McEntee prioritises Drogheda meeting in first week back from maternity leave
There has finally been some news from the Drogheda Implementation Board which was established in July this year to implement the 70 or more recommendations of the Guerin report.
A high-level meeting took place on Thursday evening between the Drogheda Implementation Board, the Minister for Justice and Oireachtas members has further progressed the Drogheda Implementation plan.
Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd said that Minister McEntee prioritised this meeting on what was her first week back in the office after maternity leave which he says indicates her “absolute commitment to the people of Drogheda and the plan.”
“We have already encountered disappointing delays with the appointment of the Implementation Coordinator but thankfully it was also confirmed that following a second round of interviews a successful candidate has been identified and an appointment is imminent. This role will be key in linking the board with our local communities on the ground.
“Once the Coordinator role has been announced the work will commence in earnest and I’m looking forward to working closely with local organizations to capitalize on the government’s commitment to prioritize funding applications that are supported through the Board.
O’Dowd added “At the meeting I proposed that a representative who is already embedded within the local community and voluntary bodies should be invited to join the Implementation board, Minister McEntee confirmed to me today that she has now requested that the board consider this request.
“We also had further fantastic news that the Minister for Justice has approved €38k for the Moneymore Childcare Centre to help with the cost of constructing their new kitchen facilities on site.
“I congratulated Lisa and the rest of the team on the great news and I would separately like to acknowledge the trojan work of board member and LMETB Chief Executive, Martin O’Brien, who I have been working alongside to drive this proposal forward.”
