Doolan demands City Council action on halting sites
Sinn Féin’s Dublin Spokesperson on the Environment, Councillor Daithí Doolan, has tabled a motion calling on Dublin City Council, “to fit fire and smoke alarms in all caravans in Council halting sites.”

Cllr. Doolan said: “Following the recent fire tragedy accident which saw two young children in Clondalkin lose their lives in a caravan fire it is now imperative that local authorities fit fire and smoke alarms in all caravans in halting sites. It is unacceptable that in all other local authority accommodation residents are provided with smoke alarms of the highest standard yet travellers still live in fear of fires in their homes. This is an issue that cuts across all political parties.

Lord Mayor’s increase
FG General Election candidate, Councillor. Lucinda Creighton, has condemned Sinn Féin for questioning an annual increase of 5% in the expenses allocated to the capital’s Lord Mayor. At a recent meeting of the City Council the Council voted on an increase in the Lord Mayor’s allowance, which is in line with the annual rate of inflation.

Creighton said: “Sinn Féin Councillors have been rumbling on about this increase, in their usual sanctimonious tones, for a number of weeks now. They are grasping at predictable populist straws in order to gain cheap headlines.”

When asked to comment Doolan said: “I believe the Lord Mayor, Cllr. Catherine Byrne, has done an excellent job since she took office in June of last year. But the increase is totally unwarranted. Particularly when you consider that the increase is way above what any employee would receive in the workplace today. It sets the wrong example and sends out the wrong message, that the Lord Mayor should receive a far greater increase in salary than the ordinary person she claims to represent.”

Lock-out of residents
Following the sudden lock-out of residents from the public park in Dartmouth Square, Dublin 6, Green Party Chairman and local TD John Gormley (Dublin South East) has called on Dublin City Council to verify the land ownership status of all public parks in its charge.

Deputy Gormley said that, “Residents were shocked to learn that Dublin City Council did not own this important public amenity, despite the fact that it has been maintaining the space since 1987. People are entitled to expect that ownership disputes should not lead to the closure of public open spaces, which is why the City Council must verify the ownership of all their public parks. Where potential disputes are identified, immediate steps must be taken to ensure that parks can remain open in any event.”

Tenant purchase of Council flats in Dublin 4
After many years of campaigning it looks like progress is finally being made on tenants of Council flats right to buy their homes. At a special session of the City Council convened to deal with this issue local Labour Councillor Dermot Lacey strongly supported the right to buy. Along with other Councillors he asserted that this issue was one about “Rights”. The right of long-standing tenants to have the same entitlement to buy as those in houses and the right of those tenants who wished to remain tenants of the City Council to do so.

He stressed that the final cost must take into account ability to pay and the length of time that people have waited for this to come about. According to Councillor Lacey “There is still some distance to go before a final resolution of this is achieved. However the members of the City Council have given our support and it is now up to the Government to get on with the job and deliver the goods.”

Councillor Daithí Doolan welcomed the report from the City Council. He said: “This will now give local residents the opportunity to buy their own Council flats. This is in line with the practice of tenants buying their Council houses, which has been in place for many years.”

Lansdowne Road Stadium
Over the last eighteen months or so residents and public representatives have met with the Lansdowne Road Stadium Redevelopment Company, through the Lansdowne Stadium Forum Group and have secured some limited changes. However local feeling is that there is still a long way to go before any such proposal would be acceptable.

Local Labour Councillor, Dermot Lacey, who initiated the Forum and who, in general supports the retention of a Stadium at Lansdowne Road, has more recently expressed his concern at the impact of the final design. “When I saw the final submitted drawings I was quite simply horrified at the extent to which they impinge on the immediately adjoining residents. Unfortunately, the insistence of the Redevelopment Committee in keeping the second back pitch at Lansdowne Road is leading to a situation in which they are trying to put a litre into a pint bottle. Most of the issues could be resolved and a satisfactory Stadium provided if this impediment was removed.”