Arthur Spring TD
Arthur Spring, secured a Dáil seat on his first attempt. Previously he has served as the Mayor of Tralee Co. Kerry. First elected in the Local Elections of June 2009, Arthur topped the poll for both Tralee Town Council and Kerry County Council. Since the local election, Arthur has concentrated his efforts on job creation and supporting local employment initiatives in areas such as tourism, agribusiness and energy.
Arthur comes from a family with a strong and proud Labour tradition. His grandfather Dan Spring represented the constituency of Kerry North in Dáil Éireann, from 1943 to 1981. His uncle Dick is a former Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs who was Leader of the Labour Party from 1982 to 1997. Thanks to a close family involvement in the party Arthur has been involved in political life and elections at a local and national level, from a very young age; he has also worked as Parliamentary Assistant with his uncle Dick. He is a member of the Oak Park Branch of the Labour Party in Tralee.
Arthur was educated at the CBS Tralee, Cistercian College Roscrea, Dublin Institute of Technology and Jonkoping International Business School, Sweden, qualifying with a B.Sc. in Management.
After obtaining his qualifications, Arthur embarked on a career in finance, working for companies including Anglo Irish Bank and Bank of Ireland. In recent years Arthur has setup his own business, he owns and operates his Juice Bar business in his native Tralee which employs 6 people.
Jobs
Unemployment in Kerry North-West Limerick has spiralled out of control; we need to get projects such as Shannon LNG and the Global Pharmaceutical Centre of Excellence up and running. We need to encourage local entrepreneurship through training and support initiatives such as the Young Entrepreneur Programme. Labour is the only party with a dedicated €500m Jobs Fund. Labour will also introduce a Graduate and Apprenticeship Scheme and the Earn and Learn Scheme to get people into the workforce and out of long-term unemployment. Developing local agribusiness and tourism can provide vital and sustainable employment in the region.
Health
Healthcare should be equally available to each member of our community on the basis of medical need, not income. We need to fight to protect and retain vital health services in the region. Tralee Community Hospital urgently needs to be opened any further delays are unacceptable.
Frontline health services at Kerry General Hospital must be protected and retained at the hospital. Support should be provided to the Kerry-Cork Health Link bus service which provides a vital service on a voluntary basis.
Education
We need to stop wasting money on inadequate prefabs and provide our children with proper educational facilities. We need to restore special needs services to our schools as a matter of urgency.
The courses and services provided by the Institute of Technology Tralee must be protected. Labour abolished tuition fees in the 1990s but Fianna Fail has introduced draconian registration fees since they came to power, they must be reversed.
Tourism
We need to put North Kerry and West Limerick on the map as a tourist destination. We need to exploit existing tourist resources such as our Blue Flag beaches, historic buildings, leisure facilities such as Tralee Aqua Dome and our rich literary heritage to their full potential. Tourism has the potential to boost the economy and create jobs. Tralee in particular would benefit from a national conference centre which would attract visitors and business people from across Ireland and abroad.
Infrastructure, Roads & Transportation
Economic recovery will need investment in critical infrastructure. By-passes are urgently required for the towns of Abbeyfeale and Listowel. Work needs to begin on the Tralee Ring Road as a priority. Kerry Airport provides a vital link for the local economy, it must be protected and services expanded. Labour’s Strategic Investment Bank will act as an investment partner for major infrastructure projects in the region.
Safer Streets & Communities
We need to claim back our streets and make them safer for our families and communities. Labour wants to see a lot more Gardaí freed up from back-office and admin duties (that civilians can do), so that they can be out on patrol spending most of their time on the beat visible in their neighbourhood.
Families
Labour is committed to helping families with big mortgages and those struggling to make ends meet. Labour will put the current 12 month moratorium on repossession of family homes on a legal footing; and reforming Mortgage Interest Supplement to keep as many people as possible in their homes. Ghost estates can be turned into viable communities providing much needed accommodation for social housing and rent to buy schemes.
Arthur highlights need for proper investment in education
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