Mater Emergency Department

I welcome the announcement that the new Emergency Department at the Mater Hospital will open on Sunday 17th February at 10pm. 

To facilitate opening the new Emergency department Emergency services will be suspended at the Mater for 18 hours.  The Department will close to walk-in (self arrival) patients from 4am until 10pm on Sunday 17th February. The relocation process requires the Department to close to ambulances from 10am to 10pm on Sunday 17th February. Patients with minor injuries can attend the Mater Smithfield Rapid Injury Clinic in The Forge, Smithfield Market, Dublin 7.

During this temporary closure period, patients that are seriously ill or injured should dial 999 or go directly to another Emergency Department. 

Access and egress for members of the public and ambulances to the new Emergency Department in the new Whitty Building is via pedestrian and road access on Eccles Street. The new access is well signposted and situated approximately 100 metres from the Dorset Street end of Eccles Street. Pedestrian access is adjacent to the new car park ramp.
The Mater's Emergency Department provides a 24-hour emergency service, 365 days a year, and sees in the region of 50,000 patients annually. The core function of the department is to provide resuscitation for critically ill and injured patients.

Accommodation in the new Emergency Department includes:

A resuscitation room; the resuscitation capacity of the new department provides an increase in excess of 60% capacity compared to present capability, reflecting the increase in the number of patients attending with critical illness and injury;
15 new single patient examination and treatment cubicles for patients with complex and urgent medical complaints;
A dedicated CT / X-ray suite;
An ambulatory care area for management of low impact trauma cases and ambulant patients suffering from less serious medical conditions; and
Space for liaison personnel (e.g. psychiatric liaison nurse, GP liaison nurse and a social worker).

A 12 bay acute medical assessment unit is accommodated in the acute floor in line with Clinical Care Programmes. Special attention has been paid to the quality of the physical environment for patients, staff and visitors, reflecting contemporary architecture and design. Importance has been placed on the maximisation of natural light into the facility. The design team has adopted an integrated design approach to support a low energy and sustainable design solution. Specific concepts were adopted at the outset of the design process. The work on these concepts within this project is of considerable significance because of the scale of savings in the energy consumption and associated reductions in CO2 emissions and its potential replication in Ireland and elsewhere.

For further information on the Mater Campus Hospital Development go to www.mater.ie

Mary

Pelletstown Train Station

Irish Rail has made an application to Dublin City Council for PLANNING PERMISSION for a new train station in Pelletstown with a connecting pedestrian bridge and access from Ashington and Royal Canal.   Full details of the application are available HERE. The deadline for submissions is March 6, 2013.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance.  Mary

Cluid Housing

Dublin City Council has confirmed to me that CLUIDS planning application for senior citizen housing on the grounds of The most precious blood church has yet to receive funding from the department of the Environment.
The planning application was submitted to Dublin City Council on the 17th December last and a decision expected in February.  Once Cluid receive planning, the scheme will then progress to the next stage i.e. detailed design and then tender stage. Following tender stage, they will then seek funding for the scheme from the Department of the Enviroment and their funding institute based on tender cost returns. Therefore there is no funding approved for the scheme at this stage.

This is not the first proposal I have seen for this site but I will do all I can to ensure this proposal becomes a reality. Mary

Free Electrical Recycling

Following my previous request to Dublin City Council for a free electrical waste collection they recently advised me that WEEE Ireland will do a collection on Saturday 9th February from 10.00am-4pm in Naomh Fionbarra GAA Club. 

This is a great opportunity to get rid of that old kettle,toys, tv, radio or any household item with a plug or battery - FREE of Charge.  Mary

North Strand Ballybough

The next meeting of the North Strand Ballybough Community Policing Forum will be on February 11th, not February 4th. The meeting will take place on the 11th in the Larkin Center, 57-58 North Strand Road, North Strand, Dublin 3 @ 6.30pm. 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 Committee. Mary

JPC Public Meeting

There will be a public meeting of the Central Area Joint Policing Committee on 7th February 2013 @ 7.00 p.m. in the Ballybough Community Centre.

There will be a review of the work undertaken by the JPC, Garda and Dublin City Council during 2012, a presentation of the JPC, Garda and Dublin City Council plans for 2013 followed by an open discussion and opportunity for questions.  I encourage all residents and business owners in Dublin Central to attend. The meeting will end at 9pm.  Mary

Garda Adrian Donohue RIP

I was saddened and disgusted by the cold blooded murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe last Friday. He died in the line of duty, serving his community and country. My sincere sympathies go out to his family, friends and colleagues. May he rest in peace.

There will be a state funeral today to pay tribute to Garda Donohue.  For those who cannot attend but would like to express their sympathy there is a book of condolence at Dublin’s Mansion House. The book of condolence will be available for signing by members of the public today Wednesday 30th January from 10.00am to 8pm.

The Irish League of Credit Unions has offered a reward of €50,000 for information on the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohue. Anyone with information is asked to phone the confidential line, 1800 666111.

Mary

Phizzfest 2013

SAVE THE DATE: This year Phizzfest is coming early and will take place in Spring with a great festival planned for the May Bank Holiday weekend, 3rd – 6th May 2013.

You don't have to wait till May to start enjoying the Phizzfest experience. You can start to get in the mood of the festival by going along to the big Phizzfest Community Fundraiser on Friday 1st February – 8.30 pm in Doyle’s Pub, Doyle’s Corner.

The hugely successful, and award winning, Phizzfest is again looking for volunteers to help out with the festival. They have volunteering opportunities in a range of areas including marketing and PR, event management, fund raising and lots more. Phizzfests' Volunteer Co-ordinator for 2013 is Camille Rocca. You can get in touch with Camille at Phizzfest.volunteers@gmail.com.  Mary

DCU Innovation Campus

I was very interested in the recent announcement widely covered in the media of a new DCU Innovation Campus.  The story ran that a new innovation centre is set to create 500 new jobs in Glasnevin.  With unemployment continuing to run high in Dublin City this was indeed a very welcome headline.  Unfortunately the story itself is maybe a bit too creative. It appears the reality is that recently a contract was signed to handover the former Enterprise Ireland building on the Old Finglas Road to DCU which in time will be developed into a  DCU Innovation Campus.  Work has yet to begin on the building and it will probably be some time before the campus is up and running. 

I welcome and support any initiative to provide jobs.  However it is disappointing that the Government would over hype and present the transfer of property from one state agency to another as a major jobs announcement.  It is cruel in the extreme to falsely raise the hopes of 100s of unemployed people in the area. I will provide any support I can to make the headlines a reality.  I can't post a link to the proposed high tech Innovative Campus because it doesn't appear to have a website yet.   

I have asked Fianna Fail's spokesperson Dara Calleary to raise the issue with the Minister and to seek a commitment from the Government to make the campus a reality by providing funding to have it open for business as soon as possible.  I will post any updates I get on the project when I get them.  Mary

Moore Street 1916

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO MAKE A SUBMISSION

Dublin City Council recently established a committee to review the plans and make recommendations for the National Monument site on Moore Street.  I am the local Fianna Fail representative, leader of Fianna Fail on Dublin City Council and party representative on the Committee. 

The national, historic, cultural, educational, commercial and tourist potential of Moore Street cannot be overstated and it must be developed and promoted by the state.

Houses 14-17 Moore Street were designated a National Monument in 2007. It is a matter of great shame that the site has not been properly restored and developed into an appropriate commemoration of the heroic acts of the men and women of 1916. The three houses are privately owned by Chartered Lands.  Their plan for the site is currently being considered by the Minister whose consent is required for works to commence on the National Monument.  Their plan includes the creation of a museum incorporating 14-17 Moore Street that proposes to authentically recreate the interior lay-out of the buildings as they were in 1916 and requires funding of approximately €10m. 

The story of Moore Street and 1916 is not confined to just three houses and for the whole story to be told the scope of any commemoration will have to be broader. 

The neglect of this National Monument has gone on for far too long. The centenary of the rising is fast approaching and the Government must take action to ensure that the National Monument is preserved and restored; it should provide funding for the creation of an appropriate commemoration on the site and creation of a museum. The Government should immediately act to ensure that the National Monument site is taken into State ownership.

The Committee has invited members of the public to express their views on how the National Monument should be developed. I encourage anyone with any interest in the site to please send their submissions by e-mail to msac@dublincity.ie or by post to: The Chairman, Moore Street Advisory Committee, City Managers Department, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8.

The closing date for submissions is the 31st of January 2013.  Mary

Mater Emergency Unit Delayed

It is very disappointing that the opening of the new, state of the art, Mater Emergency Unit has been postponed.

The new Emergency Unit was due to open last Friday 25th of January but was postponed until further notice. The management in the Mater hospital made the decision to postpone opening the new unit because they did not "not want to impose additional pressures on other hospitals" in Dublin City. To facilitate opening of the new Emergency Unit at the Mater it was going to be necessary to close the existing Emergency Unit and suspend all Emergency Services at the Mater for 32 hours. Patients would have been directed to Emergency units in other Dublin Hospitals.

I have asked Fianna Fail's spokesperson on Health to raise the issue with the Minister for Health, to ask the Minister to review the situation with Management at the Mater and to provide them with whatever resources they require to open the new Emergency Unit without any further delay. As soon as I have any update I will post it here. Mary

Community Grants Deadline

REMINDER DEADLINE APPROACHING

Dublin City Council is currently accepting applications for funding under their Community Grant Scheme. Key priorities for funding 2013 are community development, social inclusion, children and young people, digital inclusion, integration, marginalised groups and local issues.  To download an application please click here.  Please note that the closing date is 5pm Thursday the 31st January 2013. It is expected that successful groups would receive their award by end of May/beginning June 2012. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance. Mary

Cabra Community Policing Forum

The next meeting of the Cabra Community Policing Forum will take place on Tues 29th of January in Cabra Parkside Community and Sports Center in John Paul Park (the bogies) at 7.15pm.  This is an opportunity for people living and working in Cabra 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 Cabra to come along as these forum meetings feed into the priorities for the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee. If you cannot attend the meeting you can contact the Forum Co-Ordinator Mr Niall Counihan at 0861743278.  Mary

Car break-ins

I was woken early one morning recently by our friendly postman who noticed that our car had been broken-into over night.  Now to be totally honest they didn't actually "break-in" because the car had been left "unlocked" (don't ask who is to blame for that, needless to say I am admitting nothing).  They had gone through the car and because there was nothing of any real value the only thing they got was our driving licences.  I reported it to the Gardai and they confirmed that there has been a large number of such incidents in the area. 

May I humbly remind you not to leave any valuables in your car and report any suspcious activity in your area to the GARDAI @ Cabra 01 6667400 or @ Mountjoy 01 6668200 or @ Bridewell (01) 666 8200 or @ Store Street 01 666 8000.  Mary

New Mater Car Park

As part of the New Mater General Adult Hospital a 436-space basement car park will open at noon on Sunday 27th January 2013.
This car park will service staff, patients and visitors to the Mater Hospital. There is direct access from the Car Park to the Whitty Building. Vehicle access to this car park is from Eccles Street beside the Mater Private. There are 18 disabled car parking spaces and 156 bicycle parking spaces.  Euro Car Parks manage this car park. Click here to find out more about opening hours, tariffs, contact details, etc.
This should make visiting the hospital more convenient and hopefully relieve some of the pressure for on-street parking in the area.  Mary

Royal Canal

At the January meeting of Dublin City Council I requested an update on the plan, I have for many years championed, to upgrade the Royal Canal tow path from the IFSC to Ashtown.  The Manager advised me that the project is currently divided into three sections;
1. Sheriff Street to North Strand at Newcomen Bridge

2. Newcomen to Cross Guns Bridge

3. Cross Guns Bridge to Ashtown

The good news is that the preliminary design is being finalised on sections 1. and 2.  Once the preliminary design is complete and public consultation has been done, they will be progressed to Final Design and Contract Documents.  On Section 3., preliminary design work has been progressed by the QBN Project Office. This work is now being taken by the Traffic Department with the purpose of progressing to Final Design and Contract Documents.  The NTA has agreed that this overall project should proceed subject to finance.
I will continue to work to make this project a reality and to open up this unique green route all the way from the docks to Ashtown.  In the meantime I encourage anyone living or visiting our area to take advantage of the canal as an alternative route.  It is a real oasis just off our busy streets free for us all to enjoy.  I thank the many responsible dog owners who clean-up after their canine companions on the canal banks and ask all other dog owners to do the same.  Mary

City Budget 2013

It is disappointing and unacceptable that the Lord Mayor of Dublin City is refusing to hold a special meeting of Dublin City Council to make a budget for the City for 2013. This is an attempt to conceal from the people of Dublin how their money will be spent in the City this year.

As leader of the Fianna Fail group on Dublin City Council and with support from Independent Councillors I made the request for a special meeting to the Lord Mayor in early January.

We requested a special meeting because the budget agreed by Councillors in November 2012, before the national budget was announced, is no longer valid. The City Council has an additional €2.2million to spend that had not been budgeted for. We believe Councillors and not Management should decide how the money is used. As a group we want to see the money used in the provision of services and to support local employment.

The City Budget has been further compromised by the Governments decision to apply their unfair Property Tax to Social Housing. The City Manager is still unable to provide a report to Councillors outlining the exact impact of the tax on the City’s budget. Initial estimates indicate that the impact could be between €3million and €6million per year.

Labour and Fine Gael Councillors opposed a Fianna Fail motion at City Council that called on the Government to abandon their unfair Property Tax, choosing instead to endorse their Governments unfair Property Tax. The property tax is anti-Dublin generally but as Dublin City Council is the largest Local Authority it will face the largest bill for Property Tax in the Country. It is shameful that the Lord Mayor and his Labour and Fine Gael colleagues, elected by their local communities, do not want to champion this critical issue for homeowners in Dublin.

In refusing the request for a special meeting, the Lord Mayor indicated that he intends to list the City Budget as an item on the agenda of the next meeting of the City Council. This is a wholly inadequate response. Monthly meetings of the City Council never complete the full agenda and to try and bury the City Estimates by squeezing it into an already packed agenda is unacceptable. This is a direct attempt to conceal from the people of Dublin how their money is being spent.

We want the best for Dublin City. We believe for the City to function properly and compete nationally and internationally the City Budget must be agreed as soon as possible. We want to deal with this issue promptly and responsibly and we have renewed our request for a special meeting of the City Council to be held as soon as the impact of the Property Tax is available.  Mary

Dunmanus Court II

The voluntary housing organisation Cluid has applied to Dublin City Council for planning permission to build Senior Citizen Housing on the grounds of the most precious blood church on Fassaugh Avenue.  They propose to build 43 individual units in a three story building. Full details of the planning application are available here.  The deadline for observations is the 29th January 2013.   This is a welcome, if long overdue, development.  For many years I have campaigned to get DCC to upgrade the existing bedsit type senior citizen housing in the area.  If this new development goes ahead priority should be given to existing local residents with real housing need.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require additional information.  Mary

Planning Applications

As a member of the Board of the Grangegorman Development Authority I welcome the recent applications to Dublin City Council for planning permission to commence works under the Strategic Development Zone process. As a City Councillor I have raised residents concerns with Dublin City Council regarding traffic and access and I am seeking a commitment from Dublin City Council that any permission granted addresses these legitimate concerns.

The first planning application  deals with the demolition, modification and refurbishment of buildings and change of use from Health to Education purposes. The deadline for submissions is January 24th 2013. You can view the application here.

The second planning application is again seeking permission for demolition, modification and refurbishment works to existing buildings including the "Top House", a protected structure. Full details of the planning application are available here. The deadline for making an observation is February 21st 2013. Please to not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance.  Mary

Trees

In early January 2013 initial preparation of the Grangegorman site for construction work commenced with the pruning and felling of some trees on the campus. The GDDA confirmed to me that "the trees to be removed are only those that have been identified in the planning permission for the site infrastructure and public realm. Other trees will be cut back to varying degrees, but this is to be carried out by arbourists and is being done as essential work for the health of the trees. This work will be concentrated around the playing fields and the location of the future St. Brendan’s Way (the new main street of the development). The direct felling and maintenance work is due to last until the beginning of March and after this the debris will be removed." The preservation of the natural habitat is key to achievement of a sustainable campus. Should you have any queries please drop me an email. Mary