2013 City Budget

Dublin City Councillors will meet this evening, Monday 26th November 2012, to consider and approve the 2013 City Council Budget.
The Fianna Fail group believes that the uncertainty caused by lack of clarity from Government on key issues of Property Tax and Water Services make it impossible at this time for Councillors to make an informed decision on the proposed Dublin City Council Budget for 2013.
In the interest of good governance the Fianna Fail Group on Dublin City Council will propose a motion to defer consideration and approval of the 2013 City Budget until after the Government announces the National Budget on December 6th 2012. We are calling on all City Councillors to support this motion.  You can watch the debate live here.  Mary

Cabra Policing Forum

The Cabra Local Policing Forum  meeting will take place on Tuesday 26th November at 7.15pm in the John Paul II Sports and Community Center on Ratoath Road, Cabra, Dublin 7.  This is an opportunity for people living and working the area to meet with the Gardai, Dublin City Council and elected representatives to discuss and address issues of concern. As Chair of the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee I encourage people from the area to come along as these forum meetings feed into the priorities for the Dublin Central Joint Policing Commitee. Mary

Local Policing Forum

There will be a public Local Policing Forum consultative meeting for the Shandon Phibsborough area on Thursday 29th November at 8pm in the Club Room, St Peter's Church. This is an opportunity for people living and working the area to meet with the Gardai, Dublin City Council and elected representatives to discuss and address issues of concern. As Chair of the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee I encourage people from the area to come along as these forum meetings feed into the priorities for the Dublin Central Joint Policing Commitee. Mary

2013 City Budget

Approval of 2013 Dublin City Council Estimates is premature and should be deferred until after December 6th–

Statement from Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick,

Fianna Fail Group Leader,

Dublin City Council.

 “Dublin City Councillors will meet tomorrow Monday 26^th November 2012 to consider and approve the 2013 City Council Budget.  The Fianna Fail group believes that the uncertainty caused by lack of clarity from Government on key issues of Property Tax and Water Services make it impossible at this time for Councillors to make an informed decision on the proposed Dublin City Council Budget for 2013. 

In the interest of good governance the Fianna Fail Group on Dublin City Council will propose a motion to defer consideration and approval of the 2013 City Budget until after the Government announces the National Budget, with details of the government’s proposed Property Tax and Irish Water Company, on December 6^th 2012. We are calling on all City Councillors to support this motion.

We believe it would be irresponsible for Dublin City Councillors to approve a budget for 2013 with uncertainty hanging over €80million caused by lack of clarity from  National Government on its plans for a Property Tax and the Irish Water company.

The Fine Gael and Labour Government seems determined to introduce a value based property tax in Decembers budget but has refused to release any details about the tax.  We believe a Property tax will be unfair, uncollectible and undermines local Government.  I have a motion on the City Council Agenda, supported by a significant number of City Councillors, calling on the Government to abandon their plans for a property tax.   The introduction of a property tax has potentially significant implications for the Local Government Fund and the NPPR and in the absence of details from the Government on their Property Tax it is irresponsible of City Councillors to approve the draft budget.   

The Government decided in December 2011 to establish a public water utility company to take over the provision of water services from Dublin City Council.  Irish Water has been established as an independent state owned company within the Bord Gais Group.  The Government was supposed to publish an implementation plan in November 2012.  In the absence of this plan Dublin City Councillors do not know how much of the €26milllion revenues included in the City Council 2013 budget for water services will be soaked-up by Irish Water.  Additionally Dublin City Council is proposing a 5% increase in the commercial water rates for 2013. For some businesses in the City this will represent a significant increase and City Councillors should not blindly place any extra financial burden on businesses in the city.

Dublin City Councillors should put the interests of the 1,000s of staff, residents and businesses in Dublin City first.  They should act responsibly and support the Fianna Fail motion to defer a decision on the estimates until such time as we have all the relevant facts and information to make a real budget for the city.”

End Statement.

For further information please contact Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick 086 812 6332

Motion from Cllr Brabazon, Carmichael, Heney, Fitzpatrick, McAuliffe & O’Callaghan

In the interest of good governance the elected members of Dublin City Council agree to defer consideration and approval of the 2013 estimates until after the National Budget on December 6^th has been released and the implications, of the Government’s Property Tax and implementation of the Irish Water Company, for local government are made clear.

Walk Dublin

Walk Dublin is a new FREE mobile wayfinding application launched by Dublin City Council today that will be of assistance to people who are visually impaired, visitors and tourists in the city.  It is voice activated and it complements the recently installed wayfinding and signage scheme that has been erected around the city.

The function of the wayfinding app is to assist people in successfully navigating their way around the city and to obtain information about the key cultural and institutional attractions in the city. The app provides for one hundred points of interest, ranging from the smaller cultural destinations to the city’s national cultural destinations. It is free to download here. Put on your walking shoes and enjoy.  Mary

Iona Road Public Lighting

At the November meeting of Dublin City Council I requested that the street lighting on Iona Road be improved to address concerns over public safety following the mugging of an elderly couple on Iona Road one evening in October 2012. Following is the reply I recieved from the City Manager:

CITY MANAGER’S REPLY: The lighting levels on Iona Road are considered to be satisfactory and there are no improvements planned for 2013. I do not believe that a correlation exists between the level of lighting on this road and the crime committed.

This reply is very disappointing and I will continue to raise this issue with Dublin City Council and seek improvements in the public lighting. I encourage residents in the area to raise this issue with Dublin City Council and to raise it at the local policing forum meetings. The next meeting of the local policing forum takes place in the Maples on Weds December 5th at 7pm. This is a great opportunity for all residents in the area to raise issues of concern to them with the Gardai and Dublin City Council. Mary

Water Disruption

Important Notice- Disruption of Water Supply
From 7.00pm on Tuesday 13th November to 7.00am on Wednesday 14th November 2012, due to essential works being carried out by Fingal County Council, there will be disruption to the water supply which will result in reduced water pressures in the following areas:Navan Road from Ashtown to the Cabra Road and surrounding areas Including: Ashington, Ashtown , Kempton, The Paddocks, Nephin road, Hampton and Blackhorse Avenue and surrounding areas.

Dublin City Council have assured me that they are working to keep disruption to a minimum, to complete the work as soon as possible and they apologise for any inconvenience caused.  For further information please contact: Dublin City Council 01-2222222 or 01-6796186 (After hours).  Mary

Autumn Leaves Falling



In winter and autumn falling leaves can be a major problem and can increase the risk of flooding in some parts of our constituency.  Dublin City Council is offering residents and businesses in Dublin 7 & 9 who wish to clear leaves, in between the scheduled cleaning service,  from paths and drains with bags, equipment, free collection and disposal.  To avail of this service please call 1800 248 348. Mary

Smithfield Horse Fair

Dublin City Council are proposing to regulate the Smithfield Horse Fair and have drafted Smithfield Horse Fair Bye-Laws. These bye-laws are currently out for public consultation.  DCC is seeking feedback from the general public to these proposed bye-laws and fees.  Submissions should be made in writing before 5.00 p.m. on Thursday 29th November 2012. Please click here for more information. .

Save the Waiver

In December 2012 more than 30,000 families in Dublin City will loose their bin waiver.  This is a direct result of the decision taken by government Councillors  in City hall to vote for city budgets which will end the bin waiver scheme for pensionsers and low income households.  In the General Election the Labour Party promised to introduce a National Bin Waiver Scheme.

I have been working to save the waiver and to get the Labour Party to keep their promise to introduce a national bin waiver scheme.  Here is my record to date :

• December 2009: I voted against the city budget which introduced a charge for pensioners and low income families who left out their bin for collection.
• November 2011: I proposed a motion calling an emergency meeting of the City Council to prevent the City Manager selling the bin service to Greyhound and ending the annual bin waiver.  I'm not opposed to competition but I am opposed to secret deals and private cartels.
• December 2011: I voted against Labours City budget which removed the funding for a waste waiver
• January 2012: I proposed a motion calling an emergency meeting of the City Council to deal with the Greyhound fiasco.  This meeting forced Greyhound to change their annual payment scheme.
• January 2012: I referred the Greyhound deal to the Data Protection Commissioner, the Competition Authority and Public Accounts Committee.  The Data Protection Commission has already forced the City Council to change some of their plans.
• May 2012: I invoked section 136 of the Local Government Act in an attempt to force the City Manager to release the details of the Greyhound deal.

Labour now only has a few months to keep their promise and save the bin waiver scheme in Dublin.  If you or your family have a waiver and you want to support my campaign to save the bin waiver for pensioners and low income families, please email mary.fitzpatrick@dublincity.ie.

Thanks, Mary

Grangegorman Public Realm

The Grangegorman Development Agency has applied to Dublin City Council for Planning permission for the construction of the public realm and site infrastructure and includes that part of the public thoroughfare Grangegorman Upper and Grangegorman Lower, all located within a 28.69 Hectares Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) at Grangegorman, Dublin 7.The application is for a 10 year Planning Permission. You can read the full application here.

Development Levy 2013-2015

In my submission to Dublin City Councils proposed Development Contribution Scheme 2013-2015 I requested the Council consider and amend the 2013-2015 scheme to reflect the following points:

· The public consultation on the making of this scheme was poorly advertised. It did not appear on the home page of www.dublincity.ie and was not easy to locate on the website.  This needs to be improved to ensure wider public engagement.

· The scheme should exempt developments or parts of developments that are facilities in domestic properties specially adapted to allow sick and/or elderly to be cared for in a home environment thus avoiding institutional care and supporting independent living

· The scheme should exempt public hospitals and 3rd level educational institutions from the levy

· Masts and Antenna associated with the provision of broadband and/or mobile telecommunications services should not be exempt from the development contribution levy

· DCC should publish the associated review of development costs, including prevailing market indicators, used to determine the rates proposed.
The deadline for submissions is 5pm Weds October 24th 2012 for more information on how to make a submission please click here.   Mary

Halloween Safety

As Chair of the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee public safety is a major priority for me throughout the year but Halloween presents certain extra risks.  The Gardai and Dublin City Council have assured me that all available resources are being applied in an integrated plan in the Central area to reduce risk and increase public safety over the Halloween period.  If you see any material being hoarded in advance of Halloween please contact DCC's Litter Hotline on 1800 251 500 or online here (go to Bonfire Materials Service Request). Calls to the EPA 24 hr National Environmental Complaints Line 1850 365 121 will also be dealt with by the City Council. Please click here for more information.  In the event of an emergency please phone 999.

Dublin City Council has organised a number of fun events for Halloween 2012 you can view the full list here and this year Dublin hosts the first ever  Bram Stoker Festival. So there should be something to frighten everyone and don't forget to help the Halloween Party ! Mary

Comhghairdeas Gealscoil Bharra



Mary with Muinteoir Sean

Dublin City Council recently granted planning permission to the Department of Education to build a purpose built school for Gealscoil Bharra on Fassaugh Road.  This is great news for the children, parents and teachers of Gealscoil Bharra whose long campaign I have consistently supported over the years.  I have asked the Minister for Education to prioritise funding to allow the building of the new school to commence as soon as possible.  As soon as I get a reply from the Minister I will post an update here.  Mary

Digital Switchover

There are just two days to go until the Government switch off the old national TV network and switch on the new digital TV network. If you haven't already made the switch information is is available at www.goingdigital.ie, through LoCall 1890 940 980 (English language) and 1890 940 970 (Irish language).  Mary

Civil Defence Officer

Dublin City Council is inviting applications from suitably qualified individuals for Assistant Civil Defence Officer.  The deadline for applications is Thursday 25th October 2012, for more information please click here. 

Digital TV Switchover

The Government will shut down the old national TV network and replace it with digital TV on Wednesday 24th October 2012.  The old TV network provides, via an aerial, the Irish TV channels, RTE1, RTE2, TV3 and TG4. Don't get left with a blank screen, for more information please go to Saorview.  Mary

Social Worker Required

Dublin City Council are inviting applications from qualified social workers, the deadline for applications is Thursday 25th of October 2012 for more details click here.

Flood Warning UPDATE 12 NOON

DCC updated Weather Warning @ 12 noon 17th October 2012
Up to 20 millimetres of rain fell between 4am and 6 30am this morning. The City Council’s Drainage staff dealt the incidents of localised road flooding throughout the night.  The following preventative measures to deal with the predicted high tides and rainfall have been put in place:
· The Liffey Boardwalk defences have been closed.

· The car parks at Sandymount promenade and Clontarf have been closed. .

· The flood defences on the River Tolka have been put in place.

· Drainage crews have been mobilised.

· The flood gates on the River Dodder have been closed.
The first high tide this morning has passed with the predicted localised overtopping. Today’s tide, due just after 1 pm, is predicted to reach the City Council’s tide alert level. Overtopping of the defences at Clontarf is anticipated and will be monitored. The Sandymount area will continue to be monitored for minor overtopping.

Cabra's Got Talent

Last chance to enter the best talent show ever seen in Cabra !  Cabra's Got Talent will be accepting late registrations in Chillax Youth Cafe in the Boogies on Wednesday evening from 7.30pm.  Anyone who is young, talented and ambitious cannot afford to miss this opportunity.  Mary