Newsletter August 2014
Senator CÁIT
KEANE
Making Your Voice Heard
Dear Resident,
Ireland’s recent economic disaster has produced many events that are likely to continue to influence debates about economic policy in Ireland and in the wider euro area for many years to come. Mistakes that were made have taught us very expensive lessons and have had severe economic consequences for all of us. It is most important to put to the top of this debate, empathy with our fellow citizens who have suffered and brought this country through
the tough times and the unpalatable decisions that this Government had to implement to keep the country solvent. The Taoiseach recognises this and has stated on more than one occasion that, it is now time for you to see some reward in your pockets for the sacrifices that all of you have made. The fact that last month our tax revenue was in excess of €500m ahead of what was targeted by the Government, enabled both the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance
to acknowledge that the hard pressed must see some money put back into their pockets, and this is a priority for me. At the same time, I must stress retaining market confidence and stimulating the economy at a sustainable level is key to keeping our country solvent, our Government borrowing costs low, and continued growth leading to more jobs.
OUR EMOTIONAL HEALTH IS AS IMPORTANT AS OUR ECONOMIC HEALTH PAGE
€30 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR DEMENTIA CARE & RESEARCH HAS JUST BEENPAGE ANNOUNCED
Our path to recovery as a nation can only be sustained by promoting our emotional and mental health, a leading psychiatrist said recently. “In Ireland, as in life, traumatic experience has not been avoidable and our mental and emotional health may have taken a beating, but what matters now is that we can respond,” Prof. Jim Lucey. One in four of us will have a mental disorder in our adult lifetime, and our rates of addiction and dependency are excessively high. Addressing this must be prioritised. An Additional €50,000 will be available to each Task Force, including the Tallaght Drugs Taskforce, equating to an additional €1.2 million for 2015 nationwide.
Atlantic Philanthropies are to make grants of €14.7 million available to improve the care and wellbeing of people living with dementia in Ireland. This will be matched by funding from the HSE and the Department of Health. The news of €14.7 million in grants from Atlantic Philanthropies to improve the care and wellbeing of people living with dementia is very welcome. The HSE will provide matching funding of some €15 million for the three priority areas of intensive home care supports, GP education, training and dementia awareness. The Department of Health is collaborating with Atlantic Philanthropies to implement elements of the draft National Dementia Strategy, a crucial step forward for dementia care in this country.
SENATOR
CÁIT KEANE - Working on Your Behalf at National Level
RECENT FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS UNDER THE DORMANT ACCOUNT ACTION PLAN 2014 €19 million has been allocated to fund a number of projects. Groups who will benefit include: • Carers (€1 million for training and support), • The Big Brothers Big Sisters Programme (€775,000 targeting disadvantaged young people), • The Youth Employment Initiative (€600,000), • Local Area Coordination Initiatives to provide community supports for people with disabilities (€600,000). I want also to welcome the fact that the Government has restored funding to 30 organisations under the Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO). This funding will last for 12 months before being reviewed by Pobal and will cost €1.28 million. Pictured with the Carer’s Association CEO John Dunne at the organisation’s Pre-Budget Report Launch in Buswells Hotel in June.
EDUCATION UPDATE ON NEW SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR KINGSWOOD, TALLAGHT
NEW PRIMARY SCHOOL OPENING IN BROOKFIELD TALLAGHT THIS SEPTEMBER
I received a good news update in late July from the Department of Education regarding the new school to be constructed in Kingswood, Tallaght. I was informed that the 1,000 pupil school is at an early stage of Architectural Planning. The Department held a briefing meeting with the Team on the 9th of March 2014 and the Design Team was authorised to proceed to complete Stage 1 and prepare a Stage 2A presentation. The Department is awaiting the finalised Stage 1 report and a proposed date for this meeting from the ETB. Brian Hayes MEP ensured that this project was included in the Five Year Construction Programme to proceed to Tender & Construction in 2015/16.
Scoil Aoife CNS (Community National School) will be opening its doors for the first time in September 2014. Based in Brookfield, Tallaght, under the patronage of Dublin & Dún Laoghaire ETB, it will be a state operated multi-denominational, co-educational primary school which will provide high quality primary education and personal life skills development for children of all beliefs and none. The school will provide the full National Primary School Curriculum specified by the Department of Education & Skills. Scoil Aoife CNS will commence with Junior Infants only in 2014 and will eventually expand up to 6th class. It will provide a child-centred education through which the holistic development of the child is paramount. It will be initially based in temporary accommodation in the Brookfield Youth and Community Centre until its permanent building is constructed. Enrolments in the school for Junior Infants 2014 have now commenced. You can contact Ms. Rosa Fox at 4529600 or rfox@ ddletb.ie to request an enrolment form by post/ email. You can also contact the School Principal, Ms Stacey McAuley at smcauley@ddletb.ie. Pictured with Brian Hayes, MEP for Dublin, outside the Spawell at the Dublin South-West Fine Gael candidate selection convention for the upcoming bye-election
SENATOR
LEAVE ONLY PAW PRINTS DOGS We all know the benefits of dog ownership for example, better heart health; more exercise; a more active social life; lower stress levels and many more. However I would urge you to please ensure your dog does not raise the stress levels of others. Please respect the new dog fouling signage across the four local authorities which is being launched at present with the aim of highlighting the need for dog owners to clean-up after their dogs. The new signage emphasises the health risks associated with dog fouling, the cost to dog owners who do not clean up after their dogs and appeals to dog owners to “leave only paw prints.” I welcome this initiative as it will encourage more responsible practices by dog owners and benefit the wider community. FOXES I am currently working on the issue of the prevalence of foxes in our urban areas and the dirt left by them. I know many people derive tremendous pleasure from watching foxes in their garden, but it is important to remember that foxes are wild animals and the worry caused particularly to parents with young children and pets cannot be underestimated. The legislation at the moment dictates there is nothing SDCC can do as they are not classified as vermin they are wild animals. You are advised not to feed them and to keep litter bins covered. The most humane and long-term solution to discourage foxes from your garden is to remove or prevent access to what attracts them to the area. There is useful information from the DSPCA on this issue www.dspca.ie
CÁIT KEANE - Working on Your Behalf at National Level
PLANNING/URBAN DEVELOPMENT NEW HEART TO TALLAGHT TOWN CENTRE Planning Permission for a major extension, which will give a new heart to Tallaght town centre, has been granted to the Square in Tallaght. This will enable the shopping area of the Square to increase by almost half, providing space for two large new Department stores and eight other new shop units in a variety of sizes. The total retail floor area of the new development is 21,000m2. When construction starts, the development will provide up to 200 construction jobs and will take approximately 18 months to complete. When operational, the extension will result in 400 full and part time retail jobs and will give a major boost to both the Square and to Tallaght Town Centre. Tallaght Square is to be further developed and extended with new units following the granting of a recent planning permission
HOUSING CONSTRUCTION 2020 The launch of the new Construction 2020 Strategy in June contains 75 initiatives that the Government is proposing. This will invigorate the construction sector and meet some of the demands in the housing sector where there is currently a major shortfall of living accommodation particularly in the Dublin area. A €200 million announcement of additional Government investment in new projects was made in May - €50 million for social housing and €35 million for disabled housing adaptation.
HOMELESSNESS The Government is very concerned about the ongoing problem of homelessness and the following are just some of the measures planned to try and address it, including the provision of 900 dwellings annually for the homeless over the next three years. A plan approved by Cabinet in June envisages that the 2,700 housing units will come from refurbished local authority stock and existing State buildings, new construction and property controlled by NAMA. This measure is part of the Government’s commitment to end Homelessness by 2016 and demonstrates our “housing-based approach” to tackling homelessness.
TALLAGHT CROSS APARTMENTS NAMA expects 1,100 properties will be delivered for social housing by the end of 2014 and I welcome this. However, contrary to speculation in the national media recently, this does not include another 500 apartments identified in Tallaght Cross. Although, remedial works on these apartments has been carried out, funded by NAMA and assessed by
SENATOR
Dublin local authorities. NAMA makes Scheme) is focused on giving capital these properties available and cannot support to voluntary organisations to determine which properties are taken up meet special housing needs (elderly, for social housing. Minister Noonan has people with a disability and people who stressed that it will be the local authorities are homeless). €46m in investment was who will decide on whether to take up announced in May. the units or not, so the decision in this • A NEW HOUSING ASSISTANCE matter on Tallaght Cross apartments will PAYMENT (HAP) - designed to replace rest with South Dublin County Council rent supplement for people who qualify who advocate a varied and integrated for social housing support. The rent will social mix. be paid directly to the landlord. If you are on a housing list, you can take up HAP FIRST TIME BUYERS and seek a transfer to a council house, a Construction 2020 proposals will also RAS-type unit, or accommodation from help first-time buyers to get mortgages in a housing association. addition to stimulating the construction sector. The model being rolled out ahead • A €10m Unfinished Estates fund. of the next Finance Bill will guarantee a Allocations under this initiative were portion of mortgages for first time buyers announced on the 2nd of May. 86 in order to incentivise banks to lend and estates were funded (an average of the Minister has given assurances that €116,000 per estate) and the €10m this will be temporary in nature. public investment leveraged an additional €12m in third party funding, RENOVATION OF for example, the developer/funder/ bond. The latest National Housing VOID HOUSES Development Survey published in A €15 million national investment to bring November 2013 revealed a 56% vacant social housing back to habitable decrease in the number of unfinished condition was announced in May by the developments since 2010. Minister for Housing. The Government has announced funding • In 2014 a new €10m fund to tackle the most problematic estates has been recently for:established. Local authorities have • A €50m three year energy efficiency submitted proposals for the funding of programme. As planned 2014 will public infrastructure works under this see the most significant funding over scheme. the 2013-2015 programme with approximately €30m invested this year. We acknowledge there is still much to be Last year more than 13,000 homes done. The recent figures above highlight benefitted under the measure. This work just some of the initiatives taken in the focused on straight forward attic, cavity very difficult financial circumstances wall insulation and draught proofing. It we were faced with. We have done our is estimated that approximately 10,000 utmost to ensure that the provision of a homes will benefit from Phase 1 and roof over everybody’s head is afforded Phase 2 works in 2014. the priority it deserves. Níl aon tinteán • CAS funding: CAS (Capital Assistance mar do thinteán féin.
CÁIT KEANE - Working on Your Behalf at National Level
ENVIRONMENT/COMMUNITY LOCAL DEVELOPMENT A grant of €229,250 has been allocated by the Sustainable Energy Association of Ireland to a number of projects in Dublin South West. The projects include upgrades to 63 homes in the Tallaght area, as well as the installation of a number of energy smart meters and the expansion of the smart grid test bed in Tallaght Swimming Pool and the Belgard Community Centre. A further grant of €560,730 has been awarded under the same scheme to the Donomore Park/Killinarden Heights Housing Cooperative after consultation with local members. This money will cover retro-fit works to improve the energy security of the buildings. Pictured at Bishop Shanahan NS in Templeogue who were the recipients of a Green Flag for Environmental Conservation - keep up the good work!
LITTER/GRAFFITI INITIATIVE IN SOUTH DUBLIN
Pictured at Tallaght Leisure Centre
LOCAL PROPERTY TAX Nobody likes paying property tax but some positive news on this front is that the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 makes specific provision that elected members of a local authority may pass a formal resolution to vary the basic rate of the Local Property Tax for their administrative area by a percentage known as the local adjustment factor. The members may set a local adjustment factor within the range of +or- 15% of the basic rate, or may decide not to adjust the basic rate. South Dublin County Council will meet in September 2014 to consider the setting of a local adjustment factor. Please note that Fine Gael SD County Council members have already proposed a formal resolution recommending that the Property Tax in South Dublin be reduced by 15%.
The four Dublin Local Authorities together with the ESB have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which sets out agreed procedures to deal with illegal dumping of waste, litter and graffiti at ESB Networks’ substations right around the County. Any graffiti issue will be addressed within 10 working days. South Dublin County Council will work with ESB Networks to tackle recurring problems at identified sites. I must also congratulate the many volunteers in Residents’ Associations & Tidy Districts’ committees around our county who are doing trojan work throughout the year by helping to keeping our environment clean and tidy. Our school children & teachers also deserve credit in this respect. In 2013/14 in the South Dublin County area, 37 green school flags were awarded for protecting the environment along various themes - Litter & Waste, Energy, Water, Travel, Biodiversity and Global Citizenship. Whenever you can, please lend a helping hand in your own area, to ensure all of the areas in our county reach the top of the IBAL (Irish Business against Litter League) figures.
YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES IN DUBLIN SOUTH WEST BRIAN HAYES MEP
CLLR COLM BROPHY
Brian.hayes@ep.europe.eu
cbrophy@sdublincoco.ie, 086 2509223
CLLR ANNE-MARIE DERMODY
11 Butterfiled Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14, amdermody@sdublincoco.ie, 087 3672030
SENATOR
CÁIT
KEANE
Seanad Éireann Leinster House Kildare Street Dublin 2.
CLLR PAULA DONOVAN
18, Pinewood Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. pauladonovan2014@gmail.com 087 2200741
Find me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sencaitkeane Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/sencaitkeane Phone: 01-6183179 Email: cait.keane@oireachtas.ie Web: www.caitkeane.com
Spokesperson on Environment, Community and Local Government in Seanad Éireann. If you have any issue you would like to discuss with me or are seeking help or advice, please contact me at 01 6183179 and I will arrange to meet you in my office or at alternative location by appointment. Senator Cáit Keane B.A; M.A. H.DIP. MONT. EDUCATION.