Depositing the ballot papers down at Castlebar Courthouse with Party Supporters,
Its showtime!!!!

Action needed on planning to stop population decline

The planning regulations that are stopping young couples building in rural areas, combined with the failure to provide proper road infrastructure and job opportunities is causing the decline in population in North Mayo.

I am responding to census data published by the C.S.O. that showed a declining population in large areas of North Mayo and other rural areas in the county.

We have had a situation in this county, whereby the Planning Office, in Mayo County Council, has acted like God in the way it has shaped the living patterns in this county. Today’s CSO figures have shown us the shape of what it has achieved-a drop in population in large sections of rural Mayo-, especially in North Mayo.

The Planning Office has adopted a policy of stopping young couples building in rural areas, forcing them into larger towns where developers can charge what they like for a home. This ridiculous policy, combined with a total lack of any initiatives to provide real employment outside of our major towns and an appalling rural road network, has lead to this serious decline in our rural population.

A new government must overhaul this ridiculous policy of closing up rural Ireland, by actively encouraging, rather than hindering, the settlement of young families in our rural villages. This will take serious investment in roads, broadband and incentives to attract local businesses to expand so that viable employment opportunities become available to rural families.

“I will be calling for a review of current planning regulations if elected and I will insist that state monies be made available to assist in the regeneration of all areas affected by poor planning policies by our local authority, poor road investment and a total failure of our government representatives to fight for investment in areas like North Mayo

ends: Harry Barrett 087 9713268….see CSO figures in Irish Times

Barrett dedicates campaign to family issues

I have officially booked my spot on the ballot paper for the Mayo constituency by handing in my nomination papers at 12 o'clock today at the Courthouse in Castlebar. I was accompanied by Labour Cllr. Johnny Mee, my director of elections, William Walshe and many party supporters.

I intend to focus on the issues that affect hard working families in the county, especilly in relation to health. He singled out the promise to provide Health insurance to all under 16's and free GP. Cards to all under 5's as a very progressive one.

I am angered at Fianna Fáils recent conversion to childcare issues and the plight of young couples trying to afford a home after ten years of total inaction. I am going to campaign vigorously, as a government T.D., for the Mayo's fair share of exchequer funding for the appalling state of the road network after ten years of east coast boom.

I welcome Pat Rabbittes 5 Commitments for Change and I have particular praise for Labours promise to help families where one parent stays at home to care for children or dependents by increasing the home carers credit from 770 euro to1760 euro the same level as the PAYE tax credit Barrett stated that Labour woud also increase by 5,000 euro the level at which one income families hit the higher tax rate.

ends Harry Barrett 087 9713268

ENJOY THE BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND! IT’S ON US - BARRETT

Enjoy your Bank Holiday Weekend with Labour. I am distributing fliers houses in Castlebar, Westport and Ballina, reminding them that it was the Labour Party, who in 1993, declared the first Monday in May as a public holiday.

May Day is a commemoration of the historic role played by workers in shaping the more democratic and inclusive societies we live in now compared to those of a hundred years ago.

Yet despite this, Ireland still has one of the lowest number of public holidays in the EU

Labour knows that we all benefit when we have time to be with our families and loved ones, time to contribute to our communities, time to enjoy the fruits of our hard work.

That is why Labour, if elected to government, wants to introduce two additional annual public holidays to bring us into line with the rest of Europe. Happy May Day and looking forward to more!

ENDS Harry Barrett 087 9713268

Barrett sets out Labour Commitments

Hi folks...this is an excerpt from our commitments for change. Please read. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

For this election, Labour Party Candidate, Harry Barrett has made it clear what Labour's top five priorities will be. These are five Commitments for Change which he and the Labour Party are promising to deliver in government. Barrett maintains that these five key areas will address some of the pressing concerns facing thousands of people, both young and old throughout the county.

Barrett explains, "After ten years of FF/PD government, we have a crisis in health, housing, childcare, public order and they way in which we treat our carers. These five commitments are not the only things that Pat Rabbitte and the Labour Party will achieve in government, but are five Commitments that Pat Rabbitte promises to deliver in office. The actual commitments are: 1.More beds in clean hospitals. 2.Pre-school education for all our children. 3.More community Gardaí on the beat in Mayo towns and villages. 4. Abolish the means test for carers in Mayo . 5.Enable more people to begin to buy a home. These are key concern to many, young and old all over the county. In particular, our joint policy on health, with Fine Gael, contains solid proposals to address the bed shortage in our acute hospitals and the pressures facing young couples to pay for access to a proper health system.

Speaking about his Commitments for Change, Cllr. Johnnie Mee said, "The Labour Party is going to bring about change in this election. People have rightly been asking me what difference change will make- these 5 commitments for change will make that clear. I want to impress upon voters, that if the Labour Party is elected to government, we will introduce these set of changes that will have a positive impact on their quality of life. A vote for our Labour candidate, Harry Barrett will assist in bringing this about.

"This election is going to be about the quality of life of hard working families in communities all over Mayo. The Labour party is committed to a strong economy which continues to generate prosperity for the people. It is time now to deliver on a better quality of life that this prosperity provides us with- and to do that we need to make a change."

ends: Harry Barrett 087 9713268

GIVE US WI FI BROADBAND NOW!!!!!

This week I have called for Castlebar, Westport and Ballina to be made into a public access wireless broadband zone similar to UK cities such as Manchester and Birmingham.

I am calling on the Government and Mayo Co. Council to transform our town centres into a broadband wifi zone where anyone with a mobile phone or laptop computer could access the internet from any point within the zone. “Such a scheme is already in place in both Manchester and Birmingham, where it is possible to log-on to the internet from the comfort of a park bench in the centre of both cities . I am proposing that as a first-step, areas around Castlebar, Ballina and Westport should become a wireless zone for Mayo people. “

An ICT enabled Mayo town will be a hallmark of our urban areas as the 21st century progresses. It is a shame that there have been no real initiatives in Ireland to ensure that we might lead the way in providing widespread accessible and affordable internet access. The development of a public access wifi zone in Mayo towns would be a means to redress the balance in Mayo.