THE
?¬2.25 billion Stimulus Package that was unveiled by the Government last week has received a broad welcome on the Southside.
The package will provide for the building of 20 new primary health care centres at various locations throughout the country.
Twelve schools at mainly post-primary level have been given the go ahead and more than 20,000 students and 2,000 staff from 39 separate locations across the city will be amalgamated on a new 73-acre DIT campus on the Grangegorman site.
The justice infrastructure is being revamped with six new courthouses and Garda divisional headquarters while major road developments are also on the cards.
The overall effort to boost the domestic economy and improve the infrastructure of the country has been welcomed by Eamonn Maloney, the Labour Party TD for Dublin South West.
“This package will lead to the creation of 13,000 jobs, many of which will be availed of by former construction workers,
? he said.
“The individual projects are labour intensive and by using Public Private Partnership financing will ensure value for money for the State and provide for the infrastructural needs of the country.
“Each job created will save the State at least
?¬20,000 in taxes paid and reduce the social welfare expenditure. By stimulating the economy and keeping money in circulation we will generate confidence and this in turn will help create further jobs.”
He added: “There is still a long way to go but this package is a very important step in the rebuilding of the economy and the creation of jobs which is the number one objective.”
Fine Gael Senator Cáit Keane, also welcomed the announcement that a new primary care centre has been given the go ahead for the Knocklyon/Rathfarnham area, as part of the stimulus package announced by the Government.
“I was delighted to hear that Knocklyon/Rathfarnham has been included in the list of locations being earmarked for new primary care centres,
? she said.
“The provision of primary care at a local health centre is a very important resource in any community, and this new centre will also help to alleviate the pressures on the hospitals across our capital city.
?
She added:
“The Programme for Government sets out our commitment to ensuring a better and more efficient system, comprising a single-tier health service which will deliver equal access to care based on need, not income.
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Meanwhile, Cllr Victor Boyhan (Ind) has called for funding for the refurbishment of Newpark School in Blackrock.
He noted that Newpark School was not included in the Government Stimulus Spending Package despite expectation locally in recent days that the school might benefit from the educational funding segment of the package.
A former pupil of Newpark, Cllr Boyhan said he was disappointed to learn that the school had been left out.
“I will be urging parents, teachers pupils and former pupils to step up the campaign to have politicians deliver on the promise of a new school for Newpark,
? he said.