Welcome Note

A chara:

With hashtag#Budget2024 just a few days away, the key priorities for Fianna Fáil and this government:
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🟢 Easing the cost of living
🟢 Housing for all
🟢 Investment in public services
🟢 Supporting indigenous business
🟢 Providing for the future

I will be writing to you separately with a Special Budget Edition this week.

In this newsletter, you'll find the latest news, insights, and the latest funding opportunities in our community, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at my work.

I hope you'll find something valuable in each issue.

Here's a preview of what you can expect in this month's newsletter:

• Mountbellew Agriculture College
• Increased Allocation of €5.7 million for Galway roads
• 215,000 people are newly eligible to apply for the medical card
• Native Tree Area Scheme opens to farmers and landowners

And more!

To make sure you don't miss a single issue, be sure to add this email address to your contacts list: anne@annerabbitte.ie

Thanks again for subscribing and I look forward to connecting with you each month.

Sincerely, Anne

P.S. Be sure to follow me on social media for more updates, insights and breaking news

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Constituency News

Mountbellew Agricultural College the ideal home for new Vet School

Farming is so integral to Galway and the infrastructure needs to be developed to support farmers and this includes when it comes to vets.

Currently, all our vets are being trained in UCD, which is a fine setup, but the simple fact of the matter is that we need more vets around the country, and I think it’s important we’re producing these vets locally.

Government announces significant capital investment for two projects in County Galway

What distinguishes one child from another is not ability, but access. Access to education and opportunity. When clear pathways to education are available to all, there will be no limit to human potential.

One of the other many benefits of education is that it can broaden a student’s horizons, helping them understand more about other cultures and corners of the world beyond the school door.

Everyone wins when children and young adults have educational equity and fairness.

Government approves additional €5.7 million for Galway County Council

This month I welcomed an increased allocation of over €5.7 million in funding being provided to Galway County Council by Government, as approved by Cabinet today, Wednesday 6th September.

The announcement comes as part of a national increase of €75.4m in Local Property Tax (LPT) baseline funding to Local Authorities – bringing the total to €428.4m in 2024 – following a review of how the money is allocated.

Galway: The future of Innovation and Job Creation – Galway Tech Sector announce more than 350 new jobs.

Galway is rapidly becoming a major hub for technology and innovation. In recent years, the city and county have attracted a growing number of tech startups and multinational companies, as well as a talented pool of workers.

This has led to Galway being dubbed the “New Silicon Valley” of Europe.

This month over 350 jobs were announced in the tech sector in Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Freudenberg Medical and Nostra, all supported by the Irish government, through the IDA and Enterprise Ireland.

The sector has created thousands of jobs and has helped to attract new residents to the county.

In addition, the tech sector is helping Galway to become a more globalised county, now home to people from all over the world, and this diversity is helping to create a more vibrant and innovative community.
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Events

Dip, Donate, Nominate

​Portumna GAA and Portumna Camogie have partnered with Cancer Fund for Children in 2023 to raise funds with a novel campaign called Dip Donate Nominate.

The campaign is well underway with well know sport stars dipping and nominating.

The mission is simple:

• Dip yourself in the lake, the sea, the river, the jacuzzi, the paddling pool!
• Donate to the fundraiser
• Nominate 3 of your friends to do the same after you dip
• Share your dip to this special social media page to encourage momentum:

This incredibly worthy cause calls for a BIG SPLASH.

Whether it’s dipping a toe, or plunging into the cold depths of Lough Derg or Lough Corrib, or the Atlantic Ocean, we wish to call on all members of our community to get out and Dip, Dunk or even Dive!

Cancer Fund for Children’s motto “to ensure that no child faces cancer alone.”

It is with help from you, the people of our community, and beyond, that we can help raise the essential and crucial funds for the children of Ireland that face an unknown future.

Young, our cherished elders, players of all codes, mammies, daddies, guardians,

We can all support both this vital service as well as our own local clubs.

Get dipping and donating!!!!

In Health

From September 11th some 215,000 people are newly eligible to apply for the cards. It is part of the biggest expansion in eligibility for free GP care in the history of the state happening this year and covering up to 500,000 people.

This is great news for those now eligible to apply and it is yet another example of Fianna Fáil in government making health care more affordable.

Improving healthcare affordability and access is a priority for Fianna Fáil in government.

Since 2020 we have

• Abolished in-patient hospital charges. We started by abolishing in-patient charges for children in 2022. This year (2023) we abolished charges for all adults. This charge, which was €80 per visit, will save people up to €800 a year.
• Introduced a landmark scheme providing free contraception for women. We started with those aged 17-25. This has now been extended to women up to the age of 30. This will save people up to €600 a year.
• Reduced the amount of money people have to pay for medicine. Under the Drug Payment Scheme (DPS), we have reduced the monthly maximum families have to pay from €124 to €80. This will save families up to €528 a year, with 120,000 people/ families benefitting from the scheme.
• Extended Medical Cards to more people with a terminal illness, ensuring anyone with a prognosis of up to two years can get one.
• Raised the income thresholds for those aged 70 and above, making many more medical cards available for those in retirement

National Breast Cancer Research Institute and University of Galway announce new €2m research partnership

NBCRI commits investment to further world-class research, including metastatic breast cancer, imaging, genetics and biomarkers

University of Galway has announced a new partnership with the National Breast Cancer Research Institute (NBCRI) with the charity committing a €2 million research investment fund over two years.

The collaboration builds on a longstanding relationship between NBCRI and the University, which dates back to the 1990s and has involved support for numerous projects and developments in breast cancer research.

One in 7 Irish women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and there are 3,507 breast cancer diagnoses every year – a figure which is set to continue to increase.

Thanks to advances in research and healthcare, the survival rate of breast cancer patients has gone from 50% to 88% over the last 40 years.

Funding Opportunities

Government Announces Open Call for Proposals for Forestry Promotion Projects for 2023-2024

Our Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is now open to applications and to compliment this we are looking for projects and proposals which will help encourage farmers and other landowners to plant trees under the new Programme, as well as to raise the profile of forestry as a public good and a commercially viable enterprise.

Expressions of Interest for Investment Grant-Aid Scheme for Private & Community SMEs as part of the EU Just Transition Fund Regenerative Tourism & Placemaking Scheme for Ireland’s Midlands 2023-2026.

Failte Ireland has launched an open call for Expressions of Interest for its Investment Grant-Aid Scheme for Private & Community SMEs as part of the EU Just Transition Fund Regenerative Tourism & Placemaking Scheme for Ireland’s Midlands 2023-2026.

The scheme aims to transform tourism across 8 counties in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and Ireland’s Ancient East by diversifying the local economy and providing new employment opportunities for workers and communities that were heavily dependent on peat.

The Investment Grant-Aid Scheme for Private & Community SMEs is the first part of the up to €68 million Regenerative Tourism & Placemaking scheme to be delivered by Fáilte Ireland, as part of the EU Just Transition Fund (EU JTF).

Co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union, the EU JTF Programme supports regions that are experiencing the negative impacts from the transition away from fossil fuel-intensive or greenhouse-gas-intensive industries, such as the use of peat for energy generation.

You're the Business

If you’re an SME, you could win €1000 Google ads credit, with our You’re the Business competition. Now open for entries at https://lnkd.in/g344Vcsh.

You’re the Business is a digital upskill initiative for SMEs, and can help you take your business to the next level.

This is an opportunity for SMEs to show us how far they’ve come on their digital journey, as well as the chance to win expert advice from Google mentors, and a video creation kit.

So act now and enter today.

In Other News

Launch of Comworks Loughrea

"An Introduction to Disability, Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights" - Launch of Course at Pearse Street Library

Fianna Fáil Annual Parley

Out and About in September

Countdown to Budget 2024

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