Aung San Su Kyi

Today Aung San Suu Kyi will arrive in Dublin today. Among her engagements will be a meeting with President Michael D Higgins. I hope the good weather holds for a concert in her honour organised by Amnesty International in the Grand Canal Theatre and receive Amnesty's Ambassador of Conscience Award. There is a great line up for the concert and everybody is invited to come along and welcome Aung San Su Kyi to Dublin.

Z15 Institutional Land Zoning

There was a special meeting of Dublin City Council on Monday 11th June 2012 to consider the court judgement regarding DCC’s definition of Z15 land zoning in the Dublin City Development Plan.

The following motion was passed by the elected representatives: “Having considered the terms of the High Court judgement (Reference 2011 No.56JR) that this Council remit the Z15 Zoning as defined within the Dublin City Development Plan to the consideration of the Manager’s Report on Submissions/Observations on the draft Plan Stage (May 2010) for further consideration by this Council.”

I voted against this motion because I stand by the decision I took in the development plan process and the decision if worth taking is worth defending. I have not changed my opinion that residential should be excluded from Z15 and this motion will not adequately address the serious issue facing the City Council, the owners of Z15 zoned lands and the wider city.

The City Manager told me that DCC will go back to Court on the 15th and advise the Judge of the motion passed by the Council. There may be legal submission from the other side and then it depends on the order of the Judge and when he makes that order.

Assuming the Judge approves the remittal proposal we will return to consideration of the matter as it was defined in May 2010 as resolved by the Council.

I will seek to have the matter addressed as soon as possible once the Judge makes his ruling. Mary

Míle buíochas

Míle buíochas to Dublin City Council for supporting my request for funding for an Irish Camp in Cabra this summer. The camp is being run by local perants and is open to any young children in the area from 12yrs. 

Cabra 4 Youth

Flood Swales

Dublin City Council has advised me that works for the swales in Glendhu and Cabra will commence in early June 2012.
Excavation works for Glendhu Park will commence week beginning June 6th and re-instatement works in Glendhu are scheduled to commence week beginning June 13th.
Excavation works on Drumcliff Green are scheduled to commence June 11th and re-instatement works on Drumcliff are scheduled to commence June 18th.
Excavation works on Killala Green are scheduled to commence on June 18th and re-instatement works on Killala are scheduled to commence June 25th.
There are 2 contractors involved in the works, one for the excavation, and one for the reinstatement and landscaping. All dates are subject to change, the contact person at Dublin City Council for above works is Colm Fitzpatrick, Drainage Division - tel. 2222702. Mary

Ashtown Level Crossing - Temporary Closure

Dublin City Council has authorised the temporary closure of Ashtown Road (Level Crossing) from 21.30 hrs on each Saturday to 09.00hrs on each Sunday on the dates listed below:

Saturday 16th June to Sunday 17th June 2012

Saturday 23rd June to Sunday 24th June 2012

Saturday 30th June to Sunday 1st July 2012

Saturday 14th July to Sunday 15th July 2012

Saturday 28th July to Sunday 28th July 201212

The temporary closure is to facilitate essential track maintenance work.

In addition to the traffic management plan pedestrian and local access will be maintained during the period of the closure.

Summer in Dublin

Dublin City Council's latest update from Met Eireann is that up to 25 millimetres of rain is forecast from 9 am this morning until 9 am tomorrow (Saturday). A further 15 millimetres is forecast from 9 am on Saturday til 9 am on Sunday. City Council staff will continue to monitor the drainage network including rivers and streams over the weekend. They say there is no need to close the tide gates on the River Dodder. They haven't said anything that will cheer us up after the lads defeat last night, Mary

Greyhound Contract

As leader of the Fianna Fail group I arranged for us to meet with the Dublin City Manager to discuss the Fianna Fail Groups' outstanding request for details of the agreement between Dublin City Council and Greyhound Waste Management.

At the meeting on May 30, 2012 the City Manager advised us that Greyhound is asserting confidentiality clauses in the agreement to prevent the City Manager sharing the details of the agreement with the elected representatives of DCC. It is our belief that section 136 of the Local Government act requires the City Manager to provide us with information when we request it as we have repeatedly done in relation to the Greyhound deal. We agreed at the meeting that the City Manager will formally advise Greyhound that we are seeking to invoke section 136 of the Local Government Act and he will request Greyhound to respond on the issue of the confidentiality of the Asset Purchase Agreement versus the requirements of Section 136. When Greyhound respond DCC will engage independent counsel advice on the response of Greyhound having regard to the Agreement and the requirements of Section 136. Greyhound are due to respond before the end of the month.  Regards, Mary

Summer in Dublin

Met Eireann has issued a preliminary weather warning to Dublin City Council, forecasting 40 millimetres of rain from midday today (14/6/2012) until midnight tomorrow (15/6/2012). Dublin City Council advised me that the city's rivers, streams and drainage network will be monitored and the City Councils drainage staff will be in regular contact with Met Eireann. Dublin City Council will also monitor its rain gauges throughout the city. For further information, please check http://www.met.ie/. Sounds like a good excuse, not that one is needed, to stay in-doors and cheer on the lads in Green. Mary

New Mater Hospital

On Monday 11th June 2012 the first phase of the new Mater Adult Public Hospital will open. The first phase opening includes the new Outpatients Department, Catering and Technical services departments. In July the Emergency Department, Car Park, Operating Theatres, ICU, Radiology and wards will open and the final stage will take place in January 2013. For more information please go to www.mater.ie. Mary.

St Josephs Deaf Village

There will be a public meeting in St. Joseph’s school Sports Hall (Navan road entrance) on Wednesday the 6th of June 2012 at 7pm.

The meeting is to keep local people informed about the final stages in the construction of Deaf Village Ireland, opening dates etc and to brief people in relation to the proposed Primary Care Medical Centre which it is hoped will be built near the entrance to the current swimming pool area beside the old St. Joseph’s Chapel on the Navan road. The promoters of this Primary Care Medical Centre will be Clarington Primary Care in association with Centric Health. They are keen to meet with local people to discuss their plans for the Centre and the relevant HSE representative will also be in attendance. The meeting should end by 8.15pm. Hope to see you there, Mary

Derelict Houses Connaught Street

Unfortunately the court case was adjourned again this week until June 12th 2012.

On this occasion the owner appeared without legal representation, unlike at previous hearings. The Judge pointed out that penalties on conviction include the possibility of imprisonment and stated that he was, in the circumstances, not prepared to hear the case while the defendant was unrepresented.

I will provide an update after the 12th.

Regards, Mary

Community Policing Forum Phibsborough

The Next Public Community Policing Forum meeting for the Phibsborough area will take place next Thursday 24th May at 8pm in the club room St Peter's Church. The Gardai, Dublin City Council Staff and Elected Representatives will review activities in the Phibsborough and Shandon Area. All residents and property owners in the area are invited to attend. Regards, Mary.

Sports Capital Grants

The deadline for on-line applications for Sports Capital Grants is June 1st 2012. To get more information or to make an on-line application please click HERE. Mary

2nd Level Educate Together

There are already three Educate Together Primary Schools in our constituency. In May 2011 the Department of Education gave formal recognition to Educate Together as a Secondary School patron. I am supporting the campaign for a Second Level Educate Together school in the North Dublin City area.
In order to prove to the Department of Education that there is a need for Second level Educate Together School in our area the campaign organisers are looking for "expressions of interest" from potentially interested parents. For more information to support the campaign please click here. Mary

City Manager must release Greyhound contract

As leader of the Fianna Fail group on Dublin City Council I have repeated the Fianna Fail groups request to the Dublin City Manager to release the contract signed between Dublin City Council and the private waste company Greyhound Recycling.

At the request of the Fianna Fail group a special meeting of Dublin City Council was held on 23rd January 2012. At that meeting a motion, proposed by the Fianna Fail group, was passed calling on the City Manager to provide Councillors with the terms of the agreement between DCC and Greyhound Recycling. More than four months have passed, and despite follow-up requests, the City Manager has not provided the Councillors with a copy of the contract. In those four months Dublin City Councils bad debts associated with the service have escalated from €6million to €11million. Greyhound has sold-off the commercial waste collection service to another private operator and we have to assume made some profit in the transaction.

The Fianna Fail group finds this situation unacceptable. It is unacceptable that a significant public asset has been disposed of and there is no record of what payment if any was received. It is unacceptable that unelected officials have access to information that elected representatives do not have access to. It is unacceptable that we are expected to ask people to pay taxes for local services to supposedly fund local services and at the same time part of the business that was generating a significant revenue stream for the City Council has disappeared without trace. The people are not fools and we will not be fobbed-off by the City Manager. The people rightly hold us to account, it is our job to hold the Manager to account.

We referred this deal to the Public Accounts Committee, the Data Protection Commissioner and the Competition Authority. I have written today to the City Manager, on behalf of the Fianna Fail Group, referring him to Section 136 of the Local Government Act 2001, asking him to release the contract and we hope he will accede to our request. Mary

Letter to City Manager


Dear Manager,


I am writing this letter on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Group on Dublin City Council.


As you are no doubt aware, on 23 January 2012 the Fianna Fáil Group called an emergency meeting of Dublin City Council to discuss the City waste collection service that was transferred by the City Council to Greyhound at the beginning of this year. At that meeting a number of motions pertaining to the transfer of the waste collection service to Greyhound was submitted by Fianna Fáil and carried by the Council. One of the motions put and carried was as follows:


"The elected members of Dublin City Council again call on the City Manager to make available to the members the service level agreement and the commercial terms agreed with Greyhound. The Manager should advise what payment Greyhound made to DCC for the business and/or how much DCC is paying Greyhound to fulfil the service." (This motion is recorded at paragraph 8(g) of the minutes of the meeting of 23 January 2012)


To date this information has not been provided by you to the elected members.


Section 136 of the Local Government Act, 2001, provides:


"Without prejudice to Section 105, 135, 137 or 138 a Manager shall, whenever requested -


(a) by an elected Council of a Local Authority for which he or she is the Manager or by its Cathaoirleach, or
(b) by a joint body for which he or she is the Manager, or by its Chairperson,


afford to the Council, Cathaoirleach, Joint Body or Chairperson (as the case may be) all information that may be in the possession or procurement of such Manager in regard to any act, matter or thing relating to or concerning any business or transaction of such Local Authority or body which is mentioned in the request."


The motion that was passed by the City Council on 23 January 2012 was a specific request from the elected Council to you for information on the commercial terms agreed by Dublin City Council with Greyhound. Further, the motion specifically sought information from you as to what payment Greyhound paid to the Council for the business and/or how much the Council is paying Greyhound to fulfil the service.


In accordance with Section 136 of the Local Government Act, 2001 we hereby require you to provide this information to the Council. The request for information was made nearly four months ago and we believe that compliance with Section 136 requires that you furnish all of the information in respect of this matter to the Council immediately.


We look forward to hearing back from you.


Yours sincerely,
Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick
Cllr Paul McAuliffe
Cllr Jim O'Callaghan
Cllr Tom Brabazon
Cllr Julia Carmicheal
Cllr Deirdre Heney


Councillor Mary Fitzpatrick, Fianna Fail Group Leader

Illegal Dumping

Following Dublin City Councils withdrawal from waste collection we have seen a huge increase in litter and illegal dumping in our area. As leader of the Fianna Fail group I strongly opposed DCC's withdrawal from the collection of waste but Labour and Fine Gael control the City Council. I am actively working to try and limit the negative impact of this bad decision on our area and would appreciate if residents can help by reporting any illegal dumping to the Dublin Central Litter Hotline on freephone 1800 248 348 or email litter.central@dublincity.ie. Thanks, Mary

City Bin Service

Statement from Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick, Fianna Fail Group Leader, Dublin City Council 

The City Manager today confirmed that the private Company Greyhound will over the coming days issue bills to approximately 140,000 homes in Dublin City for bin collection services provided in the fourth quarter of 2011 and demand immediate payment.

Homeowners in Dublin City were seriously let down in January of 2012 when after more than 100 years, and with very little prior notice, Dublin City Council withdrew from the waste collection business. This left many homeowners with no option but to go with Greyhound who demanded a minimum €100 up-front payment before they would collect their bins. This deal poorly served homeowners in Dublin City many of whom were given no choice of service provider. Now, to add insult to injury, homeowners in Dublin City are to face a demand for immediate payment for services provided over five months ago.

As a City Councillor I have three issues with this arrangement. Firstly, there has been an unacceptable delay in issuing these bills. This delay causes a problem for homeowners and the demand for immediate payment from Greyhound is heavy handed and should be reconsidered. 

Secondly the delay in issuing the bills also presents a major problem for Dublin City Council because it increases the risk of bad debts. Already Dublin City Council had allowed bad debts of up to €6million accumulate and it is my understanding that the bills for last quarter 2011 amount to close to €4million. This delay could cost the City Council close to €10million and wipe-out much of the proposed savings.

Thirdly, I still don't understand why Dublin City Council out-sourced the collection of these arrears? Why couldn't Dublin City Council staff who have been collecting payments for more than 100 years collect the payments? What tactics are Greyhound proposing to use that Dublin City Council wouldn't? and how much is Greyhound being paid to collect these debts? 

I will raise these questions with the City Manager and I again call on the Minister for the Environment to review this deal. Mary

Iona Road Pay & Display

Residents on Iona Road are to be balloted this week on the proposal to extend Pay & Display Parking the full length of the road. Currently there is Pay & Display on a small section at the start of the road. For details on how the Pay & Display scheme works please click HERE. Mary.

Drumcondra & Glasnevin Community Alert

An Garda Siochana and the Tolka Area Partnership, of which I am a board member, has launched a new pilot scheme for the Drumcondra and Glasnevin area. This service will send text alerts messages advising on matters relevant to the area. The service is free to all residents in the area. You can register by texting the word TAP to 087 276 7956. I encourage all local residents to sign-up for the service we will monitor its use and if effective look to extend it to other parts of the constituency.

In the event of an emergency or if you see anything suspicious please phone 999. Mary