn Féin’s Dublin City Council Budget which has decided to leave the burden of rates on small business owners completely unchanged, despite recent figures obtained by Councillor Rock which shows that rates bills are currently over €100m in arrears.

Speaking on the matter, Councillor Rock said: “I think it is deeply shameful that Sinn Fein refused the Fine Gael proposal of a modest 0.5% rates reduction. We can see from the figures I obtained that over 60% of shopkeepers are in arrears – some of these are people who are simply paying from month to month, but the overall figures suggest at least 20% of shops in Dublin City are in some form of arrears”.

Councillor Rock continued: “Given Sinn Féin’s “Monday million” where they managed to discover an additional €1m grant to bolster their budget, we would have had the possibility of bringing about a full 1% reduction in rates. The lack of any modest reduction in rates is a real slap in the face to our hardworking shopkeepers”. 

Councillor Rock concluded: “As of last week, we saw that Dublin businesses are, in many cases, struggling to make payments on the difficult burden of rates. These aren’t big businesses: they’re our cafes, shoe shops, corner shops, and they deserve a reduction in these rates. Sinn Féin’s shameful anti-business rhetoric continues in this Budget”. 
ENDS

New anti-burglary plan will send strong message to criminals in Dublin North West – Rock
A new operation introduced by An Garda Síochána will see tougher sentences and stricter bail for repeat offenders – this will impact positively on crime rates in Dublin North West, said Fine Gael General Election candidate Noel Rock today.
“Operation Thor will benefit from increased Government investment of €5 million,” Councillor Rock explained, adding: “While operational planning is a matter solely for the Garda Commissioner, this new operation delivers on increased investment in policing by this Government to tackle burglaries and related crime.” 
“Operation Thor is aimed at tackling burglars, organised crime gangs and prolific offenders as well as working with communities to prevent crime.
The key elements include: 
• The use of new high powered vehicles by the armed Regional Response Units; 

• Extra high-visibility patrols in identified burglary hot-spots;

• Increased used of checkpoints to tackle the criminal gangs using the national road network; 

• Efforts to disrupt the stolen goods market; 

• Programmes to help reduce re-offending by prolific offenders; 

• A high-profile national crime prevention awareness campaign to be launched later this month; 

• Targeted crime prevention advice for local communities; 

• Enhanced supports for victims.
“Fine Gael in Government has reopened Templemore, with 1,150 Gardaí being recruited. We have invested over €34 million in new Garda vehicles since 2012 with over 640 new vehicles in 2015, ranging from more Garda patrol cars to high-powered vehicles for armed units. This will ensure Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive, on the roads and in the community,” he concluded.