'Laois needs a Fianna Fáil TD'- Minister Sean Fleming

Following Minister Seán Fleming’s recent selection as Fianna Fáil’s candidate for Laois in the next General Election, The Leinster Express / Laois Live spoke to the Minister on his past deliveries and future priorities.

Deputy Fleming was unanimously selected at the Fianna Fáil Laois selection convention at the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise on the evening of Wednesday, July 31.

“We went into government at the last general election to make a difference, and where our key ministers are, we have made that difference,” Minister Fleming said.

“It’s important that Laois elects a Fianna Fáil TD. We have been very strong in this county, we expect to be in government after the next General Election. 

“Fianna Fáil have been in government many times before, we’re in government at the moment. We’ve made a lot of progress in the last few years and we’d love to continue that. That’s why we think it’s the best option for Laois to elect someone who you expect to be a member of the governing party,” he said.

Minister Fleming discussed the restrictive environment when working as the opposition party, and his preference for ‘getting the work done’.

“When you’re a member of the opposition party, you can make great speeches, and criticise everything that you don’t like, but somebody has to do the work, and that’s the job of the Government,” he said.

“That’s the job that myself and the Fianna Fáíl party want to be a part of.”

“There’s a lot of work we have already done- so far, we have built over 2,500 houses in Laois, and most of them are private. But we still have more work to do,” he said.

A main priority for the Minister is education, and relieving anxieties and burdens from parents of school-going children.

“We’ve done a lot for special education in particular. The Kolbe School is under construction, St. Francis’s School was well on the way and Saplings in Graiguecullen is currently halfway through construction,” Minister Fleming said.

“I think that people know we want to make life easier for parents with children in schools,” he said.

“When we make promises, we deliver them.”

In primary schools across Laois, school books are now available for free. Minister Fleming expects this to eventually work up the line to secondary schools.

The Hot School Meal Programme has also rolled out across the majority of schools in County Laois, with more schools expected to be approved following Budget 2025.

“Education really is one of my main focuses- the longer we can keep young people in education, the better. Education is the key for the younger generations,” he said.

Deputy Fleming drew attention to the fact that health services in Laois continue to be improved.

“This is the first time in over 20 years that the future of Portlaoise Hospital has not been an issue. For at least the last five elections, people have always had doubts over the future of the hospital,” he said.

“Over €15 million has been invested into it, so for the first time everyone is accepting the future the hospital has. 

Mountmellick is the same, a massive construction there is on the way, and Abbeyleix has already had over €5 million spent on it towards the end of the pandemic. The future of those hospitals has never been guaranteed, and that has now been totally turned around,” said the Deputy.

“We also had a big development with the IDA site on the Mountrath road,” he said.

“The IDA has a disastrous track record when it comes to employment in Laois, and I want that reversed. People have been talking about this for years. Recently, I got the IDA, and they have purchased the site on the Mountrath road. It was a big development, and it’s great to have a foreign direct investment in Laois too.”

The Deputy has said that he has many aims to achieve upon potential re-election.

“A priority for me will be the new Dunamaise school in Portlaoise. Planning for these things can take a long time, so I want to make sure that it’s done as quickly as possible,” he said.

“There are many smaller developments from local community groups that I want to see over the line. There are some groups with significant projects underway, and many groups who have yet to apply for funding, so I’d like to help them and encourage them to apply for funding,” he said,

A major bone of contention amongst many Laois voters is issues of traffic congestion. On this matter, the Minister is suggesting a frequent shuttle-bus through Portlaoise.

“The population is increasing and the roads are getting more congested,” Deputy Fleming said.

“It’s something that the Government will be funding to local authorities too. There’s tremendous congestion on the roads coming in and out of Portlaoise. If we can reduce the number of car trips in the town with a frequent shuttle bus service to the hospital, the railway station, the shopping centre and into the town, it’d seriously help the congestion,” he said.

“So many people have to commute out of county Laois for work. People are going up and down to Dublin all the time, leaving at five or six o’clock. From a family point of view, reducing the commuting for people in Laois would be a priority,” he said.

“As a TD, I meet with very distressing cases. Circumstances leave people at their very wits end, they see no hope. We need more facilities in place to help families in difficulty like that, on the mental health side of things as well as the physical side,” the TD explained.

The Minister also hopes to improve tourism in Laois by promoting accessibility to local heritage sites, thus bolstering the local economy.

Last June, Laois County Council was allocated €1,796,592 to improve the visitor experience through the delivery of car park, facilities and interpretation at the Rock of Dunamaise.

“I was up there for a walk a month ago, and every single person I met was a foreign tourist,” said Deputy Fleming.

“They were from Sweden, America and England- they read about the Rock of Dunamaise when they look up Ireland. There’s a big demand for people who want to come there, and we have to be able to facilitate them. It’ll be a big boost for county Laois once we get those facilities in place. These are the types of things that we want to get done over the next couple of years,” the Deputy finished.