Russian election featured “serious problems” from the start

A message to supporters:

Hi folks,

Around about this time last year we were finishing up the last day of
what had been a long and tough campaign. All our postering, flyering
and canvassing had finished and people were heading to the polls to
have their say and decide who would form the next Government.

Thanks to your great efforts and because you were so good at
campaigning, enough people went out and voted and elected me to
represent them in Dail Eireann. Your support meant a great deal to me
at the time, and it still does. Thank you.

It’s been a challenging year, but a fascinating one too. Over the
coming weeks we will be doing a couple of things to tell you more
about some of that work and about what’s to come in the year ahead. So
keep an eye out on your twitter and facebook and everything else.

All the best,

Eoghan

Best to avoid conflict over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The Irish Times, Mon, Feb 20, 2012.

Last week, Iran unveiled another accomplishment in its nuclear programme. Both Israel and the United States are speaking openly of possible military confrontation.

The European Union has upped the ante as well, with a new stage of sanctions recently approved. All of this is because “Iran has failed to restore international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme”.

It will never be able to do so because its programme isn’t exclusively peaceful. So where are we going with all of this?

First, this isn’t another Iraq.

Going on the internationally agreed evidence, there are legitimate concerns about possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme. Concerns which Iran has repeatedly failed to address when given the opportunity according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, a neutral, multilateral body vested with ensuring that nuclear energy is used for peaceful purposes.

Serious concerns about a weaponisation programme arose in 2002, when a secret enrichment programme was revealed and, 10 years later, following repeated and thorough inspections, the agency still cannot conclude that Iran is on a purely peaceful path. Neither can Iran – it has experimented with practically every element of the weaponisation process.

And for those who argue that it has a right to do so, Iran forfeited this right when it signed up to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in the late 1960s. It has been caught cheating in the most serious area of international peace and security and the case against it is pretty solid. (Take a look at the most recent report of the IAEA’s director general, GOV/2011/65 , available on iaea.org)

So what are our options and those of the international community?

As far as we can reliably tell, military action has only ever been employed once to prevent a state from acquiring a nuclear weapon. That was Iraq in 1981, when the Israelis blew up a reactor in Osirak, concerned it might be used for building a bomb.

Iran is much further along the process and its infrastructure is far more diverse and sophisticated. You couldn’t simply blow up the relevant sites because many are buried underground – a lesson learned from Osirak. And we don’t know where they all are. So determining success would be difficult.

Iran has also invested in both tactical and strategic defensive equipment (with defence spending expected to double to over $14 billion this year). To protect one’s own assets and ensure a successful strike, non-nuclear (ie military) facilities would also have to be targeted.

A strike proposed solely against nuclear facilities then would probably escalate into something more. And that is before possible responses from Iran are considered. The list of potential military targets expands again as pre-empting possible retaliation is looked at.

And once areas like the Strait of Hormuz come in to play, as was recently threatened, we are almost certainly talking war. Another war with the Middle East. The third in a decade. And this one after the Arab Spring.

Can Iran be penalised into repenting? Sanctions have never prevented a country from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

A recent and ready example is North Korea, a country in breach of its international obligations from the day it entered into them in 1985. Through very skilful manoeuvring, it strung the international community along for two decades while it developed a weapon. The international community even banned exports of lobsters and luxury yachts to the country in an attempt to bring it back on side. Still it persists.

Sanctions will certainly make it more difficult – they will slow things down. As they slowed down India’s progress in the 1970s, but only after it had already developed a weapons capability.

Given the stage that Iran is now at, the facilities under its control, the experience and the technical know-how already gained, we must conclude that sanctions alone will not keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon if that is what it wants. Many western countries have already concluded this.

Sanctions – even severe ones designed to cripple the country and its people – will not draw Iran back from the brink. They may even exacerbate the situation as further isolation increases Iran’s security fears. You have to wonder if there is anything that we can do. A better understanding is possible if we look at the situation from Iran’s perspective.

In 2002, the US, the greatest military power in the world, labelled Iran a rogue state and part of an axis of evil. Less than two years later, it was camped on both its eastern border in Afghanistan and its western border in Iraq, another member of “the axis”.

Iran’s programme was initiated in part in response to its brutal war with Iraq in the 1980s, when it suffered chemical weapon attacks on its military and civilian populations (attacks the western powers chose to ignore). And the more recent history of the region has only served to underline the importance of the ultimate deterrent. No country possessing a nuclear weapon has ever been invaded.

Whatever one might think of Iran’s president or the country’s confrontation with Israel or its sponsoring of Shia militants in Iraq post-2003, it is hard not to conclude that Iran has legitimate security concerns. And crying “havoc” and readying the dogs of war does not address these concerns.

Talks have been tried before. But with so many preconditions, it was difficult to get people to the table, let alone keep them there.

In addition, terms focused on the nuclear issue when it is clear that this is only one symptom of a much bigger problem in the region.

We must not give up on negotiations – on trying to find a peaceful solution to the current hostilities with Iran across a range of fronts. Because there is quite simply no other way.

Ireland could lend its experience and moral authority here – we are directly responsible for the establishment of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of all international arms control agreements since. And yet, somewhat counter-intuitively (and possibly short-sightedly), we have just closed our embassy in Tehran.

We are being led too easily down the sanctions/confrontation route and this will not end well.

The Seven Principles of Public Life

While doing a bit of research recently, I came across the following principles. It’s very interesting that the UK did this.

I wonder if we ever tried something similar here. I wonder if they’ve left anything out or if there is some way we might add to them given our own experience as a country.

The Seven Principles of Public Life set out by the Nolan Committee in the United Kingdom set out the standards that should apply to the appointment of people who serve the public; in the UK, these Principles can be brought to bear on all aspects of public life.

The Nolan Principles are as follows:

SELFLESSNESS

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.  They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.

INTEGRITY

Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties.

OBJECTIVITY

In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.

OPENNESS

Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take.  They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.

HONESTY

Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.

LEADERSHIP

Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

                        These principles apply to all aspects of public life.  The Committee has set them out here for the benefit of all who serve the public in any way.

The ‘Committee on Standards in Public Life’ was established under John Major’s Government in October 1994. A non-departmental public body, the Committee and its Secretariat-General are funded by, but independent of, the Cabinet Office. On announcing the establishment of the Committee, John Major said: “In the present atmosphere, there is public disquiet about standards of public life and I have concluded that action is imperative.” The Committee’s terms of reference were widened in 1997 by new Prime Minister Tony Blair to cover the funding of political parties.

Dublin City Council Questions to the City Manager

QUESTIONS TO DUBLIN CITY MANAGER
SOUTH EAST AREA COMMITTEE MEETING, 12th DECEMBER 2011

Q1. Councillor Edie Wynne 
To thank the Manager for the ‘clean-ups’ in Maxwell Lane and to ask if it is possible to find a more permanent solution to the problem as this is a constantly recurring situation.

Reply
Under the Litter Management Plan, 2008-2011, residential areas such as Maxwell Lane are scheduled to be cleaned once every twelve weeks. However if the resident wish to become involved in a clean up at any time the SEA office will provide them with the necessary equipment and arrange to remove the resulting bagged waste. 

Q2. Councillor Gerry Ashe  
To ask the Manager when the cost benefit analysis and full capital appraisal of precinct improvement works for Canon Mooney Gardens, Ringsend, Dublin 4 will be submitted to the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.

Reply

Subject to the availability of funding Dublin City Council propose to carry out a number of flat scheme improvement works over the next few years. In general such works consist of external environmental and security improvement works but they also seek to increase the energy efficiency of the scheme.

Unfortunately due to the current financial climate it is not possible to give an indicative commencement date of work at this complex.

Q3. Councillor Gerry Ashe  
To ask the Manager to arrange to have the stairwells at (details supplied) cleaned as thoroughly as possible with a particular emphasis being paid to the landings as there is an on-going problem with the cleanliness of the stairwells.

Reply
Our Caretaking Service Team Leader for this area reports that the landings and stairwells in this complex are swept on a daily basis and weather permitting are power-washed on a weekly basis. 

Q4. Councillor Edie Wynne  
To ask the Manager to have the blocked shore at the end of the laneway adjacent to number 1 and 2 Templemore Avenue cleared as they are a cause of serious flooding.

Reply
The issues of flooding at this location has been brought to the attention of the South City Maintenance Engineer for investigation.  A report will be forwarded to the Councillor when available.

Q5. Councillor Edie Wynne  
To ask the Manager to have the litter bins that were removed from Grosvenor Road, Rathmines (1 bin) and Rathgar Road (2 bins) restored.

Reply
Waste Management Services are not in favour of having litter bins in residential areas or side turns off main roads as experience has shown us that litter bins at these locations are regularly used to dispose of domestic refuse and can in fact become focal points for dumping. For this reason we have been removing litter bins from residential areas throughout the city including the Rathmines area. We are still maintaining the litter bins on the main roads, bus stops, near schools and major shopping areas.

Q6. Councillor Edie Wynne  
To ask the Manager that he request that An Post install a post box at a central point in Rathgar village, perhaps close to the pharmacist and AIB where there is short term parking available as this would at least facilitate  An Post’s customers to post letters locally.

Reply
This query will be forwarded to An Post and the Councillor will be contacted when a  reply is available.

Q7. Councillor Kieran Binchy  
 To ask the Manager for a full report on the status or progress of any plans, if any, for  flood defence works in Sandymount.

Reply
The S2S Project included provision for flood defense works in Sandymount.  Due to the cost  of the S2S, these are unlikely to proceed in the short to medium term.  As a result, Dublin City   Council will re-examine options to protect the seafront in Sandymount and will report on it  in 2012.

Q8. Councillor Dermot Lacey  
 To ask the Manager if he could respond to the issues relating to the Ranelagh Luas  Bridge outlined in this attachment submitted with this question.

Reply
We have investigated the gullies at this location and they are in need of repair.  This work will be placed on our works programme and carried out in the coming weeks.

Q9. Councillor Mary Freehill  
Would the Manager please state when will the extended footpaths at the junction of Leinster Rd and Charleville Rd be removed.  This was the subject of a motion agreed at least nine months ago, when I pointed out that  to make a right turn from Charleville, it is necessary to veer over to the other side of the road to make the turn and has resulted in many local cars have been scraped and damaged.

Reply
The Traffic Engineer will meet with the Roads Maintenance Engineer next week with a view to arranging for removal of the section of extending footpath. The Councillor will be advised immediately after this meeting as to the timescale for removal of same.

Q10. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager promote an initiative to combat anti-social behaviour by establishing neighbourhood walks within the communities.  This initiative has proved very effective in other jurisdictions in combatting unacceptable social behaviour. The initiative involves groups of neighbours taking their walks together around their respective neighbourhoods.

Reply
‘Let’s Walk & Talk’ is a community initiative of Dublin City Council started in June  2007  comprising of not only historical walking tours and cultural events but also a weekly walks  programme in the community.  There are currently 8 weekly neighbourhood walks in the city,  4 of which take place in the South East Area.  These walks are led by a team of community  volunteers.  These walks are very popular and have huge benefits for participants and their  community.  We are always looking at opportunities to have walks in other areas however  each walk is dependent on having a dedicated team of volunteers who are committed to  turning up every week  and leading the walks.  Last month, the Community Development  Team of the South East Area Office organised Walk Leader Training for interested volunteers  and there was a great response however there are currently only enough volunteers to cover  the existing programme of weekly walks.  We have always advertised for volunteers  through the ‘Let’s Walk & Talk’ newsletter (7,000 copies of each issue distributed) as well  as through Volunteer Centres and will continue to do so in the future.  

Q11. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager look to establish Dublin city artists forum.

Reply
The Arts office will consult with artists to consider the feasibility and function of the proposed forum and report back to the Councillor.

Q12. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager examine the street lighting arrangement in the Temple Bar area with the view to upgrading and establishing more onstreet lighting.

Report
We will investigate the existing lighting here and consider any necessary improvements for  inclusion in our 2012 programme of improvements works, subject to finances made available.

Q13. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager investigate the use of a skip in Synge Lane off Synge Street at the back of the Copper House Gallery known as Fire Printers.

Reply
The South East Area Litter Warden visited the location above and there was no skip visible on Synge Lane.

Q14. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager establish a cleaning regime for the Camden Street/Wexford St/ Aungier Street areas.

Reply
Waste Management Services have Camden Street, Wexford Street and Aungier Street cleaned on a daily basis and every effort will continue to be made to keep this area as clean as possible.

Q15. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager prune the trees in the Long lane area.

Reply
Trees at this location have been inspected and it is proposed to add the tree pruning to our works programme for the area and anticipate that the trees will be pruned during the dormant season.

Q16. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager give a complete update on the proposals for a new years festival at Dame St/College Green area and as to whether there will be alcohol on sale at this event.

Reply
In mid 2011 Fáilte Ireland approached Dublin City Council with an outline concept to promote Dublin to overseas markets and Dubliners alike around New Year.  Research had shown that tourists were researching Dublin as a New Year destination but the city lacked a New Years focus and could do more on the festival front to encourage tourists to travel to Dublin over and above other European cities.

The festival itself will include musical and cultural events culminating in a concert in College Green on December 31st 2011.  The New Year’s Festival is still subject to licence from Dublin City Council but we are mindful of drawing tourists to the city to support the hospitality industry and to offer a quality entertainment package to the citizens at this time of year.

The College Green event as proposed would be a ticketed event with an expected attendance of between 5,000 – 8,000.  The event promoters have sought to sell alcohol in a controlled manner at the event and are currently applying to the District Courts for an occasional licence.

The Gardaí and City Council are not objecting to this application after assurances from the event promoter on the strictly controlled nature and responsible drinking element of the overall concert.

Q17. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager ensure that there is equality with regards community grants to all community groups in the South East Area.

Reply
Application forms will be sent out to all Community groups in the South East Area in the next  week.  Community staff will contact these groups in the New Year to ensure compliance with  the closing date of 30th January 2012.

Q18. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager give this committee an update as to what future  of Charlemont Street redevelopment project and given that this project will be delayed for a further number of years what community initiatives if any are being rolled out to support the community at Charlemont in their present situation.

Reply
It is anticipated that Alcove Properties will seek an amendment to the existing planning permission in the New Year to address An Bord Pleanala compliance issues and also to try to have the reduced commercial element re-examined.  Dublin City Council have rolled out and supported an extensive range of community initiatives in Charlement Street including a Home Work Club involving educational trips every two weeks.  In addition various age groups and clubs use the computer room and SAYS youth service runs activities for the teenagers.  The City Council will continue to identify and support worthwhile community initiatives.

Q19. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager issue a report as to whether film companies using City Hall or any other premises belonging to Dublin City Council are being charged any fees and if so what are those fees.

Reply

City Hall:
Requests from film companies to use City Hall are considered on a case by case basis.  One such request was received in 2011.  In this case a fee of €4,000 per day was agreed with the film company.  The filming was completed in two days.

Standard fees are charged for commercial filming in Dublin City Council Parks and public outdoor spaces.  The rates are as follows

1st Hour – €200 plus VAT
Subsequent Hours – €100 plus VAT up to a maximum of €1,000 plus VAT per day.

 Wood Quay Venue:
 Normal hire rates apply regardless of the activity.
 € 500.00 plus vat for full day, € 350.00 plus vat for ½ day.

Atrium, Civic Offices:
Requests from film companies to use Civic Offices are considered on a case by case basis.

There is no charge during normal working hours but a fee will apply if the filming takes place before or after the office hours of 9.00 – 17.00 (Monday – Friday).  This is to cover the cost of arranging access to the building and having a porter remain on site with crew for the duration of filming.

Q20. Councillor Mannix Flynn  
Can the Manager liase with the school children and teachers at Westland Row school with regarding a process of street clean in their immediate environment.

Reply
The Environmental Liaison Officer is at present in contact with Westland Row School in relation to the above matter.

Q21. Councillor Jim O’Callaghan   
To ask the Manager when the yellow box will be restored at its junction opposite Eglinton Terrace. It was removed because of roadworks on Donnybrook Road.

Reply
The repainting of the yellow box on Eglinton Terrace will be referred to the Traffic  Officer for his attention as soon as possible.

Q22. Councillor Jim O’Callaghan   
To ask the Manager whether a yellow box can be provided on Donnybrook Road at its junction with Rampart Lane as the roads serve a minimum of 50 houses/apartments and is necessary particularly in the mornings for residents trying to get to work and schools.

Reply
The issue of the yellow box at Rampart Lane will be referred to the Traffic Advisory Group  and the Councillor will be advised as to the recommendation of the Group in due course.

Q23. Councillor Jim O’Callaghan   
To ask the Manager whether residents of Serpentine Avenue, Dublin 4 who do not have off-street parking, can be issued with some form of parking pass when the RDS are hosting events with attendees in their thousands, so that residents’ cars are not clamped due to car parking spaces not being available on these occasions.

Reply
Pay & display and residents’ permit parking in the city is regulated by the Dublin City Council Parking Control Bye-Laws 2011.

There is no provision in the Bye-Laws for ”parking passes” or other such permits allowing persons with residents parking permits to park their vehicles other than in the streets specified on their permits or permitting parking in a number of other streets at particular defined times.  There would be problems with the enforcement of such a scheme and it would inevitably lead to disputes with residents of these other streets where Serpentine Avenue residents would seek to park.

Additional valid streets can not be made available to residents of Serpentine Avenue as there is no available parking capacity on any adjacent street.

Q24. Councillor Jim O’Callaghan   
To ask the Manager whether steps can be taken to ensure that the unauthorised use of the premises (the details of which are attached below) is subject to appropriate planning enforcement measures by the City Council.

Reply
Following a decision by An Bord Pleanála that the carrying out of business activities at the property mentioned outside normal working hours constituted an intensification of activity that amounted to a material change of use, the owners were advised by the Planning Enforcement Section that the current use is unauthorised and asked to outline their proposals to address the issue.

No response has been received. An inspection of the property carried out on 9 November 2011 showed no evidence of commercial activity taking place. However, arrangements are being made to inspect the property during evening hours. Should unauthorised activity be observed, a decision will be made on appropriate enforcement action.

It is not correct to state that the Council cannot undertake out of hours inspections. However, given general economic circumstances and the requirement to cut public expenditure, care is taken to ensure that all out of hours working is as effective as possible. It is not possible to carry out general late night or week end monitoring on a continuous basis in hope to observe unauthorised activity at some point.

The information supplied to date by the complainant will be used to establish a suitable time to carry out an inspection, following which a decision will be made on enforcement action. The video evidence mentioned, while informative, cannot be used in enforcement proceedings as it constitutes ‘hearsay’ evidence.

Q25. Councillor Jim O’Callaghan   
To ask the Manager whether it would consider dipping the paths at the entrance gates to the five houses at Garville Terrace, Rathgar, Dublin 6 to facilitate the residents in gaining access to their homes without having to drive over the footpath.

Reply
Under the Planning and Development Regulations, 2001, the installation of a vehicular dishing requires planning permission. The residents of Garville Terrace can apply to have the footpath dished at the entrances to their houses at their expense  once they have obtained planning permission to do so.

Q26. Councillor Jim O’Callaghan   
To ask the Manager what steps can be taken in order to ameliorate the effects of heavy rain and flooding on the Chelmsford Road area, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.

Reply
The Roads Maintenance Department has inspected this road for the adequacy of road gullies  and found that the correct amount of gullies are in place and in good working order.   The  Drainage Division is investigating flooding issues in the larger area of Ranelagh and will  report back in January on this area and clarify matters on the local roads such as Chelmsford  Road.

Q27. Councillor Jim O’Callaghan   
To ask the Manager whether the amber traffic light on the lights leading from Mount Pleasant Avenue Upper onto Belgrave Square can be repaired.

Reply
We have examined the Mount Pleasant Avenue Upper / Belgrave Square junction and found a faulty connection for the amber light in question. The amber light has now been repaired and is operating correctly.

Q28. Councillor Jim O’Callaghan   
To ask the Manager whether the person whose details are attached can have her flat refurbished immediately since it was badly damaged in the recent flooding.

Reply
This property has been inspected by staff from the local Area Maintenance Office and the necessary repairs will be carried out within the next 6-8 weeks.

Q29. Councillor Jim O’Callaghan   
To ask the Manger whether any steps can be taken by the City Council to resolve the ongoing problem at the address detailed below where there is an ongoing squat which is detrimental to businesses and residents in the area. 

Reply   
The Derelict Sites Section will arrange a prompt inspection of this property to establish if  any  action is warranted under the Derelict Sites Act and a report will issue to the Councillor.   However illegal occupation of a premises is a matter for the owner of the property and the  Gardai.

Q30. Councillor Jim O’Callaghan   
To ask the Manager whether any coordinated steps are being taken by the Council in respect of the listed buildings as attached which appear to be owned by the same party and which are being kept in an ongoing state of disrepair.  In particular, can the Council ascertain from the owner what steps he will take in order to ensure that the listed properties are properly preserved.

Reply
Section 58 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 obliges each owner and occupier of the protected structure or proposed protected structure to ensure that the structure is not endangered. In respect of an unoccupied protected structure this requirement includes an obligation to protect the structure against intrusion or vandalism.

With respect to the boarded up property at Palmerston Park, the Council has not received any complaints that unauthorised development works may be taking place at this property. The property owner has been asked to facilitate an inspection to ensure that the building is not endangered and his reply is awaited.

It is understood that the property at Highfield Road has been sold recently. This property was redeveloped over recent years on foot of planning permission granted in 2006. It was inspected on 12 April 2011. The inspection revealed that the building was not endangered and the original features that are subject to conservation were in a satisfactory condition. The condition of the garden following the completion of the works is not a planning issue.

I am unaware of any other property on Highfield Road or on Palmerston Road that are owned by the person mentioned. Enforcement action was initiated against the owner of one other property on Highfield Road. This matter was addressed in 2010 and the building was secured against weathering, vandalism and general endangerment.

I am unable to report on the other mentioned properties without precise addresses.

In respect of all properties that are included in the Council’s Record of Protected Structures, the Council’s Conservation Unit is informed of complaints of unauthorised development works or uses. Where the complaint is of endangerment, the Council’s Conservation Section  in conjunction with the Enforcement Section ensure that all necessary works are carried out to best conservation practice.

Q31. Councillor Kieran Binchy
To ask the Manager to deal with both issues raised in the following message (details supplied).

Reply
Waste Management Services had the pigeon dropping power hosed from the Railway Arch on South Cumberland Street on the 6th December 2011.  The South East Area Public Domain Crew will insure that this area is power-hosed on a regular basis.  We will monitor this location and keep it as clean as possible.

The broken light was repaired on the 29th of November by Public Lighting. 

The issue relating to signage has been referred to the Traffic advisory Group for consideration and the Councillor will be advised as to the recommendation of the group as soon as is possible.

A letter has been sent to Irish Rail regarding the pigeon’s. 

Q32. Councillor Kieran Binchy
To ask the Manager if trees on Veronica Terrace, Stella Gardens, Irishtown could be pruned sufficiently so as to prevent them from blocking light to residents homes on Veronica Terrace.

Reply
This work has been added to our tree pruning programme for the area and will be undertaken during the dormant season.

Q33. Councillor Kieran Binchy
To ask the Manager if consideration could be given to the suggestion of installing speed ramps on Curzon Street, Dublin 8 to combat excessive speeding  by cars rat running from Heytesbury Street to the South Circular road.

Reply
This matter will be referred to the Traffic Advisory Group for consideration and the Councilor will be informed of the recommendation of the group as soon as is possible.

Q34. Councillor Kieran Binchy
To ask the Manager to investigate the upkeep of Grant’s Row, Lower Mount Street.  Upgrade of lighting, regular removable of litter, remove graffiti from walls also new street sign required as current sign is faded and illegible.

Reply
Public Lighting have investigated the existing lighting levels here, and will consider any necessary improvements for inclusion in the 2012 programme of improvement works, subject to finances made available.
 
Waste Management Services will continue to remove litter from Grant’s Row on a regular basis.

Arrangements will be made to deal with the graffiti on the walls as requested.

New street sign for Grants Row has been ordered and will be erected upon delivery. This  should happen in the first quarter of 2012.

Q35. Councillor Kieran Binchy
To ask the Manager to consider installing double yellow lines or similar safety measures at a location (details supplied) so that those driving in and out of the terrace can see around the corner.

Reply
This matter will be referred to the Traffic Advisory Group for consideration and the Councillor  will be advised of the recommendation of the Group as soon as is possible.

Q36. Councillor Kieran Binchy
To ask the Manager to resurface the footpath surface on the stretch of Clanbrassil St between Lombard St and Vincent St, on the Lombard St/Vincent St side of Clanbrassil St.

Reply
Road Maintenance is planning on carrying out extensive footpath repairs in 2012,  however, these will be confined to town centres with heavy pedestrian foot-fall. The  footpath at this location is not in a dangerous condition. Nor has it an especially large  footfall  and as such, is not a priority for reconstruction. This Department will carry out repairs to any  dangerous areas of footpath at this location as soon as possible.

Q37. Councillor Mary Freehill  
 Would the Manager to explain why litter bins have been removed from Charleville Rd  Rathmines and please have them returned.

Reply
Waste Management Services are not in favour of having litter bins in residential areas or side turns off main roads as experience has shown us that litter bins at these locations are regularly used to dispose of domestic refuse and can in fact become focal points for dumping. For this reason we have been removing litter bins from residential areas throughout the city including the Charleville Road area. We are still maintaining the litter bins on the main roads, bus stops, near schools and major shopping areas.

Q38. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager to investigate the cause of water egress and dampness at (details supplied) and to arrange to have any remedial and repair work carried out.

Reply
This matter is currently being investigated and appropriate remedial repair works will be  carried out before the end of 2011.

Q39. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager to take all the necessary steps to repair the state of the road surface in (details supplied).

Reply
Road Maintenance will carry out repairs to the carriageway at (details supplied) as soon as  possible.  Given the imminence of Operation Free-flow, these works will be carried out in  early 2012.

Q40. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager if the process to extinguish the right of way of the lane behind (details supplied) was ever initiated.  If so, can the Manager provide a report on what stage Dublin City Council are at in the process.

Reply
An application was received from the resident in (details supplied 1) requesting the extinguishment of the public right of way to the laneway at the rear of (details supplied 2) and (details supplied 3).  The laneway is owned by Dublin City Council and is in charge by our Housing Department. 

We subsequently wrote to the applicant to establish the manner in which it was proposed to block off access (e.g. type of gate) and also stating that the City Council could not undertake liability for the cost of erecting gates.  The applicant never replied to this request for further information.

Q41. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager to implement traffic calming measures to reduce speeding on (details supplied).

Reply
This matter will be referred to the Traffic Advisory Group for consideration and the  Councillor will be advised as to the recommendation of the group as soon as is possible.

Q42. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager to address the following urgent issues raised by Westland Row CBS in (details supplied).

Reply
(a) This will be referred to the Traffic advisory Group for consideration and the Councillor will be advised as to the recommendation of the group as soon as is possible.

(b)  Waste Management Services had the pigeon dropping power hosed from the Railway Arch on South Cumberland Street on the 6th December 2011.  The South East Area Public Domain Crew will insure that this area is power-hosed on a regular basis.  We will monitor this location and keep it as clean as possible.

(c) & (d) The area office has written to Irish Rail on these matters.  

Q43. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager to investigate implementing traffic calming measures on (details supplied).

Reply
This matter will be referred to the Traffic Advisory Group for consideration and the Councilor will be advise as to the recommendations of the Group as soon as is possible.

Q44. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager for a report on the following in (details supplied).

Reply
The Planning Department have received no applications for any development at (details supplied).   As this development is within the Administrative area of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, the Councillor is advised to contact the Dublin Docklands Development Authority to ascertain if any applications for Section 25 certification.

Q45. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager to allocate the necessary funding for the upgrading of (details supplied).

Reply
There is no provision in the current estimates to upgrade the playground at (details supplied) and any upgrading will only be considered in the context of the 2012 budget estimates for Playground improvements.

Q46. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager to address the following in (details supplied).

Reply
(Details supplied) is part of only 7 zones in the city whereby we clean the gullies there up to three times a year and on the 7th of September all of the 10 gullies were cleaned here. They are due to be cleaned again within the next 2 months.

Q47. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager to provide an update on (details supplied).

Reply
The Planning Department requested additional information from the Councillor on  08/12/11. 

Q48. Councillor Maria Parodi  
To ask the Manager for (details supplied) to be cleaned as residents have expressed to me that it hasn’t been cleaned in 3 months.

Reply
Waste Management Services had (details supplied) cleaned on the 5th December 2011.

Important Notice Regarding Waste Collection.

Dublin City Council will officially transfer its waste collection service to Greyhound Recycling on Monday, 16th January 2012. Greyhound Recycling and Recovery will collect your household waste from this date. Pricing for lifts remain the same for Residential Bin Customers. You will be notified of your collection day directly by Greyhound Recycling.

Those who were entitled to a waiver of the Standing Charge in 2011, will not be required to pay the Annual Charge for 2012.

Black and Brown Bins are presented for collection together, while Green Bins are presented on the same day the following week; bins should be presented for collection before 7am. Bin collections will rotate like this on a fortnightly basis.

Lift price, per bin:

Black 240 litre – €6

Black 140 litre – €3.60

Brown  140 litre – €2

The Annual Service Charge will be maintained for 2012 and this Charge must be paid, in full, within 30 days from Monday 16^th January. Once you have paid your Annual Charge, you will receive a barcode sticker. Simply place this sticker on your Green Bin and it will be collected free of charge.

Annual Charge:

Black 240 litre – €100

Black 140 Litre- € 80

Please note that Greyhound operates a prepay system. You are required to make sure that your Greyhound account has sufficient funds for each Black and Brown bin lift. If you do not have sufficient credit in your account for the cost of a Black or Brown bin, your bin will not be collected.

So, in effect, you should now make arrangements so that by no later than the 15^th of February your new Greyhound account has enough money in it to cover the annual charge plus credit to cover expected lifts, which you can then top-up as required in advance.

How to Pay:

Greyhound will send you your customer Payment Card. This card includes your customer account number which you will require when making payments.

You can pay the Annual Service Charge and/or top up your account in the following ways:

• Online at www.greyhound.ie
• At local shops using Payzone or PostPoint outlets.
• At any Post Office.

Some residents have been in touch about the possibility of rescheduling lift days so that Green and Black Bins may be presented for collection on the same day. We have also received feedback regarding some confusion over the issue of payment. I am in communication with Dublin City Council on these issues and will be posting any developments on this website. Please do get in touch with my office if you have any further questions.

For a list of Frequently Asked Questions please follow the links below.

Dublin City Council FAQ

Greyhound Recycling FAQ

Intern Wanted!

Hey folks,

We are again looking for an intern to give a hand in the constituency office, as well as help with research tasks for the committees that I sit on (Public Accounts and Transport, Sport, Tourism, Arts, Gaeltacht and Heritage Affairs) . If you know anyone who might be looking for 3 months of experience in a political environment, please let them know. Description and responsibilities below. As a note of encouragement, our previous intern is now in full time employment in Brussels (thanks to his own hard efforts of course).

Cheers,

Eoghan

Job Description
The position will involve supporting the existing team in the areas of research, administration and general support and back up. The position will be office based Tuesday to Thursday 9.30am to 5.30pm. This position is open immediately. The successful candidate will be based primarily in the Ranelagh constituency office.

The ideal candidate should have:

• Proven research skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Good computer skills to include Excel, Word processing and internet.
• Knowledge of online social media outlets
• Ability to work on own initiative
• Excellent organisational and people skills

The ideal candidate should be:

• Interested in Politics and current affairs
• A team player
• Highly motivated

To Apply:

All CV’s with a cover letter to be sent to eoghan.murphy@oireachtas.ie .This is not a salaried position and the successful candidate will not be able to apply for this position under the Jobsbridge scheme. However lunch expenses will be covered. While the position cannot be made permanent, it can be extended.

The successful candidate will need his/her own laptop.

Applications should be received on or before next Tuesday 17^th January 2012.

Hogan Steers Council in the right Direction

Today (Wednesday 21st December) Fine Gael TD for Dublin South East Eoghan Murphy welcomed the Minister for Environment Phil Hogan’s decision to extend the contract for the cycling officer post with Dublin City Council for a further six months.

Speaking after the decision was made Deputy Murphy said “I’d like to commend Minister Hogan for today requesting that Dublin City Council extend the contract for the Cycling Officer Post with the council for six months. Having brought this to the Minister’s attention and lobbied for retention of the position it is great to see a positive result.

“It is of the utmost importance that we have someone dedicated to this role. The Dublinbikes scheme has proved to be a very popular initiative from Dublin City Council, with an annual turnover in excess of €400,000. It is crucial that we have someone with the right vision at the helm of the operation ensuring its continued success.

“A dedicated cycling officer is the very least that city needs if we are to follow in the steps of other bike friendly European cities by providing a cheap, congestion free commuting option.

“Minister Hogan has further requested that Dublin City Council consult with the National Transport Authority during this six month period to review the situation and report to him on how the promotion of cycling in Dublin should be addressed in the longer term.

“I would also like to thank Lord Mayor Andrew Montague for his work, as well as to Peter O’Brien and others for bringing the issue to the wider public’s attention.

Have your say!

The Outdoor Advertising Strategy is part of the Dublin City Development Plan 2011 to 2017 and sets out policy on the location and type of outdoor advertising structures that are best for the city. Depending on the issues raised in submissions received, the City Council will then decide whether a Statutory Variation of the Dublin City Development Plan 2011-2017 is required.

Your City, Your Space; Draft Dublin City Public Realm Strategy identifies the importance and character of the public realm and the challenges to be addressed to improve quality in the city’s spaces. The emphasis is on a collaborative approach by agreeing and defining guiding principles and setting out detailed actions to be undertaken to achieve this with all those who have responsibility in the public realm.

Both Strategies are available to view/download at www.dublincity.ie/Planning

To make submissions online go to www.dublincity.ie/Planning or via email to development.plan@dublincity.ie

To make a written submission, send to:

The closing date for submissions is 4.30 pm on Wednesday 25th January 2012.

Raising Entrepreneurs

Irish mothers don’t raise entrepreneurs.

None of my friends were pushed that way. When we were coming out of college and moving down career paths, it was towards the safety of the professions that we were shepherded. So much so that if someone said they were ‘setting something up’ or starting a business, it really meant that they hadn’t quite figured things out yet. And it certainly didn’t get you girls. (And that was important too.)

Those that had that particular spirit, and ambition, as my brother did, left for London or elsewhere. The ones that didn’t leave got in to property, and got wiped out.

Irish mothers don’t raise entrepreneurs. But then try telling that to the thousand or so people who descended on the Royal Dublin Society in October for the Dublin Web Summit and F.ounders.

There they met people like the founders of LinkedIn and YouTube. Heard inspirational stories of success and failure from many gifted speakers. And most importantly, met each other, shared their own stories over a pint or two and talked about the various obstacles and opportunities to starting a tech business here in their native country. The average age was under 30, the future of this country.

There’s something happening here. All these people. All this ambition. Is it driven by necessity, the lack of jobs say, or is it driven by possibility, unrestricted and abundant in the digital age? Or is it cultural, a “cool” factor perhaps, brought on by a Hollywood makeover and some high profile tech nerds? (Don’t underestimate the influence that ‘Wall Street’ had on creating the banker generation).

Whatever it is, we have to help it.

Ok. But how?

The Chilean government has a programme to attract tech entrepreneurs to its shores called Start Up Chile. They want to convert Chile into the innovation hub of Latin America and to do this they’re offering foreigners 40 thousand dollars, equity free, a one year visa and access to the best social and capital networks in the country. They figure that if all these high potential people (1000 in all by 2014) relocate to Chile, even for year, it can only have a positive effect on the indigenous scene.

Many will probably leave. But some will stay. Yet it’s the wider cultural benefit over the five year period that the government is banking on. They’re going to flood their own nascent market of entrepreneurs in the hope of making it bigger and better. Changing their culture with help from abroad. It’s high risk, with no guaranteed returns and with outcomes that may be difficult to measure in any meaningful way. But it’s bold. And if it does work Chile has just secured its relevance and future in the new economy.

There may not be much point in debating the merits of this policy here because we simply don’t have that kind of money. But the idea, and the fact that the politicians and the bureaucrats actually got it to happen is pretty inspiring. We need to get this investment of foreign people (and their ideas and energy and ambition) in to the mix with our own talent.

Minister Bruton recently announced a new 10 million euro fund to attract overseas start-ups. This is going to be a great support for the sector no doubt. He’s talking mostly about targeting Irish people abroad, perhaps 20 to 30 start-ups, with Enterprise Ireland administering the scheme. Good idea, and now it’s actually happening.

It’s the Taoiseach’s ambition that Ireland will be the best small country in the world in which to do business by 2016. My ambition, and it’s a little less grand, is that we’ll be the best country in Europe in which to start a tech business by 2016. Here’s some ideas, together with Minister Bruton’s, that could help make it happen:

First you have to get rid of the barriers. So that any entrepreneur from anywhere can come here to get going. That means the right visa scheme. We have ‘business permission’ criteria in place but they’re behind the times. The government is currently preparing a new enterprise and investment scheme. Good. But we also have to make it easier for founders to bring people from abroad over to work with them. So we’ll need to do more here on the standard visa front too.

Another barrier is a lack of qualified software developers. This problem isn’t particular to Dublin, and while we should try and attract foreign developers here, we really need a good pool of domestic talent from which everyone can draw. So we need to get people thinking web development. And I don’t mean in school or in university. That’s really important too but we need these guys now. People are already discussing (and in a few cases implementing) programmes that convert unemployed engineers and architects in to digital developers. It’s a really exciting idea with lots of possibilities and the government needs to give it more attention.

With the barriers down we can try and make it easier for everyone to do what they do, and at the same time make it very attractive to do it here in Ireland. That means making it more acceptable. I’m talking here about bankruptcy laws and the acceptance of failure so that people can succeed. The government is saying three years as the “discharge” period for bankruptcy. It needs to be less, like in the States or the UK.

It also means making it cheaper. Start-up companies don’t care about corporation tax rates, but they do care about the costs of doing business. And given the mobility of a lot of these enterprises they can and will go where costs are less. Here’s where we get to be really creative.

We could start with the entrepreneurial tax credit as recommended by the previous government’s Innovation Task Force, which would give a rebate of tax paid on salaries for the first three years, for every five jobs created (and capped at 100k). We could take this a little further and start to target specific people, like abolishing employer’s PRSI for software developers. Or, more radically, do away with income tax altogether for the first year. We wouldn’t be losing money because it would never have been here in the first place. But the people will spend their salaries in the country, will pay VAT, will rent apartments, eat in restaurants etc. And the real benefit in the longer term could be far more significant than the “lost” tax take.

Ultimately though the government will have to put its money where its mouth it if it’s to get serious. What money? Well there is some money, we are taking in tens of billions each year. So this would be a question of priorities. Do we connect the two LUAS lines in Dublin City, or do we give the entire country the best broadband of anywhere in the world, ever? This isn’t to knock the necessity of the LUAS interconnector, but I think it’s easy to understand which investment is more important for the future of this country. (I think we should do both and cut somewhere else, but the question remains: where?)

And then we need to sell. Like Start Up Chile or Start Up America. Decide the brand, decide the package, and get it out there. Again, the Innovation Task Force was quite good on this. I believe we’re a special place already, but bringing in some of the measures above, as well as others, could really kick things off quite quickly. Just look what one man and a dedicated team have done with the Websummit/F.ounders series.

We want to support our young tech entrepreneurs. We want it to be easier for them to do what they do, and we want them to do it better. We want to help but without getting in the way or attaching too many strings. And always keeping in mind that you don’t have to incentivise a “go-getter” to go out and get, you just have to allow them to – they’ll figure the rest out for themselves. Including selling it to their mothers.