MATT CARTHY TD

MEP asks Minister to provide assurances on Proposed Croagh Wind Farm, Co Leitrim

Sinn Féin MEP, Matt Carthy, has confirmed that he has written to the Minister for Planning, Eoghan Murphy, asking him to provide assurances to communities in the vicinity of a proposed wind farm at Croagh, Co Leitrim that their concerns will be listened to.

Carthy contacted the Minister following a meeting he held with local residents recently where they raised concerns regarding the manner in which Coillte is proposing to develop a commercial scale wind farm located on the northeastern slopes of Carrane Hill, Garvagh, Killavoggy.

Speaking this week Carthy said:

“Everyone accepts that there is a need to develop renewal energy.  But, the manner in which Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments have pursued this objective has been sloppy and haphazard.  They have allowed the agenda to be dictated by private corporations while sometimes state companies have been used to facilitate these multinationals.  All the while local communities have been ignored and the model which works best internationally, of public and community ownership of the process, has been disregarded in place of a process where local communities are essentially side-lined from the entire process.

“When I joined Martin Kenny TD and Cllr. Padraig Fallon to meet with residents concerned with the Croagh proposal I was surprised to learn that the planned wind turbines are significantly larger than the conventional types, many of which are already in place in this area.  Specifically, concerns have been raised with us regarding the close proximity to heritage bog land areas, and the threats posed to species such as the Hen Harrier and Corncrake, which attract bird watchers from Ireland and beyond and which are endangered species.

“The residents we met with are also frustrated with what they consider the lack of genuine consultation embarked by Coillte which is, of course, a state-owned company.

“Considering the genuine fears that have been expressed regarding the general well-being of the community and the potential impact of this development on homes, wildlife, habitats, bogs and waterways I have written to Eoghan Murphy, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government requesting that he provide assurances that the concerns of local communities will be taken into consideration before any planning is granted as to the proposal for the Croagh Wind Farm.

“Neither the Minister, nor the local Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs who keep him in power, can continue to hide behind the planning process while communities feel that they have no voice.  If renewable energy targets are to be met then communities must have ownership of the process, they will not tolerate being ignored”.

ENDS

Carthy welcomes CAP vote but cautions that further progress needed to deliver equality for farmers

Sinn Féin MEP for the Midlands North West Matt Carthy has welcomed the support for hastened moves towards equality on farm payments per hectare in key vote on the Common Agricultural Policy. Speaking in Brussels, following a vote on the CAP post-2020 in the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, Carthy said:

“Inequalities in farm payments has long been a controversial issue in Ireland as some farm enterprises receive significantly more per hectare than many farm families based on the system of historical entitlements.

“Under the current CAP, no farms in Ireland should have been receiving more than €700 per hectare in EU subsidies by 2019.  However, there are still many farmers receiving less than €100 per hectare.  Such a disparity is unfair and unsustainable.  Today’s vote calls for full convergence on payments per hectare by 2026 – a massive win for those on lower incomes.

“For the majority of farmers in my Midlands North West constituency this vote will be significant.  Farmers, especially in the western and border counties receive some of the lowest payments in the country and redistribution could be the difference between staying on the land or being forced out of agriculture.

“However there is still a long way to go to achieve full equality in farming.

“Sinn Féin has supported an upper limit of €60,000 for basic payments, with farmers having the option of topping up their payments through participation in environmental schemes.  This would allow for front loaded payments that would offer additional support proportionally for smaller and medium sized farms.  In today’s vote, Fine Gael’s political group significantly weakened this ambition so that direct payments will be capped at €100,000 with loopholes that will allow payments even above this limit.  Even this adoption of the redistributive payment will allow the Irish Government to supplement small to medium farmers with an increased front-loaded payment.

“I am also disappointed by the lack of progress for Young Farmers.  Amendments I put forward calling for 3% of Pillar 1 to be dedicated to Young Farmers did not receive the necessary support during the negotiation stage, so this figure will remain at 2%.

“In some respects there are still a lot of unknowns about the new CAP.  National Governments are set to gain additional control over environmental schemes, as well as the setting of targets. As farmers are well aware based on their experience with Greening, these schemes have the potential to frustrate and ultimately prove worthless in terms of impact if the approach is not right.

“The vote today comes close to the end of this Parliamentary term, so while it makes an important statement on the importance to deliver equality, the final outcome of the 2020-2027 programming period will likely not be finalised until the next mandate of parliament.  Therefore it is imperative that Ireland is represented by progressive MEPs that will demand fairness for our family farmers and that is one of the reasons why it is imperative that farmers support Sinn Féin in the European elections in May.

“In the meantime the Irish government’s position in the European Council will be crucial.  Any attempt to dilute the Parliament’s position on convergence must be resisted and the government must be clear and upfront on its position to deliver maximum equality in farm payments”.

ENDS

‘Irish government appears to have blocked EU funding for Western Rail Corridor!’ – Matt Carthy MEP

Matt Carthy MEP has said that it appears that the Irish government has blocked the potential for EU funding to develop the Western Rail Corridor.  The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funds listed transport projects across the EU.  But, it has emerged Council representatives (acting on behalf of EU governments) have resisted the inclusion of the Western Rail Corridor on the CEF list in secret negotiations with European Parliament and Commission representatives.

Speaking following the outcome of negotiations, Carthy said:

‘Last December, the European Parliament supported my amendments to recognise the Western Rail Corridor as a priority link within the CEF fund.  MEPs from across a range of EU Member States could see the clear need for a rail network in the West of Ireland.

‘Following this vote in the European Parliament, the report entered into trilogue negotiations; secret negotiations where only a limited number of officials can attend.  It became clear from our sources that the Council, the representative body of Member State governments, did not support the funding, and in fact, vehemently opposed the proposal.  It is implausible that the Council would adopt such a position without the say-so of the Irish government.

‘The Irish government has delayed for years the opportunity for this project to receive vital EU transport funding.  Sinn Féin submitted parliamentary questions to the Minister of Transport, Shane Ross, on whether the Irish government was supporting the amendments at EU negotiations.  Unsurprisingly, the Minster declined to comment on the position of the Irish government in the closed negotiations.

‘Instead, the Minister claims that he will submit to the European Commission an application to review Ireland’s TEN-T map within the next six weeks.  However, communities across the west of Ireland will not be confident.  In 2016, the Programme for Partnership Government stated that an application to review the Irish TEN-T map would occur within three months of government formation.  I revealed last year that they hadn’t even asked the European Commission for a review.  It is now 2019.  How long does it take the Irish government to write a letter?

‘It is now beyond question that there is an inbuilt bias in this Fine Gael government, supported by Fianna Fáil, against infrastructural development for regions such as the west.  People will recall that it was Leo Varadkar, while Transport Minister, who forced the removal of transport projects in the West and North West, including the Western Rail Corridor, from the TEN-T map.  Now it appears that is government has blocked progress that we made in the European Parliament to begin to address a glaring omission in our public transport network.

“Any TD in the west, whether they be Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil or Independent that continues to support this government while they refuse to change course on this matters will, in effect, be operating against the economic best interests of their own constituents.

“For our part, Sinn Féin MEPs will continue to support the Western Rail Corridor as a vital infrastructure project and we will continue to hold those to account who are failing to deliver for the west of Ireland.”

ENDS

Matt Carthy MEP to host “Stop the Vultures!” public meeting in Drogheda this Friday

Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy will host a “Stop the Vultures! Time to Protect Homes” public meeting in the Westcourt Hotel in Drogheda, Co Louth, this Friday 5 April at 8pm.

The Midlands Northwest MEP has been central to the campaign against the EU directive on non-performing loans which he says will strengthen the free rein giving to the banks and vulture funds and will force more families out of their homes. Ahead of the Drogheda event he spoke of the government’s lack of action on Ireland’s housing crisis.

“Sinn Féin is standing with communities and campaigning for policies that will benefit the Irish people and not the banks and vultures at the local, state and EU level.

“In Brussels we are fighting tooth and nail against a new proposal on mortgage loans, which would allow the banks to throw their customers to the wolves and give further free rein to the debt vultures across the EU.

“Last week the UN special rapporteur on housing issued an absolutely scathing letter reprimanding the Irish government for its policies that have actively encouraged the financialisation of the real estate sector – and which have directly caused the extreme rise in homelessness we have witnessed.

“The unprecedented housing crisis in this state has been caused by a series of public policy failures – a failure to cap rents, a failure to build social housing, and a failure to implement an effective vacant homes strategy.

“At the same time the housing and homelessness crisis has been worsened by the government’s policies of inviting in the US vulture funds, and creating a virtually tax-free environment for both the banks and the vultures.

“Instead of regulating international speculators, the government has welcomed in the hedge funds with open arms, which has driven up housing and rental costs and priced an entire generation out of ever owning their own home.

“At every stage in this unfolding disaster, the government has been supported by Fianna Fáil.

“Fine Gael, supported by Fianna Fáil, are actively encouraging this crisis to escalate and we must fight back. We in Sinn Féin are here to stand with the people to protect their homes.

“I encourage the people of county Louth to stand with us on April 5. Come and have your voice heard.”

Note to editors:

Speakers on the evening will include Imelda Munster TD and Cllr Joanna Byrne. The event, which takes place in Westcourt Hotel in Drogheda, starts at 8pm on Friday 5 April.

ENDS

Carthy wishes Marian Harkin well for future

Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy has expressed his best wishes for the future to Independent MEP Marian Harkin who today announced she is not contest the next European Parliament election.

Matt Carthy said.

“I want to send my sincere best wishes to Marian Harkin for the future and to thank her for her goodwill and cooperation as a colleague in the European Parliament and as fellow MEP for the Midlands North West constituency.

“While we did not always agree on the role of the EU or on the solutions to the many issues facing people in our constituency, we did work well together on issues of common concern.

“Whether in politics or the voluntary sector Marian has always made a positive contribution and I’m sure she will continue to do so in the future. I wish her all the best.”

ENDS

Irish government continues to block progress on tax transparency – Matt Carthy MEP

Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy has called on the Irish government to end its position of blocking progress on achieving public transparency over the tax affairs of corporate giants in the EU Council. The Midlands North West MEP was speaking from Strasbourg following a vote on the proposal for public country-by-country reporting for multinationals in the European Parliament today, Wednesday. The vote closed the Parliament’s first reading on the proposal, indicating the Parliament believes it will now be impossible to enter into and conclude negotiations with the Council before the end of the mandate in May.

Carthy said: “The proposal for public country-by-country reporting is the most important initiative for tax transparency that has ever been developed. It means that multinational corporations would be required to publicly report their turnover, profits and tax paid in each country in which they operate.

“It is the public aspect that the Fine Gael government is objecting to. The Irish government has introduced country-by-country reporting for companies with a turnover of more than €750 million in line with the OECD BEPS recommendation. But it has not introduced the requirement that the reporting be made public, and Irish government representatives have made it clear that they would oppose the financial data being made public in the Council.

“The Parliament adopted its position on this report in July 2017 but it has been blocked in the Council for several years now.

“I have several issues with the Parliament’s position on this proposal – including the fact that it will apply only to companies with an annual turnover of more than 750 million euros, and the insertion of a secrecy clause that will allow companies to omit public disclosure of income tax information on the grounds of commercial sensitivity.

“Yet the Parliament’s position is miles ahead of the Council’s. The latest compromise from the Romanian Presidency of the Council from January shows no progress on the Council’s text. We know that the states who are attempting to block or weaken this proposal in the Council include Ireland, Luxembourg, Germany, Malta, Austria, Cyprus, Sweden and Hungary. It is no coincidence that four of these states were among the five labelled ‘tax havens’ by the European Parliament this week.

“The Council’s position as it stands is hugely problematic. It inserts a secrecy clause that would allow massive discretion to companies to omit disclosures; it allows non-EU headquartered companies to use a ‘comply-or-explain’ clause to avoid reporting on their activities in jurisdictions outside of the EU, even in blacklisted jurisdictions; and it fails to cover letterbox companies. Most importantly it fails to include specific requirements that the reporting be fully disclosed publicly.

“Fine Gael need to publicly explain their position on this proposal in the Council, and stop attempting to shield multinational giants from public scrutiny. Maximum international transparency on tax is not a threat to tax sovereignty.  In fact it is Sinn Féin that defends sovereignty across the board, while Fine Gael use it as a fig leaf to facilitate foreign corporates to avoid paying their taxes.

“There is absolutely no justification whatsoever for the Irish government, or any government, to oppose public country-by-country reporting.  The only people with anything to fear from tax transparency are corporate tax cheats, and their cheerleaders.” ENDS

EU time change vote could lead to different time zones in Ireland – Matt Carthy MEP

Sinn Féin MEPs this week voted against a proposal from the EU Commission to discontinue seasonal time changes by 2021.  Midlands North West MEP Matt Carthy has criticised the move as an unnecessary power grab by the Commission, which may result in the ridiculous situation where there are two different time zones on the island of Ireland.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Carthy said: “The decision by the European Parliament to support the Commission’s proposal on seasonal time changes is unfortunate and badly timed. At a moment when we are attempting to deal with the fallout of Brexit, this vote could result in the absurd situation where we could potentially have two different time zones in Ireland.

“The British government will determine the time zone for the North, and the Commission will determine the time zone for the southern state, with the people of our island not having a direct say.

“There are different views on seasonal time changes and its impact. But this Directive says member states must inform the European Commission if they wish to adjust their seasonal time changes, and that the decision on whether to authorise this is then up to the Commission. It is a clear example of completely unnecessary over-reach by the European Commission with the acquiescence of Irish MEPs.”

ENDS

UN slams Ireland for inviting in the debt vultures – Matt Carthy MEP

Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy has said the United Nations’ harsh condemnation of the Irish government’s housing policies must be met by a fundamental change in approach towards housing, one which provides adequate housing for all as a human right. The UN special rapporteur on the right to housing, Leilani Farha, and chairperson of the UN Working Group on housing Surya Deva, have critiqued Ireland along with five other states and private equity giant Blackstone for their role in fuelling the global housing crisis and being responsible for the denial of the human right to housing.

Carthy said: “The UN special rapporteur has this week issued an absolutely scathing letter reprimanding the Irish government for its policies that have actively encouraged the financialisation of the real estate sector – and which have directly caused the extreme rise in homelessness we have witnessed.

“The authors point out that homelessness in Ireland has increased exponentially between 2015 and 2018, increasing by nearly 95.9% among adults and by 227.7% among children over the same period. They call the denial of the right to a home an ‘egregious and damaging violation’, which is known to be devastating to the lives and wellbeing of children in particular, including to their physical and mental development.

“The UN does not limit its critique to the government’s failure to provide shelter for those experiencing homelessness.  It outlines exactly how this crisis has developed and identifies the precise government policies that have caused it.

“Specifically the UN points to cuts to the public housing budget, and land hoarding by investors who deliberately restrict supply in order to inflate rent and prices. This includes the actions of I-RES REIT, which the authors point out has ‘openly discussed policies of introducing the highest rents possible’ to increase returns for shareholders.

“The UN authors single out three specific policies that have caused the financialisation of housing in Ireland, including the establishment of NAMA; the promotion of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) from 2013 onwards; and the sale by the state-controlled banks of non-performing loans to US vulture funds.

“The UN has accused the Irish government of being in breach of its international obligation under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to ensure the right to adequate housing to everyone. It further accuses the government of breaching the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which declares that states must protect people against human rights abuses by business enterprises within their jurisdiction.

“The UN is demanding that the Irish government transform its approach to housing. It says the government must develop policies and laws that include taxation, regulatory and planning measures in order to re-establish housing as a human right, promote an inclusive housing system, prevent speculation and limit the extraction of profits at the expense of tenants. Considering that they have ignored similar calls from Sinn Féin and Irish housing campaigners hopefully the government will now take this latest scathing critique of its policies seriously and fundamentally change its relationship with the financial sector.”

ENDS

Note to editors:

The UN’s letter to the Irish government is available here:

https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Housing/Financialization/OL_IRL_2_2019.pdf

“Government’s inaction on tax avoidance damaging Ireland’s reputation” – Matt Carthy MEP

European Parliament labels Ireland a Tax Haven!

Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy has said that the government’s inaction on tackling corporate tax avoidance is damaging Ireland international reputation.  Carthy was speaking following the adoption of the TAX3 special committee’s final report in the European Parliament in Strasbourg today, Tuesday, which labelled Ireland, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands as tax havens within the EU.  The report “calls on the Commission to currently regard at least these five Member States as EU tax havens until substantial tax reforms are implemented”.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Carthy said: “It is a significant indictment of the government’s lack of meaningful action on corporate tax avoidance that the official position of the European Parliament is now that Ireland is a tax haven.

“Once again, international newspaper headlines will be characterising Ireland as a tax haven. This is doing serious damage to our reputation as a destination for investment, and it is causing anger among the leaders and the ordinary people of countries around the world who see us as siphoning off the funds that they want to see collected by their public revenue agencies.

“It is deeply unfair for the Irish people who pay their taxes only to see massive corporations who benefit from public expenditure on education and infrastructure to pay next to nothing to Revenue.

“Throughout the mandate of this TAX3 special committee, I have questioned Google’s representatives who confirmed to me that the company is continuing to use the Double Irish with Bermuda – shifting billions of its profits there where they go entirely untaxed.

“My group in the Parliament has also investigated Apple’s new tax arrangements following the state aid investigation, and found that with the help of the Irish government, Apple has created a new structure that has allowed it to gain a tax write-off against almost all of its non-US sales profits. This has allowed it to pay as little as one per cent tax on its profits in the EU.

“The reality is that despite government rhetoric on being serious about ending tax avoidance in Ireland, it continues to actively facilitate profit-shifting.  Since 2015 there has also been a surge in corporations using intellectual property-related tax avoidance schemes.  Tax advisors openly advertise that as a result of the capital allowance on intangibles introduced in 2015, 100% IP-related trading profits can be offset in an accounting period, meaning the effective tax rate paid on IP can be reduced to zero.  Our tax regime also does not impose a withholding tax on royalties, with a couple of small exceptions.

“Last year the Public Accounts Committee published an important report on corporate tax in Ireland, finding that our over-reliance on a handful of tax receipts from multinationals poses an ‘unacceptable level of risk’ to our economy.

“The government’s approach of doing the bare minimum to combat tax avoidance is indeed posing an unacceptable risk to both our economy and to our reputation.”

ENDS

Carthy to host “Brexit: What’s Next?” Event in Donegal on March 29th

Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy will host a special “Brexit Day” event in Donegal on Friday March 29^th.

The event entitled “Brexit: What’s next?” will take place in Dillon’s Hotel, Letterkenny at 8pm.

Ahead of the event Carthy said:
“March 29th is the original Brexit date. So it makes sense that we would hold a public meeting on that date in one of the regions that has most to lose from a bad Brexit deal.

“The fact that there remains huge uncertainty about what will happen is symptomatic of the absolute chaos in the British Parliament and particularly their cavalier attitude to Ireland.

“Farmers and other businesses in Donegal and in other areas along the border don’t know what impact Brexit will have other than knowing there is no such thing as a good Brexit.”

Carthy again reiterated that the backstop is the basic minimum acceptable to the people of Ireland.
“The backstop remains the least bad option but even if the withdrawal agreement is adopted it will still leave many challenges for Ireland. 

“Therefore this public meeting in Donegal will be an opportunity to provide an update on what’s happening with Brexit at that stage.  It will also be a chance to discuss how we can deal with all of the potential scenarios in order to protect our communities, farmers, businesses and workers.  We will also discuss the issue of Irish Unity recognising, of course, that Brexit has highlighted the failure of the partition of our country in very stark terms. 

“I would encourage people from Donegal and neighbouring counties to join the conversation in Dillon’s Hotel in Letterkenny on ‘Brexit Day’ next Friday evening, March 29.” 

ENDS