Catherine Murphy: 17 Links Archives

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Politics and Public Life in Ireland


	The Houses of the Oireachtas Online This is the official website of the Irish Parliament or the Oireachtas, which consists of two houses; Seanad Éireann is the upper house; and Dáil Éireann is the Lower House. From this site you can view everything from a tour of the buildings, to realtime webcasts from both chambers, and transcripts of Debates. It is an excellent resource.
	Citizens Information - Information on Public Services in Ireland This is another excellent resource. It's a search engine along the lines of google however deals only with Irish public service information ensures that you can get your hands on this information with the greatest ease.
	www.politics.ie This site provides up to date information on current affairs in Ireland and also boasts a very active forum in which those with an interest in politics engage with each other in political discussion.

Politics and Public Life in Ireland October 22, 2006 03:00 PM |

Public Bodies


	The Health Services Executive - HSE "The HSE is responsible for providing health and personal social services to everyone living in Ireland."
	Kildare Vocational Education Committee (VEC) "Co. Kildare VEC is the statutory education body for the County of Kildare. It is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of; Second level schools and colleges; Post Leaving Certificate courses (PLC's); Adult and continuing education provision both in schools and in dedicated education centres; Education and Training provision for the long term unemployed and early school leavers; The provision of an extensive range of adult literacy and community education programmes and courses; Support systems for students -including Grants and Scholarships; A youth and sport grant scheme for voluntary youth and sport organisations."
	Environmental Protection Agency "The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent public body established under the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992. The other main instruments from which it derives its mandate are the Waste Management Act, 1996, and the Protection of the Environment Act, 2003. The EPA has a wide range of functions to protect the environment. Its primary activities include; Environmental licensing, Enforcement of environmental law, Environmental planning and guidance, Monitoring and reporting on the environmental status- air, water, waste, noise, land and soil, Environmental research."
	The Heritage Council "The Heritage Council was established as a statutory body under the Heritage act 1995. Its role is to propose policies and priorities for the identification, protection, preservation and enhancement of the national heritage. National Heritage is defined as including monuments, archaeological objects, heritage objects such as art and industrial works, documents and genealogical records, architectural heritage, flora, fauna, wildlife habitats, landscapes, seascapes, wrecks, geology, heritage gardens, parks and inland waterways."
	The Ombudsman "The Ombudsman's staff examine complaints about the administrative actions of Government Departments, the Health Service Executive, local authorities and An Post.The Ombudsman's staff examine complaints about the administrative actions of Government Departments, the Health Service Executive, local authorities and An Post."
	Government of Ireland Website "This site will help you to find government organisations or information by providing links, indices of recent publications and a search engine that searches all government sites. There is also general information about Ireland including some photographs of well known locations."
	Office of the Information Commissioner The Information Commissioner may conduct reviews of the decisions of public bodies in relation to requests for access to information (subject to the provisions of the relevant legislation).

Public Bodies October 22, 2006 02:59 PM |

European Affairs


	European Union Online This is the main European Union Website which contains information on and links to all the major EU Institutions; information on EU Treaties; European Parliamentary Affairs; and many other useful topics
	European Ombudsman The European Ombudsman was established in the Maastrict Treaty to handle complaints regarding the Maladministration of institutions and bodies of the European Community.
	The Committee of the Regions The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the political assembly that provides local and regional authorities with a voice at the heart of the European Union. Established in 1994, the CoR was set up to address two main issues. Firstly, about three quarters of EU legislation is implemented at local or regional level, so it makes sense for local and regional representatives to have a say in the development of new EU laws. Secondly, there were concerns that the public was being left behind as the EU steamed ahead. Involving the elected level of government closest to the citizens was one way of closing the gap.

European Affairs October 22, 2006 02:41 PM |

Special Needs and Disability Issues


	National Parents Council (Special Education) This site is not only home to the Special Education section of the National Parents Council of Ireland but also provides links to a number of useful websites on this subject.
	The National Disability Authority "The National Disability Authority, on behalf of the State, promotes and helps secure the rights of people with disabilities. Our responsibilities include policy development, research and advice on standards."
	Rehab Ireland "The Rehab Group is an independent, not-for-profit organisation which provides training, employment, social care and commercial services for some 60,000 people each year in Ireland and the UK."
	Enable Ireland "Our mission is to enable those who use our services to achieve maximum independence, choice and inclusion in their communities. We will do this by offering a range of services and supports of the highest quality, in line with the needs and wishes of the service users and in active partnership with them."
	The Disability Federation of Ireland "Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) is the national support organisation and advocate for voluntary organisations in Ireland who provide services to people with disabilities and disabling conditions."
	The Carers Association "The Carers Association is Ireland's national voluntary organisation for and of family carers in the home. Family carers provide high levels of care to a range of people including frail older people, people with severe disabilities, the terminally ill and children with special needs."
	The Alzheimer Society of Ireland "The Alzheimer Society of Ireland is a national voluntary organisation. It is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity (CHY 7868). It was established in 1982 by a small group of people who found themselves in the position of caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s Disease with no information or support available to them. The Society grew steadily and today, there is an extensive national network of branches and services that aims to provide people with all forms of dementia, their families and carers with the necessary support to improve their quality of life."
	The Irish Wheelchair Association "The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) is the national organisation of people with limited mobility. With over 20,000 members and service users, the role of IWA is to research, develop and pilot new concepts of service delivery, and to deliver services in partnership with state agencies."
	People with Disibilities in Ireland "People with Disabilities in Ireland (PwDI) is the only national cross disability organisation funded by the Government. PwDI wants to help all people with disabilities to take part in and influence the decision making process that impacts on their lives and opportunities."
	The Childrens Clinic "The Children's Clinic, Gorey, Co. Wexford, provides comprehensive evaluations and individualised treatment plans for children with a variety of developmental disabilities and associated learning and behavioural difficulties. The clinic's developmental paediatrician, Dr. Fennell, also conducts a monthly clinic in Balbriggan, Co. Dublin."
	The Dyspraxia Association "Formed in 1995 by parents of children with dyspraxia, the Association aims to; 1)Raise awareness of dyspraxia in Ireland and create a better understanding of the difficulties children and parents face; 2)Ensure adequate resources are available to support the needs of children with dyspraxia. This includes occupational therapy, speech therapy, physiotherapy, psychological support and education; 3)Provide an information and sharing and support network for parents; 4)Improve diagnostic services; 3)Organise meetings for parents and their children; 4)Provide a parent/professional link."
	Kildare Network of People with Disabilities "The Network Committee is made up of people with disabilities, or who are advocates for people with disabilities. They all live in County Kildare. The Network Committee lobbies locally, for improved access in the widest terms of the word. Public Representatives, County Council, Health Board, and other agencies as well as businesses are all targeted."
	John Sullivan Resource Centre John Sullivan Resource Centre (Irish Wheelchair Association) delivers a service to people with physical and sensory disabilities across a broad age group.
	St Raphaels St. John of God Hospitaller Services is committed to helping and encouraging people who have an intellectual disability to develop attitudes, knowledge and skills, which are necessary for them to achieve fulfilment.

Special Needs and Disability Issues October 22, 2006 02:29 PM |

Unfinished Housing Estates and Management Companies


	The Companies Registration Office Management Companies and Management Agents have to, in order to operate in compliance with the law, register with the Companies Registration Office. This is a useful tool in obtaining a limited amount of information on the company with whom you are dealing.
	Department Environment & Local Government This Government Department is in charge of Local Government and therefore Local Authorities are answerable to the Minister for the Environment on issues relating to Management Companies and Unfinished Housing Estates.
	The Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement "The mission of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE) is to improve the compliance environment for corporate activity in the Irish economy by; encouraging adherence to the requirements of the Companies Acts; and bringing to account those who disregard the law."

Unfinished Housing Estates and Management Companies October 22, 2006 02:28 PM |

Your Home and You


	Your Affordable Home Handbook This is a small and concise handbook in pdf format which runs through the fundamental aspects of the Affordable Housing Scheme. Each Local Authority runs it's own scheme and so you must apply to them for consideration.
	Affordable Homes Partnership "The Affordable Homes Partnership was established to co-ordinate and promote the delivery of affordable homes in the Greater Dublin Area. Affordable homes are provided at a discount to market value to help lower-income home buyers to buy newly constructed homes in areas where property prices have created an affordability gap."
	Kildare County Council - Housing Section This website allows you to download application forms and gives you information about housing in Kildare.
	Social Housing Scheme - Kildare County Council This is a link to what's known as Kildare County Council's Scheme of Letting Priorities for Social Housing. Put simply, social housing is allocated on the basis of a point's system whereby those with the highest number, to a maximum of 100, are allocated housing. This guide gives an indication of what factors influence who obtains a housing unit and how quickly, however it's important for applicants to contact their Local Authority directly on occasion to enquire as to how many points they've acumulated.
	Department of Environment, Heritage, and Local Government - Housing This area of the Department's site is useful in outlining Housing Issues from a national perspective and also provides some excellent links to related sites.
	Threshold "Threshold was founded in 1978 and is a not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to secure a right to housing, particularly for households experiencing the problems of poverty and exclusion."

Your Home and You October 22, 2006 02:27 PM |

Kildare's Local Media


	Liffey Champion The Liffey Champion is a weekly newspaper circulating in North Kildare and West Dublin.
	Leinster Leader "The Leinster Leader newspaper was founded in 1881 to give a voice to the nationalist community at that time within County Kildare. Since its first issue the "Leader" has been the paper of record for County Kildare. The Leinster Leader Limited is a private company that since 1998 has expanded by acquisition and now owns six titles, namely: "Leinster Leader", "Leinster Express", "Dundalk Democrat", "Offaly Express", "Limerick Leader" and the "Tallaght Echo"."
	KFM Radio "Here at Kfm, we've made great strides in the short period we've been on-air. We broadcast 24 hours a day and our aim is to entertain and inform our listeners with the best music, local news and current affairs plus sport and traffic reports."
	Kildare Times Kildare Times is a free newspaper which circulates throught Kildare
	Kildare Nationalist Kildare Nationalist circulates weekly in Kildare, it is a sister paper to the Carlow Nationalist
	Kildare Post
	Media Live Provides information on Local Media, circulation etc, together with Census figures on for each County

Kildare's Local Media October 22, 2006 02:14 PM |

Community Links

	The Wheel The Wheel is a national network connecting Community and Voluntary organisations across Ireland. Established six years ago with a mandate from over 200 organisations and individuals, The Wheel has evolved to become a resource centre and forum for the Community and Voluntary sector.
	Kildare Community & Voluntary Forum "The Kildare Community and Voluntary Forum was set up in 2000 on foot of the recommendation of a government Task Force on the integration of Local Government and Local Development."
	Tidy Towns Competition "The Tidy Towns Movement has experienced many changes over the more than forty years of its existence. During that time it has helped to transform towns and villages throughout Ireland and has been a major force for community development."
	Kildare County Childcare Committee "The Kildare County Childcare Committee was formed in 2001 to promote cross-agency co-operation and co-ordination in the delivery of Childcare Services at a local level. This strategy and action plan was produced by Carrefour NUI Galway and Debairéad & Associates and is aimed at supporting the development of quality childcare services in County Kildare and places parity of esteem on the development of children and the creation of opportunities for parentsThe Kildare County Childcare Committee was formed in 2001 to promote cross-agency co-operation and co-ordination in the delivery of Childcare Services at a local level. This strategy and action plan was produced by Carrefour NUI Galway and Debairéad & Associates and is aimed at supporting the development of quality childcare services in County Kildare and places parity of esteem on the development of children and the creation of opportunities for parents"
	Volunteering Ireland "Volunteering Ireland is a membership based organisation which promotes high quality voluntary activity, by encouraging organisations which involve volunteers to adopt good policy and practice, and by acting as a link between such organisations and individuals who wish to undertake meaningful voluntary work."
	Kildare Community Websites "The Kildare Community Network is a non-profit company set up to manage and develop the www.kildare.ie website for the benefit of communities in County Kildare. It seeks to maximise the use of ICT in increasing democratic participation, and to provide ICT services free to those who may be disadvantaged or socially excluded."

Community Links October 20, 2006 03:54 PM |

Events Calendar May 2009