To attract more tourist’s to the North West of Ireland
(l. to r.): Margaret Storey, Creevy Co-op, Ballyshannon; Bernie Butler, Chairman Fáilte Ireland in the North West; and John Ward, Headland New Media, Malin Head and Mayor of Sligo, Clr Rosaleen O’grady
Team Sligo Tourism has been hailed as a critical voluntary iniative in attracting more tourists to the county and the North West in particular. It has received the support of both the private and public sectors and civic leaders and others have commented on its importance as follows:
Mayor of Sligo, Clr Rosaleen O’grady, said: “The Team Sligo initiative has the potential to energise the local community in terms of marketing and promoting Sligo to a national and a global audience. Everyone has a role to play and the proven ability of Team Sligo to access local expertise and experience has the potential to yield significant benefits in the future.”
Cathoirleach of Sligo County Council, Clr Michael Fleming, said: “There is enormous goodwill among key local agencies towards the Team Sligo project and this active and dynamic partnership underpins its strategy. It is easy to become complacent about Sligo’s wealth of attractions, from its unrivalled coastal scenery to its unique cultural heritage, but there is a responsibility on all of us to showcase Sligo.”
Bernie Butler, chairperson of Fáilte Ireland North West Forum, said: “Last year there were significant resources invested in the new Sligo brand which was unveiled in June. It is unanimously agreed that the brand is the tool that can help unlock our tourism assets, reveal our true identity and generate wealth and revenue for Sligo.”
Thousands of Irish people attend the anti-charge’s campaign rally in Dublin
Some of the crowd attending the rally and assembly of the Campaign Against the Household and Water Taxes and Ruth Coppinger at the National Stadium in Dublin today.
Several thousand people attended a campaign rally in Dublin yesterday against the household charge.
Activists from across the country voiced their opposition to the measure at the event in the National Stadium.
Socialist Party councillor Ruth Coppinger, who is leading the campaign, claimed the Government was “reeling” over the low level of registration for the charge.
She also claimed the rally would send a message nationwide that those who would not pay the charge were “over one million strong”.
The rally, which was organised by the Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes, was attended by several United Left Alliance TDs including Clare Daly, Joan Collins, Joe Higgins and Richard Boyd Barrett, and Independent TD Séamus Healy.
More than 328,000 properties had been registered for the Government’s €100 household charge by yesterday evening.
The Department of the Environment said 328,201 households had paid, or registered to pay, the charge by 4pm – an increase of 14,860 properties in 24 hours.
Some €32.8 million has been collected from the charge but the Government anticipates total revenue from it this year to be €160 million.
Fewer than 20 per cent of households have so far registered. The deadline for registration is March 31st, after which date a sliding scale of late-payment fees and interest will apply.
The Government so far has ruled out any extension of the time to register.
Treasury Holdings can challenge the receiver’s move to a judicial review of NAMA assets
TREASURY HOLDINGS has been granted leave by the High Court to bring a judicial review challenge to the decision in January of the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) to appoint receivers to some assets controlled by the developer.
The receivers will remain in place until the judicial review is heard, which could take some months. Treasury said it was “pleased” with the High Court’s findings, and appeared to strike a conciliatory tone with Nama.
“We accept and are grateful for the fact that we have continued to operate over the past two years with the support of the Government, its agencies and the taxpayer,” Treasury said.
“We know that any arrangement that allows the company to continue and play a role in rebuilding the Irish economy must reflect that, and that the terms of any agreement must be designed to satisfy the Government, its agencies and taxpayers.”
Treasury said there was “scope” for two overseas investors – Hines and Macquarie – which have made bids for its assets “to improve on these”. Alternatively, bids could be secured from others.
A spokesman for Nama reiterated its position on Treasury.
“The agency appointed receivers to certain assets owned by Treasury Holdings and a number of related companies because we believe that this is the course of action that is most likely to deliver the best financial return for the taxpayer.”
The court noted Treasury is insolvent with overall debts of €2.7 billion. Nama acquired €1.7 billion of those loans in 2010 and the loans called in amounted to more than €1 billion.
While granting leave yesterday to Treasury and 22 related companies for judicial review, Ms Justice Finlay Geoghegan stressed she was not expressing any definite view on the legal and factual issues raised by the group, other than it had met the necessary threshold of raising “substantial” issues to be tried.
The judge said Nama was entitled to proceed with an application seeking a fortified undertaking for damages from Treasury founders Richard Barrett and John Ronan and/or security for costs.
Paul Sreenan, senior counsel for Nama, said it will consider that issue and outline its position when the case is mentioned before the court again next Tuesday.
In her lengthy judgment, Ms Justice Geoghegan found Treasury had raised substantial issues for determination by the court, including whether Nama breached its duty to notify Treasury of the decision of December 8th, 2011, to enforce the loans and to give it an opportunity to be heard prior to that decision being taken.
However, she ruled Treasury had not made out a substantial case that Nama had acted for an improper purpose or in bad faith.
The judge has adjourned the matter to Tuesday. Under the Nama Act, the court will have to weigh up the legal costs of the six-day leave application, which are expected to be substantial.
An application to have the full hearing of the judicial review fast-tracked by the Commercial Court is expected. Both sides indicated they regarded the issue as urgent.
No comments:
Post a Comment