Cllr. Kieran Dennison: 2012

Recycling Centres Christmas Opening Hours

Friday, December 21, 2012

Fingal County Council provides 2 recycling centres, for household use only. These are Coolmine Recycling Centre in Dublin 15 and Estuary Recycling Centre in Swords.

Boundary Committee Invite Submissions By January 25th

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

In November the The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., has established a committee to review local electoral areas as part of the reforms proposed for local government. The committee is to report not later than 31 May 2013.

The Boundary Committee have now advertised inviting submissions from the public. Submissions should be sent by e-mail to:boundarycommittee@environ.ie or by post to:

Secretary,Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee,Room 1.77, Custom House,Dublin 1 to arrive no later than Friday 25 January 2013 at 5pm.

Free Saturday Parking for Christmas

Friday, December 7, 2012

FINGAL PAY & DISPLAY TOWNS FREE SATURDAY PARKING 15th & 22nd DECEMBER

Shoppers and residents of Swords, Malahide, Balbriggan, Skerries and Rush can avail of FREE parking in Fingal County Council Pay & Display areas on Saturday 15th & Saturday 22nd December in the lead up to Christmas. Pay & Display does not apply on Sundays.

Blanchardstown water outage

There is a burst water main on Church Avenue, Blanchardstown. A crew is on the way to carry out repairs but we cannot estimate yet how long the repairs will take. At this stage we believe that the following areas are affected: Church Avenue, Ramor Park, St. Patrick's Park and Hazel Lawn. Further updates will be provided.

Annual Policing Plan for 2013

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter TD, yesterday laid the Annual Policing Plan for 2013 before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Towards the end of each year, the Garda Commissioner must submit to the Minister a Policing Plan setting out the proposed arrangements for policing the State for the following year.

Water cutoff at Castlecurragh

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Work has commenced to install a PRV (Pressure Reducing Valve) at Castlecurragh. The work is expected to be complete by Friday 30th November 2012.

€15 Million Investment and 35 Jobs at The City Bin Co

Waste collection operators, The City Bin Co, has announced the creation of 35 new jobs following major investment from averda the largest private environmental solutions provider in the Middle East, Gulf Cooperation Council and North Africa.

Clonsilla Water Cutoff

There is a major burst watermain in the vicinity of Shelerin Road. Water supply in this area was initially disconnected for safety reasons and in order to assess the damage. At this stage supply should be restored to the majority of consumers but it is likely that consumers directly on Shelerin Road may be affected. Indications are that it might take until late afternoon before the repair can be completed and supply restored to normal.

Fingal County Council apologise for any inconvenience caused by this unexpected outage.

The Dublin Airport Stakeholders Forum November Meeting

Please find attached the Activities Reports from DAA and Fingal County Council for the DASF MeetingThe Agenda and Meeting Reports are issued two weeks in advance of a meeting. Significant questions arising out of these reports can be notified to the Secretariat in advance of the meeting with a view to having a better, more informed debate at the meeting.

The Forum is required to hold a minimum of four meetings in a year; meetings will be of two hours duration maximum.

Members are required to represent the views of their organisation at meetings of the Forum and not their own personal viewpoint. However, the fact that an organisation is represented on the Forum does not preclude that organisation from making their own representations to the Dublin Airport Authority, Fingal County Council or any other body on the Forum.

As an advisory body the Forum can only give advice, and this advice can be taken, or it may not be taken. Irrespective of this the Forum will always ensure that the advice it gives is of the highest standard possible and of a timely nature.

Dublin Airport Activities Report for November 2012

Noise & Flight Track Monitoring Report November 2012

Dublin Airport Environment Activities Report November 2012

Road Closure at Clonsilla and Barberstown

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Fingal County Council has made an order temporarily closing the following roads:

€5 million Government-Funded Cloud Computing Technology Centre

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, has launched the Irish Centre for Cloud Computing and Commerce (IC4) – a new government-funded technology centre in Dublin City University to drive cloud computing innovation in Ireland.

· The centre’s aim is to accelerate the development and adoption of cloud technology in Ireland, develop and showcase Ireland’s capabilities in this field and ultimately benefit the Irish economy through job creation and increased revenues in the ICT sector.

County & City Enterprise Boards - Public Consultation

Thursday, November 22, 2012

The Government this week gave the go-ahead to begin drafting primary legislation to dissolve the existing County & City Enterprise Boards and to create an enhanced national micro enterprise support model. This will be delivered through Local Enterprise Offices to be established in each Local Authority office.

A four week public consultation on the Government’s reforms of supports for the micro-enterprise and small business sector has been launched by Ministers Bruton and Perry and the views of all stakeholders, in particular small businesspeople and small business representative groups, are being sought.

Government Moves to Control Scrap Metal Dealing

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., has published for public consultation proposed new regulations on the trade in scrap metal – the Waste Management (Facility Permit and Regulation) (Amendment) Regulations 2012. These regulations would impose new obligations on operators of waste facility sites.

As one of a number of Fine Gael councillors who raised this issue with the Minister earlier this year I am pleased he has moved quickly to introduce the proposed regulations

Water off to Corduff, Brookhaven and Warrenstown

Water is currently off to Corduff, Brookhaven and Warrenstown in order to facilitate a "tie in". Surrounding areas may experience low water pressure. Water is expected to be turned back on by 4pm. Fingal County Council apologise to consumers affected by this outage.

€3.78million Extra Funding for Small Businesses to Create 505 Jobs

Monday, November 19, 2012

The Minister for Small Business, John Perry T.D. has announced the provision of an additional €3.78million to the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) directly to fund job creation projects in the remaining months of 2012.

The additional funding is provided in response to specific requests from CEBs to meet identified demand. The funding is additional to the €15million in capital funding already provided to CEBs in 2012.

More home help and special needs assistants not more councillors

Friday, November 16, 2012

Last month Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, announced “the most radical, ambitious and far-reaching governance reform plans ever put forward by an Irish government".

The proposals, called 'Putting People First', included the abolition off all 80 town councils and their 744 council seats. This left 31 integrated local authorities with 883 councillors.

This week he established a committee to review the local electoral boundaries and the number of councillors in each area and each county. This reform is long over due. As populations have changed over the decades, imbalances have grown in representation levels. In Leitrim the ratio of councillors is as low as 1 per 1,800 population compared to 1 per 11,400 in Fingal.

However, instead of reducing the number of councillors in less populated areas, the Minister has decided to increase the numbers in the higher populated commuter belts around Dublin and in Cork. The total number of county and city councillors will increase by 67.

The terms of reference for the boundary commission state that where possible there should be one councillor for every 4,830 population. Fingal, with a population of over 273,991, would see numbers increase from the current 24 to 56. However, the Minister has set the maximum number of councillors at 40 per council which seems the likely outcome for Fingal (1 per 6850). Dublin City is to get 11 more councillors at the next local elections in June 2014 bringing the total from 52 to 63.

He has also signaled that there will be more councillors in each area as each electoral ward should typically have 7 councillors with a maximum of 10 and a minimum of 6.

In Dublin West, with a population of 99,923, there are 5 Councillors in the Mulhuddart Ward and 4 in Castleknock. At the next local elections there will likely be at least 4 to 5 additional councillors, bringing to 14 the number turning up at every pothole and broken footpath. What we really need are smaller wards not large ones with more councillors.

There will be much head scratching among the ratepayers and taxpayers at all of this. There are a lot of things we need from the government right now but more councillors is not one of them. I am often asked for additional special needs assistants in our schools, care assistants and police officers, but not more local representatives.

It is no secret in the corridors of Leinster House that all of this is being done at the behest of the Labour Party. The Party is languishing in the polls and is expected to take a thrashing at the next local elections. Doubling the number of council seats in the commuter counties where they have the most seats and allowing larger wards is designed to save as much of Labour’s bacon as possible. Some might even consider it a gerrymander.

With nine or ten seats up for grabs in each ward at election time the likelyhood is that all sorts of oddballs will end up representing us, from Sinn Fein and the Green Party to Independents like Ming Flannagan and Mick Wallace. Roll on next May.

Terms of Reference for the 2012/13 Local Electoral Area Boundary Review

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, announced today (15th November 2012) that he has established a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee.

The Committee will review and make recommendations on local electoral area boundaries in the context of the results of census 2011 and the Action Programme for Effective Local Government published on 16 October 2012. The Minister has asked the committee to report to him as soon as possible and in any event no later than 31 May 2013.

Children's Referendum Results for Dublin West

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Well done to Fine Gael Team Dublin West for a dynamic Children's Referendum Campaign. Dublin West had tenth highest YES vote in the country. The only constituency in Dublin to do a complete tally which turned out to be extremely accurate and gave us some very interesting data.

The campaign here was marked by the complete absence of Fianna Fail, Greens, Sinn Fein or Socialists. Fat cat NGO bosses tweeting from Ivory Towers had no impact on the ordinary voters that we met.

Final results for Dublin West

Total Electorate	62,066
Total Poll	22008	35.46%	(46.47% of eligible voters)
Invalid Papers	84
Total Valid Poll	21924
Votes For	13,338	60.80%
Votes Against	8,568	39.20%



	Yes	No
Mulhuddart Ward	51%	48%
Caslteknock Ward	70%	30%
Swords	61%	28%
Blakestown Box No #		78%	Highest No
Clonsilla Box No#	83%		Highest Yes

Children's Referendum Turnout for Mulhuddart Ward Dublin West

Saturday, November 10, 2012

My thanks to the staff who manned the polling stations for supplying final turnout data after what was a long slow day for the Children's Referendum.

Bear in mind that at some stations up to 35% of the electorate are non national and cannot vote in a referendum. Where possible I have included the valid poll data.

Here is the data for the Mulhuddart Ward of Dublin West:

Polling Station	Turnout as%Total Poll	T/O %Valid Poll
Tyrrelstown	20.50%	28.00%
Ladyswell	21.90%
Corduff	33.46%
Huntstown	27.30%
Hartstown	33.50%
Mountview	29.18%	34.44%
St. Mochtas, Clonsilla	27.60%	31.70%
Ongar	21.60%
Littlepace	29.00%	38.00%

Note: Corduff had a turnout of 55% for the stability treaty referendum

Turnout at two of the stations in the Castleknock Ward:

	Turnout as%Total Poll
Blakestown	27.00%
St. Patrick's NS Diswellstown	36.00%

Sinn Fein's contribution at Ongar today..

Disruption to Water Supply in Blanchardstown and Castleknock Area

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Fingal County Council intend to install a Pressure Release Valve on the trunk main serving Blanchardstown and Castleknock. This is a major piece of work and it will be necessary to close down the trunk main for a period of time.

The disruption is planned to commence from 7.00 p.m. on Tuesday 13th November, with work commencing at 8.00p.m. It is anticipated that work will be completed by 2.00a.m. on Wednesday 14th November and water supply fully restored by 7.00a.m at the latest.

Residential areas affected stretch from Corduff to Ashtown on the North of the M3 and from Blakestown and Coolmine to the Phoenix Park on the South side of the M3.

Please see attached link with a full list of areas that may be affected by this disruption DMA List Dublin 15

Other areas affected will include James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown Town Centre and Coolmine Industrial Estate.

Following the installation of the PRV some areas may experience a slight reduction in pressure for a short period of time while the Network is recharging.

Fingal County Council apologises for any inconvenience that may be caused while these very important major works are undertaken.

Water Cut Off at Roselawn

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Fingal County Council Water Supply Information Update - Saturday 27th October, 2012 : 10.00
Roselawn, Blanchardstown: There is a burst watermain affecting the water supply to Roselawn Avenue and Roselawn View. Repairs will be carried out during the day but will take longer than normal due to the location of the damaged section of pipe. Water is expected to be restored by 5pm today.

The Dublin Airport Stakeholders Forum

Thursday, October 18, 2012

The Dublin Airport Stakeholders Forum aims to provide an effective forum for the discussion of all matters concerning the development and operation of Dublin airport, which have an impact on users, customers of the airport and on people living and working in the surrounding communities.

The value of such a forum is highlighted by the fact that that Dublin Airport is home to one fifth of Fingal’s total employment with over 120 cross-sectoral enterprise operations including Aviation, Logistics, Catering, Hotels and Services. Airlines and handling agents alone account for about half of the 12,000 jobs operating at the Airport.

As the largest centre of economic activity in the country, and a key employer in Fingal the operation of the airport is bound to give rise to difficulties and conflicts of interest. As a newly elected member of the forum I am providing links to some recent reports on:

Noise and Flight Track Monitoring

Air Quality

Airport Activity

Ministers Statement on Reform of Local Government

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Most fundamental overhaul of Local Government sector in over 100 years – Hogan

New systems will make Local Government accountable

Councillors will be reduced by 42%

Councils reduced from 114 to 31

Overall Savings of €420 million

New Extension at Mary Mother of Hope National School in 2013

Friday, October 5, 2012

The Department of Education have agreed to bring the construction for the new extension at Mary Mother of Hope National School, Littlepace Dublin 15 forward to 2013. The delivery of this project will see additional school places, with pupils benefitting from modern energy efficient buildings and improved learning environments.

The new extension will comprise:

· - Building the three storey tower, incorporating 6 Special Educational Needs (SEN) rooms, toilets and shower facilities, to be attached to the main building.

· - Provision of Ceilings in each classroom of the main building

· - Remediation of sound-proofing in the main school building

· - Developing of play facilities in the adjacent site, to include an All-Weather pitch, which will be managed by Castaheany Community Centre.

This announcement further underpins the government's commitment to educational resources to meet the demand for school places.

Last year the Department of Sport made funding available for the all-weather pitch but this had to be postponed in favour of the extension. While the funding has since expired I am pleased to say the at the Fingal County Council have undertaken to to support the construction of the planned all-weather pitch and to apply to the Minister for Sport, Leo Varadkar to reinstate the funding required

Castles, Forts and Holy Wells: the Archaeology of Dublin 15

Did you know that St. Patrick established one of his first churches in Coolmine? Or that Corduff Park was highly populated 1500 years ago?

The Castles, Forts and Holy Wells Exhibition, composed by archaeologist Christine Baker (Fingal County Council's Field Monument Advisor) will open at the Blanchardstown Centre on Friday 12th October, and run until Wednesday 24th October before moving to the Civic Offices at Grove Road (until 9th November). The exhibition will be officially launched by Mayor of Fingal Cian O'Callaghan on Tuesday 16th October 2012 at 12.45pm at the Blanchardstown Centre.

Proposed Balbriggan Primary Care Centre

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Below is the HSE statement today in relation to the Proposed Balbriggan Primary Care Centre.

Newspaper advertisements were placed in December 2007 and June 2008 inviting submissions from parties interested in developing the sites as primary care centre locations.

Construction Begins on Luttrellstown Community College

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Work has begun on the construction of Luttrellstown Community College beside Scoil Choilim at Porterstown Road. Planning permission was granted earlier in the year and a possible appeal to An Bord Pleanala was narrowly averted at the last moment. All going to plan, the contractors HKTT and Western Build will have phase 1 of the school ready for occupation next September.

LCC Community celebrate the turning of the sod on our new building site

Fionnuala Ní Chaisil (Príomhoide) and Councillor Kieran Dennison with pupils and staff visit the site for Luttrellstown Community Colleges at Porterstown Road.

Commissions+ An International Symposium on Public Art & Commissioning

Commissions+ is an International Symposium on Public Art & Commissioning presented by Fingal County Council on the 8th/9th October at the The Waterside House Hotel, Donabate,Fingal County Dublin

The symposium will bring together a range of international organisations to discuss current trends and approaches towards commissioning in Europe and beyond.

Register Now To Vote In Children’s Referendum

The 31st Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2012 otherwise known as the Children's Referendum will be held on 10 November 2012. In order to facilitate a greater number of people to get out and vote the referendum is being held on a Saturday.

Those who are entitled to vote but are not registered to do so have until 23rd October 2012 to have their names included in the Supplement to the Register.

Registration authorities are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the register of electors. The current register came into force on 15 February 2012. People can check with their registration authority directly at Fingal County Council or on www.checktheregister.ie

Care & Repair Service for the Elderly

Saturday, September 29, 2012

If you are over 65 years of age and have a small repair job that you would like help with then the Blanchardstown Area Partnership and Age Action Ireland can help you through their new Care and Repair Programme. For jobs they cannot do they can put you in contact with a reliable trades person.

The Service was Launched by Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton, BAP Chairperson Councillor Kieran Dennison and Claire Bellis from Age Action Ireland.

Work Begins on Tyrrelstown Park

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Work is due to commence on the construction of footpaths in Tyrrelstown Park this week. The work was delayed due to adverse weather conditions over the summer. The contractor will be moving in today to set up a compound in preparation for the start of the work. It is estimated that the work will take a number of weeks. The works to the pitches will also start using the topsoil excavated from the paths.

Fingal County Council are also completing the refurbishment work to the two pedestrian bridges, and it is hoped to have them ready for installation during October.

A further update will be provided at next weeks Area Committee Meeting. If you require any further clarification in the meantime please contact me.

Household Charge / Property Tax

Monday, September 24, 2012

Here is the extract on property tax from page 66 of the Fine Gael general election manifesto 2011.

Below it is the relevant extract from the Labour Party manifesto.

Funding Local Government: Fianna Fail’s proposal, now endorsed by the Labour Party, to introduce by 2014 an annual, recurring residential property tax on the family home is unfair. But as we tackle the fiscal crisis, we will have to cut central exchequer funding for local authorities, and we recognise that local authorities will have to find more sustainable sources of revenue appropriate to local circumstances. What will be viewed as fair in South Dublin might be viewed as unworkable in rural Clare.

Compelling evidence on benefit of Statins for over 50's

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Cholesterol-lowering drugs can benefit even apparently healthy people with no previous history of heart disease according to a meta-analysis of 175,000 patients who took part in 27 separate randomised trials. The findings published in the Lancet suggest international treatment guidelines for statins should be reconsidered.

Statins were found to reduce the risk of serious vascular events by more than a fifth (21 per cent) for each unit reduction in levels of harmful cholesterol even for those at very low risk.

Fingal County Council Now Live on 'Fix Your Street'

Residents of Fingal can now report a variety of issues to the Council online through the Fix Your Street website http://www.fixyourstreet.ie. The site was developed by South Dublin County Council. Fingal and Dun Laoghaire County Councils have worked together to enable FixYourStreet to integrate the website reports with the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems that both Councils use for internal tracking of reported issues.

Register your Septic Tank before 28th September and save €45

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

All owners of domestic waste water treatment systems, including septic tanks, must register with their local authority on or before 1st February 2013.

If you register on or before 28th September next, the registration fee is only €5.

Registration between 29th September 2012 and 1st February 2013 will cost €50.

Failure to register by 1st February 2013 is an offence which carries a maximum fine of €5000. If your septic tank is located in Fingal, you must register it with Fingal County Council, in any of the following ways:

Online at www.protectourwater.ie

Clonsilla Area Water Cutoff

There has been a temporary water outage within the last hour. A new piece of equipment is being installed on the local network. Arrangements have been made to backfeed as much of the area as possible. There may be a small number of houses left without water but it is expected that supply will be restored by 4.00pm approx.

Open Day At Blanchardstown Garda Station

On Saturday, the 22nd September 2012, Blanchardstown Garda Station will be the venue for an Open Day. This event will run from 2.00pm to 5.00pm. The Garda Band will be providing music for the day and there will be other family entertainment.

Many Garda Units will be there on the day and visitors will be able to learn about some of them, including:

Garda Mounted Unit
Garda Dog Unit
Garda Water Unit
Garda vehicles - vintage and current.

Local groups will also have displays,
Farmers Market, Vintage Cars,
Phoenix FM will also be broadcasting live on the day.

All are welcome.

Starting Your Own Business?

Thursday, September 13, 2012

If you have recently set up a new business or are thinking about starting up, there are two key “one-day” intensive events during Fingal Enterprise Week that you need to look at.
Business Start-up Bootcamp:

Full day, Wednesday 3rd October, Hilton Hotel, Dublin Airport.
Nominal fee €25 (subsidized)

This is a full day boot-camp designed for Start-Ups. It will take you through the major steps in starting a business – from generating new business ideas or improving an existing idea through to launching and selling your product/service both on and offline.

More information

Boots Ireland opens new flagship store in Blanchardstown

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

“I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” and MTV presenter Laura Whitmore today officially opened a new Boots Ireland flagship store in The Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin, which has created 30 new jobs and further delivers on Boots ambition to be Ireland’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer. The new 1,100 sq m store, which replaces the two existing Boots Ireland stores in the shopping centre, now employs 100 people on a full and part time basis.

- MTV Star Laura Whitmore with Cllr. Kieran Dennison and Debbie Smith MD Boots Ireland-

Eagerly awaited by local shoppers, the new store, which is managed by Colm Walsh, will offer a large premium beauty hall including Lancôme, Clinique, Smashbox, Elizabeth Arden, Benefit and Estée Lauder.

Clonsilla Water Disruption

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Due to essential works on the watermain serving Aspen Heath, Sorrell Heath, Limelawn and Castlefield during the coming week (10th – 14th September) consumers may periodically experience water disruption. These disruptions may be up to 2- 3 hours at any one time. However some disruptions may be of a shorter period.

Fingal County Council apologises to consumers affected by these disruptions to their water supply.

Fingal Enterprise Week 1 - 5 October 2012

This year, Fingal Enterprise Week runs from Monday 1st to Friday 5th October and is bigger and better than ever! The Week is crammed with opportunities for businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs and most events are completely free of charge to attend.

As a director of the Fingal County Enterprise Board I am very pleased to be associated with this event which is one of the most successful enterprise weeks held nationally and always features in the national press. Well done again to the staff of the FCEB for organising another great agenda.

Roselawn Water Cutoff

Monday, September 10, 2012

Update on the water outage to Dublin 15 areas as a result of a burst at Roselawn.

Dublin 15 Area: A burst has been located in the Roselawn/Woodview area. Water has been turned off to carry out repairs. It is expected to have water turned back on by 4pm.

Areas affected: Roselawn,Woodview, Glenville, Coolmine Road, Clonsilla Road.

Temporary Closure of Tower Road

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

It is proposed to temporarily close Tower Road (ie down by Mount Sackville) from its junction with Whites Road to its junction with the Lower Lucan Road from 10.15am to 12.00pm on Sunday 15th September 2012 to facilitate the holding of the Dublin Half Marathon.

The alternative routes available are:-
(i) via College Road, Castleknock Road, Auburn Avenue, Navan Road (N3) and M50 southbound to Lucan exit.

(ii) via Luttrellstown Road, Woodwall Anna Liffey Mills Road (Tinkers Hill) and Lower Lucan Road.

Local access will be maintained.

Any interested person may lodge an objection in writing with Rita Sheils, Senior Staff Officer, Castleknock Mulhuddart Operational Area, Fingal County Council, Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, to arrive no later than 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday 22nd August 2012.

Water Cutoff at Ballycoolin Tower

Monday, August 20, 2012

Due to a mechanical problems at the Water Tower in Ballycoolin,water is currently off to areas of Tyrrellstown, Mulhuddart and Ballycoolin. All crews are presently working to rectify the problem and have water restored as soon as possible.

Areas affected by the water cutoff: Ballycoolin area and surrounds including industrial estates, Tyrrellstown in particular the high areas, Parslickstown. Areas to Cappagh fed from the tower are also affected.

It is expected to have water restored by early afternoon. Updates will follow.

€2m Business Co-operation Clustering Programme

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Minister Richard Bruton has launched a new €2million business cooperation clustering programme to encourage groups of businesses to collaborate to achieve specific business objectives, improve competitive advantage, create mutual financial gain – and ultimately create jobs.

· The programme, which is based on international best practice, is being supported jointly by Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta and the City and County Enterprise Boards.

Asylum Applications Down 33.5% on 2010.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The eleventh Annual Report from The Office Of The Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC) has now been published.

The Annual Report details the progress made since the new government came into office.

The Refugee Applications Commissioner, David Costello, reported that in 2011 the total number of applications for refugee status received was 1,290. This represents a 33.5% reduction in applications compared to 2010 and asylum applications are now at levels last seen in the mid-nineties.

Fingal Water Cut Offs

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Please see below details of water outages that will affect parts of the Fingal area today. Every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum.

Airport Area: Works are being undertaken in the vicinity of the R132 at Cloghran. As a consequence some consumers may have low pressure or even total water loss between the hours of 9.00am to 5.00pm today.

Main areas affected are: Cloghran, Collinstown, Dardistown, Harristown and possibly some adjoining areas.

North Road Area: It is intended to carry out some essential maintenance in this area on Wednesday of this week between the hours of 10.00am to 4.00pm approximately and as a consequence it will be necessary to turn off the Kilshane pumps. This is likely to mean that there will be reduced water pressure in the areas listed hereunder. If demand is very high some of these areas may even experience total water loss during these hours. Consumers are therefore requested to use water as sparingly as possible.

Areas affected: North Road, Airport Logistics Park, St. Margaret's, Coldwinters, Coolquay, The Ward, Kilsallaghan, Thornton and also areas adjoining.

Update Wednesday at 4.30pm North Road Area:
Work has been completed in this area and the water is switched back on. Unfortunately the Ward Tower drained during the day and it will take it some period of time to refill. As a consequence it may take a number of hours for water to get back to some consumers especially those at the end of network lines. This could especially affect the Spricklestown Area.

Areas affected: North Road, Airport Logistics Park, St. Margaret's, Coldwinters, Coolquay, The Ward, Kilsallaghan, Thornton and also areas adjoining.

Septic Tanks - What You Need To Know

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Septic Tank Registration Fee - Who is Liable?

If your residential property is connected to a domestic waste water treatment system, by law, it must be registered by 1^st February 2013.

How much?

· The registration fee is €5 until 28^th September 2012 increasing to €50 after that date. The reduced registration is to encourage registration.

· The fee is payable only on initial registration. There will be no subsequent fee for re-registering (every 5 years to keep register up-to-date).

How do I register?

Online at ProtectOurWater.ie,
By Post: Forms in City/County Councils, libraries and Citizens Information Centres or LoCall1890-800 800 for information. Cheques made Payable: ‘Protect Our Water’ and post to: Domestic Wastewater Systems Registration P.O Box 12204, D1
At your Local Authority Office (no admin fee)

Why (2 main reasons)?

Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund 2012

Mr. Phil Hogan, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government today, has announced funding for local environmental initiatives by communities, individuals and not-for-profit groups and organisations.

The Minister has allocated funding of €337,000 to local authorities to fund projects under the Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Environmental Partnership Fund 2012. Matching funding by local authorities will bring shared potential partnership funding to €674,000.

Half of Cyclists With Head Injuries Under 14

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

With National Bike Week getting under way it is worth bearing in mind that this healthy and safe activity also has its risks which is why it is important to wear a helmet.

Head injuries are the most common injury recorded in those admitted to hospital following an accident or crash involving a cyclist. Most deaths involving cyclists also involve head injuries.

Swords Water Cutoff

The Water Services Department plans to carry out works to repair a leak on a large diameter trunk water main on Tuesday 26th June in lands off the Forest Road, Swords.

Reilly Forces Down Drug Prices

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Health Minister James Reilly has announced an agreement with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) on interim drug price reductions. The price of certain off patent medicines are to be reduced which will deliver full year savings to the HSE of €20m.

Reducing Red Tape For Business

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD has launched businessregulation.ie, a new website aimed at reducing the burden of red tape on business by bringing together in one place clear information on regulations imposed by over 30 Government bodies and how to comply with them.

Water Cut Off In The Ward

Fingal County Council is to switch off Kilshane Pumps on Tuesday 19th June to facilitate the "tie in" of a new watermain in the area. The pumps will be off from 9a.m. to 5p.m. while works are ongoing. Areas from Kilshane Cross to Ward Cross through to Coolquay to include Thornton and Kilsallaghan will experience reduced pressure. The Dublin Airport Logistics Parkmay also be affected by low water pressure.

Consumers are requested to conserve water as much as possible during this period in order to avoid total water loss.

Connolly To Get New Medical Imaging System

Monday, June 18, 2012

At the March meeting of the HSE Forum I looked for a progress report on the National Integrated Medical Imaging System at Connolly Hospital. NIMIS will make Ireland’s radiological services ‘filmless’ and enable secure and rapid movement of patient image data throughout the health service.

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