We have all worked hard to create the conditions that are now delivering steady,sustainable, year-on-year improvements in public spending and family incomes.

We have the fastest growing economy in Europe. It will continue to grow steadilyeach year towards the end of this decade. Our remarkable recovery has delivered100,000 additional jobs since 2012. Recent agreements will see modestimprovements in pay and pension levy reductions. Thankfully the numbers ofpeople having to sign-on the live register has fallen below 10%, and we are ontarget to reach our goal of full employment by 2018. Locally, there has been a20% drop in those on the live register at Nutgrove Office and a 30% fall at DúnLaoghaire Intreo Office since the formation of Government

Our young people are now returning home to access new opportunities, goodquality jobs, and graduate and apprenticeship programmes.

In the last nine months in our constituency, 1,250 skilled jobs have beenannounced in sectors as varied as research and development, technology,finance, and construction.

Meanwhile, a significant transformation has taken shape in the public realm with major reforms across many areas of policy inEducation, Health, Justice, Social Protection, Workers’ Rights and political reform.

Together, we have created the conditions for sustainable growth, and this is the basis on which we can now make realistic andprogressive taxation and spending decisions for the future.

As TD for your area, I welcome your views and feedback. If you’d like to get in touch, don’t hesitate to e-mailme at alex.white@oir.ie, call me at (01) 296 0047 or pop into my office at 9 Braemor Road, Churchtown whichis open on Mondays from 5.30pm-7pm and Fridays from 10am-12pm.

Delivering a stronger economy

Let’s keep in touch!Phone: 01 2960047 or 01 6183972Email: alex.white@oir.ie

Address: 2nd Floor, 9 Braemor Road, Churchtown, Dublin 14Website: alexwhite.ie AlexWhiteTD

FREE GP CARE FOR UNDER 6sSince July 1, children under the age of six can now avail of free GP care.

Many young families worry about the cost of bringing their children to thedoctor and just a couple of visits a year can be expensive. Free GP care forchildren under 6 will make a real difference to a family's household budget.

We have also ensured that adults aged over 70 will benefit from free GP care.This means that from this summer, up to 300,000 children and older people willno longer have to pay to see their GP.

This is the first step in the phased introduction of a universal, free GP servicefor all of our citizens, which as Minister of State for Primary Care I initiated and secured in 2014. It marks a shift towardspromoting health and wellbeing that will benefit our healthcare system as a whole.

If you haven’t already signed your child up to free GP care, you can do so at www.gpvisitcard.ie

Minister AlexWhite TDMinister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Summer 2015

DUBLIN SOUTH UPDATE

DE LA SALLE DAYIn May, I was invited to participate at “De La Salle” Day at the Collegein Churchtown and to see first-hand the improvements recentlycompleted under the Minor Works Programme funded by theDepartment of Education.

De La Salle Day is the school’s annual celebration of its founder St.John Baptiste De La Salle. It’s a great day for students and teachersalike who get to celebrate the school’s history and heritage, alongwith indulging in their annual tradition of free ice cream!

While there I met with pupils, teachers, the board of management,and the wider De La Salle community.

DIVINE WORD NATIONALSCHOOL, MARLEYGRANGE NAMED A‘DIGITAL SCHOOL OFDISTINCTION’ I was delighted to present this prestigiousnational award to the school for its excellence inthe use of technology in the classroom

Divine Word N.S. has become a ‘Digital School ofDistinction’, joining a growing group of primaryschools nationwide to receive the prestigiousaward.

Supported by HP and Microsoft, ‘Digital Schoolsof Distinction’ is a flagship award programmewhich promotes, recognises and encourages bestpractice use of technology in primary schools.

ROSEMOUNT FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRESince 2009 Age Action has provided one-to-one computer training to more than14,000 older people thanks to Benefit funding from the Department ofCommunications, Energy and Natural Resources.

Most of our learners are over 65 and find that the one-to-one tuition helps themovercome their fear of technology and get online.

The classes in Rosemont Family Resource Centre have been running since 2012. Morethan 180 older people have received training at the centre and over 1,300 volunteeringhours of tuition have been provided. Recently I visited Rosemount FRC to present newlearners and their volunteer trainers with certificates to honour their achievement.

As Minister forCommunications, Energyand Natural Resources, Ihold responsibility forpostal services. MyDepartment plays a role indeveloping and maintainingeffective policy for the Irishpostal sector and inensuring Irish citizensenjoy high quality postalservices.

The local post office is anintegral part of our socialfabric. Recently I began anew initiative whichinvolves visiting local postoffices to meet withpostmasters, staff andcustomers, to discuss thechallenges facing a modernpost office.

This dovetails with thework I have asked Mr Bobby Kerr (Insominia) to undertake under theauspices of the Post Office Business Development Group, which aimsto explore new opportunities to secure the future of our post officenetwork.

Dundrum

Catching up with Canon Horace McGinley at the Annual

Whitechurch Fete.

Enjoying the ‘fun of the fair’ in Kilternan with local Labourcouncillor Lettie McCarthy.

STILLORGAN KILMACUD ACTIVE RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION– CARBON MONOXIDE AWARENESS

Last May I arranged for the Carbon Monoxide Awareness team from GasNetworks Ireland to speak with the Stillorgan/Kilmacud Active RetirementAssociation (SKARA) who were interested to learn more about the issuesinvolved.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is a real concern for many in our community.Last Autumn, I launched Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week and I am keento emphasise the importance of protecting homes in our locality from thedangers of carbon monoxide:

Owen Wilson, Head of Safety at Gas Networks Ireland and his colleague,Karl, gave an interesting presentation to Stillorgan Kilmacud ActiveRetirement Association explaining Carbon Monoxide poisoning, how it canbe prevented and precautions that can be taken.

www.carbonmonoxide.ie/htm/safety.htm

OATLANDSEXPLORES OURENERGYI recently visited Oatlands Primary Schoolin Stillorgan to formally launch ‘ExploringOur Energy’, the Sustainable EnergyAuthority of Ireland’s (SEAI) energyeducation resource for primary schools.Ms Maloney's 5th class pupilsdemonstrated conduction and convectionand were later featured on RTE Junior'sNews2Day programme.

Stillorgan

Opposite: Chatting with Fergal Harrington (Dep.Principal) and Cliona Murphy, St Patrick’s College

Fete Season

CONSTITUENCY OFFICE Opening Hours:Monday: 17.30 - 19.00Friday: 10am -12 or by arrangement. 2nd Floor(above Churchtown School of Motoring)9 Braemor Road, Churchtown, Dublin 14

ALEX WHITE TDPhone: 01 2960047 or 01 6183972Email: alex.white@oir.ie Website: alexwhite.ie

facebook.com/AlexWhiteTD

@AlexWhiteTD @LPFactCheck

Working with our local Labour team

Cllr. Lettie McCarthy086 8186718lmccarthy@cllr.dlrcoco.ie

Cllr. Grace Tallon086 2492837gtallon@cllr.dlrcoco.ie

@LPFactCheck

Cllr. Peter O’Brien086 4611638,pobrien@cllr.dlrcoco.ie

0612

GAELSCOIL SHLIABH RUA OPENS ITS DOORSIt was terrific to join in the official celebrations at the opening of GaelscoilShliabh Rua in Ballyogan alongside my colleague, Minister for Education andSkills, Jan O’Sullivan TD.

Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua opened its doors for the first time in August 2013 andshared facilities at De La Salle Palmerston with Stepaside Educate TogetherNS. It received planning permission in 2014 to build a new school and theprogress made in such a short space of time is remarkable.

I am delighted that the school has gone from strength to strength and ampleased to note that they will share this new, state of the art 16-classroomschool with Stepaside Educate Together NS from next September.

A NEW HOME FOR HOLY TRINITY NSI was delighted to officially openthe new Holy Trinity NationalSchool in March. It was a greatday for the Leopardstown areaand I would like to congratulatethe Board of Management, staff,pupils and especially theparents, past and present, on allof their hard work in securingthe funding and managing thedevelopment of the new schoolbuilding.

This is one of eight major educational investments advanced in Dublin South sinceour Government took office in 2011 and fulfils my own personal commitment to theSchool.

The new School for Holy Trinity is a further sign of the extraordinary progress wehave made both locally, and nationally, through our schools building and investmentprogramme.

I am immensely proud of the substantial educational investment we are making. It iscreating real educational opportunities for this generation of children in ourcommunity, and the next.

Sandyford/Glencullen MARRIAGEEQUALITYREFERENDUMAs the Labour Party’s nationalDirector of Elections for theMarriage Equality referendum, Iwas especially pleased that ourconstituency of Dublin Southprovided such a clear endorsementfor marriage equality, with 49,109people in our constituency votingyes to the proposal put beforethem, the highest number of yesvotes of any constituency.

I had the opportunity to canvassright across the constituency overthe campaign and was struck bythe tremendous interest andparticipation I encountered everystep of the way. It was reallyheartening to witness such a highlevel of engagement with, andenthusiasm for, the electoralprocess.