Deputy John Deasy, Waterford international athlete Kelly Proper, Minister for Sport Michael Ring, and Mayor of the City, Cllr Jim D’Arcy, at the opening of the all-new RSC track at Kilbarry last Thursday, which was undertaken thanks to a near-€500,000 Government grant. 
Waterford City Council’s application under the Sports Capital Programme was also supported by John Foley, CEO of Athletics Ireland, County Athletics Board PRO Fintan Walsh, and Brid Golden, Secretary and Head Coach of Ferrybank AC. 
The state-of-the-art 400m rubber surface was laid by Mondo, the Italian global leader in track & field flooring, who have been responsible for the main running arena at the last 10 Olympic Games as well as the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Moscow. 
Photo: Noel Browne

John Deasy TD, and the Mayor of Waterford, Cllr Jim D’Arcy, check out the track upgrading works at the Regional Sports Centre, Kilbarry on Friday last.

Contractors Mondo are the global leader in track & field flooring, being responsible for the main track at the past nine Olympics, including the London Games, and the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Moscow. The top-of-the-range blue rubber base is the same surface on which the likes of Usain Bolt and Sebastian Coe set world records.

The track was manufactured at Mondo’s plant in Italy and delivered to Waterford in hundreds of rubber rolls. The meticulous installation process is being done by hand, and the resurfacing includes the high-jump area. Work is now scheduled to be completed on-site next month. Weather-permitting, lining is to begin the first week of June and will take a fortnight. 

Deputy Deasy said: “I really want to thank Michael Ring, Minister for Sport, whose Department provided the funding to Waterford City Council, for his help with revamping the RSC track to a world-class standard. He’s taken a personal interest in this project and knows how important it is to hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the area.”  [Photo by John Power]

That's why I'm glad to see Minister Phil Hogan has finally released €90 million to kick start projects and investments around the country that have the required approvals in place. 

Upcoming events associated with The Gathering and the tourism season generally are greatly dependent on LEADER assistance. I've been in regular contact with Waterford Leadership Partnership and have stressed the importance of sanctioning this funding as quickly as possible to officials in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

John Deasy

Waterford senior citizens in receipt of a British state pension should “act immediately” to claim a winter fuel allowance worth up to €350 a year from the UK government.

It follows a landmark European Court of Justice ruling that pensioners who lived or worked in the UK, but are now permanently resident in Ireland (or other EU countries), are entitled to an annual fuel payment if they didn’t claim it while based in Britain.

The Irish Department of Social and Family Affairs estimates that 131,000 people resident in the Republic get some level of state pension from the British Government. Among them are UK expats who have moved here, but a large number are Irish natives who lived or worked across the water for many years.

I raised the matter with the Secretary General of the Department of Social Protection, Niamh O’Donoghue, at the meeting of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee on Thursday (March 14). She said she would request her officials to liaise with their counterparts in the UK.

The 2012 judgement could be of considerable benefit to many people in Waterford, who are not aware of this legal provision. All EU pensioners who can prove they paid National Insurance contributions while working in Britain can make a claim for the fuel grant — up to the end of this month.

But the deadline for applications is March 31st, 2013, so people should pursue this as a matter of urgency.

Tax-free, the minimum payment is €115 per annum, and the maximum is €350. Since 2002 the UK Department for Work and Pensions has paid out more than €9.5 million under the scheme to people living in Ireland who essentially transferred their allowance across the Irish Sea.

The only requirement is for a claimant to have been born on or before July 5, 1951, and to have ‘a genuine and sufficient link’ with the UK.

Unlike here, UK fuel payments are not means tested. But the Department of Social and Family Affairs has stressed that those who receive the British equivalent must declare it as part of their means test.

*For more information, see www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment/how-to-claim or email john.deasy@oireachtas.ie.

A copy of the claim form can be downloaded HERE.

John Deasy TD met with City Mayor, Cllr. Jim D'Arcy, and a number of representatives from Waterford athletics clubs at the RSC track recently, where the very poor surface condition was highlighted. 

John Deasy has made representation to a number of relevant government departments, seeking funding to upgrade the track. Jim D'Arcy says that Waterford City Council, for its part, has done as much as it can to ensure that the track is improved. He says that a new MONDO track needs to be installed to bring the RSC to international athletics standards.

The RSC plays a huge role in athletics, both locally and regionally and Waterford City Council's grant application to the Sports Capital Programme is receiving support from John Foley, CEO of Athletics Ireland, Fintan Walsh, County Athletic PRO, and Brid Golden, Secretary and Head Coach of Ferrybank Athletic Club.

All those concerned point to the fact that there is currently unprecedented use of the facility at the RSC. Large numbers of people are becoming interested in walking and running as a means to becoming fit, as evidenced by the recent success of the Waterford Viking Marathon. 

Waterford is also currently enjoying huge success at elite level in athletics. The current state of the track is potentially dangerous, with the result that serious athletes are being forced to travel all over Ireland to get top class competition, as neither the Munster nor the National body will allocate fixtures to the RSC.