As your local Senator I have been working hard to represent the people of Cork in Seanad Éireann. In recent years we have moved from economic uncertainty to stability, the maintenance of which requires continual work.
Some of the national issues I will be prioritising are tourism, job creation and public infrastructure, of housing, roads and amenities, in order to sustain such growth.
Senator Tim Lombard from Cork has said that farms should be treated as a workplace, not as playgrounds. As a member of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee member Senator Lombard has urged all farmers to use the opportunities provided during Farm Safety Week 2017 to improve awareness and safety on their farms. “We do not allow people to run amok on construction sites because it is too dangerous, and the same must apply for farms; they are a workplace with many potential hazards and should
Read MoreParents have been encouraged to inform themselves about childcare supports that will help them financially, and figures indicate a positive public response. Over 173,000 page visits were recorded last month to an information website – affordablechildcare.ie – which details the childcare supports available from September this year. “I strongly encourage all parents in Cork who have not yet done so to log on to the website and get informed. While the figures show a fantastic response to the nat
Read MoreCork based Fine Gael Senator, Tim Lombard, has said that a newly launched low cost loan scheme will be extremely beneficial for farmers in Cork, particularly to help them mitigate against the impact of Brexit. The ‘Agri Cashflow Support Loan Scheme’, which was developed in co-operation with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), was launched by Fine Gael Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed today (Tuesday). “My Fine Gael colleague, Minister Michael Creed, has launched the Gov
Read MoreCork based Fine Gael Senator, Tim Lombard, has said the new specialised Tillage Measure under TAMS II is going to help Cork tillage farmers to modernise and cut costs. “The newly launched and specialised Tillage Measure, worth approximately €26 million, is the seventh of a suite of measures available to farmers under TAMS II. I know from talking to tillage farmers here in Cork that many of them were disadvantaged by the poor harvest last year. Minister Creed is all too aware of this thanks to
Read MoreThe plight of the farming community has been a recurring issue brought up this year, one sector that really requires focus and support is the grain industry and our grain growers. Senator Lombard said: “Over the past few years the grain sector in Ireland has been declining and unfortunately is now on the verge of collapse. A fourth year of bad weather, mediocre prices and reduced volume has been severely detrimental to the grain industry. “We are looking at a situation from Cork to Donegal
Read MoreThe Primary Care Psychology Service in the Cork and Kerry Community Health Organisation (CHO) provides vital services for children, aged 18 and under, with social, emotional or behavioural problems. This is a critical service; mental health has a profound effect on an individual’s quality of life, physical and social well-being, as well as long-term economic productivity. Cork based Senator Tim Lombard said: “It was recently brought to my attention that the wait times to receive Psychological
Read MoreFine Gael Cork based Senator, Tim Lombard, has called for the Meningitis B vaccine programme, introduced in October 2016, to be back-dated to allow for a catch up scheme for all children. Lombard raised the issue with Minister of State in the Department of Health, Catherine Byrne TD in the Seanad this week. “The Meningitis B vaccine programme introduced by my Fine Gael colleague and Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD, in October last year was a great incentive for families to ensure thei
Read MoreCork based Fine Gael Senator, Tim Lombard, raised the issue in the Seanad today of the lack of legislation regarding Coast Guard Services in Ireland. “The Irish Coast Guard Service is an invaluable and essential emergency service for our island nation. Each year its 950 volunteers manage roughly 2,500 marine emergencies and assist other primary response agencies with nearly 4,500 treacherous situations. The highly trained Coast Guards volunteer an average of 10,000 combined man hours every ye
Read MoreSenator Tim Lombard has called for a national task force to deal with the invasive plants currently causing problems in Ireland. "Invasive plants, in particular Japanese Knotweed, have become very prevalent in Ireland over the last few years. It is presently a substantial financial and labour-intensive burden that will continue to endure and will only accrue a much larger future obligation if not dealt with now. "To give an international example of the cost involved, £70 million was requir
Read MoreCork based Fine Gael Senator, Tim Lombard, has said that the Action Plan for Education 2017 is going to promote wellbeing in schools as well as tackling educational disadvantage across Cork and wider Ireland. “The Action Plan for Education initiated by my Fine Gael colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, is designed to ensure that we have the best education service in Europe within the decade. “The 2017 version of the Action Plan contains over 400 actions and sub
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