Clonliffe Road & Ballybough Matters

REDEVELOPMENT OF HOLY CROSS LANDS
Late last year, it was disclosed that the Dublin Archdiocese was in discussions with the GAA with regards the potential sale of the Holy Cross lands. Since then, I have been pursuing this matter with Dublin City Council in an effort to understand the type of development, planning permission may be sought for, in order to keep you appraised of the situation. I understand that no formal pre-planning meetings have taken place as yet between the GAA and the Planning Department of Dublin City Council. These lands are currently zoned Z12 which ensure that “existing environmental amenities are protected in the predominantly residential future of these lands”. When Z12 zoned lands are to be redeveloped, a minimum of 20% of the site must be retained as accessible public open space. Any proposals for redevelopment must be informed by the preparation and submission of a masterplan setting out a clear vision for the future for the development of the entire land holding. From my experience of planning matters after almost 10 years as your City Councillor, I suspect a planning application with anywhere up to 500 homes being submitted with some commercial element possibly being included. Let me assure you that as soon as details of a formal planning application are available, I will share that information with you. Please get in touch with me at RayMcAdam@gmail.com if you have any questions or queries about the potential for the redevelopment of the Holy Cross lands.

FITZGIBBON STREET GARDA STATION – Construction Update
Further to my update in the autumn about the refurbishment and extension of Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station, I can confirm that steady progress continues to be made with the construction project. As you know the project is being advanced in two phases. The initial phase of enabling works is progressing well and is on schedule. It is expected that the second phase will begin in April. In excess of €8m is being provided by our Fine Gael-led Government so that the new station will be fully developed as a community oriented policing centre. Both Minister Paschal Donohoe and I will work on keeping you fully informed as to the progress being made in transforming Fitzgibbon Street Station into a modern fit for purpose local community policing facility.

SF CITY COUNCIL ALLIANCE CUTS FUNDING TO TACKLE LITTERING & ILLEGAL DUMPING
The Council’s Waste Bye Laws governing the presentation and collection of household and commercial waste were updated this month, details of which are available on http://www.RayMcAdam.com. While I welcome these new regulations, it is somewhat ironic that Sinn Fein, Labour, Green and Fianna Fáil Councillors called for more litter bins, better enforcement of waste regulations and improved clearing of bottle banks and bring centres. Why so? For these parties approved a City Council Budget for 2019 which cut the amount of money to be spent on the operation of our Recycling Facilities, our Litter Warden Service, the provision and improvement of Litter Bins, enforcement of our Waste Regulations as well as reducing the money available to implement the Waste Management Plan. Sinn Fein and their partners in Labour, Fianna Fáil and the Greens continue to speak out of both sides of their mouths on this issue. Tackling illegal dumping and littering requires a multi-facet response but the Sinn Fein Council Alliance in refusing to invest in the enforcement of waste regulations or the provision of new litter bins is not one of them. If re-elected with increased Fine Gael numbers, my party will work to ensure that litter and waste enforcement is properly resourced and that litter bins are located where we need them and that recycling facilities and bottle banks are cleared more efficiently.

NORTH INNER CITY PROJECTS SECURE GOVERNMENT FUNDING
15 North Inner City clubs, organisations and projects have secured more than €143,000 in funding through our Fine Gael Government’s Community Enhancement Programme. Across the country, more than 3000 separate projects are benefitting from €12.5 million in funding. In the North Inner City, Minister Ring has confirmed to me that funding has been approved for groups including the Barbara Ward Clonliffe & Croke Park Community Centre, The Cavan Centre, the North Inner City Folklore Project, CASPr, Charleville Mall Art Group and the Ana Liffey Drug Project. This announcement is further evidence of Fine Gael’s commitment to supporting the communities of the North Inner City so that all our citizens can achieve their full potential across a wide range of areas.

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL HOUSING COMPLEX RENEWAL PLAN
As you know Dublin City Council published Phase 1 of its Estate Renewal Plan last March. That programme outlined details of initial plans to refurbish, redevelop and enhance some of the 240 housing complexes across the city. In the North Inner City, that programme includes plans for Constitution Hill, Dorset Street, Matt Talbot Court, Dunne Street and Gardiner Street. The Council has submitted funding applications for four of the five complexes to Government which are now presently being examined. At the January meeting of the Housing Committee, I sought clarity from Council officials as to plans to renovate and to improve the quality of housing for those residing in other complexes the city and particularly in the North Inner City – Ballybough House, Courtney Place and Ballybough Court among others. Officials have confirmed to me that a multi-disciplinary team comprising of architects, planners and housing personnel have completed a technical study of how these complexes can be enhanced and additional homes provided. Separately, a Condition Survey of 17,000 homes will be completed by the end of March. A full report detailing the future refurbishment plans for each complex will be published in April. Myself and Minister Paschal Donohoe have been working closely with officials on this matter for the past number of months and we will work to keep you updated on progress in delivering and ultimately implementing these plans.

FINE GAEL’S NEW DEAL FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED
In 2017, Fine Gael extended the Treatment Benefit Scheme to self-employed persons for the first time. This was a major milestone in terms of the equal treatment of small and medium business owners. In 2018 alone, 44,563 self-employed people in Dublin took up the treatment benefit scheme, availing of dental treatment, eye exams and medical appliances. Dental Treatment was the most popular amongst the self-employed with 25,641 people taking it up. The introduction of this new benefit for the self-employed creates greater fairness in the system of welfare provision and reflects our Fine Gael Government’s commitment to creating the best possible environment for business to thrive. Meanwhile 2019 brings new supports for self-employed people in the North Inner City who will become eligible for Jobseeker’s Benefit for the first time. Fine Gael’s ‘New Deal for the Self-Employed’ as outlined in our plan ‘Taking Ireland Forward Together’ envisages a totally reformed social insurance system. It will work to provide the self-employed and those in the ‘gig’ economy with a safety net in circumstances where their business or careers are interrupted. We also plan to expand other benefits, such as carer’s benefit, in the years ahead. The equalisation of the Earned Income Tax Credit with the PAYE Tax Credit is also part of this agenda to ensure the self-employed are properly recognised. For the 150,000 self-employed workers who make up an important part of our economy, the Earned Income Credit will be increased by a further €200 to €1,350. This approach provides greater security to many of those small business operators who work hard to create jobs and generate revenue locally.

ACCESS TO APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMME
The Access to Apprenticeship Programme is aimed at young men and women aged 16 to 24 living in Dublin who experience social and economic barriers. The Programme provides an opportunity for young people to;
• Sample a range of apprenticeships in; Construction, Engineering, Electrical, Motor and Aviation industries
• Prepare their CV and interview skill
• Undertake two weeks work experience
• Health & Safety and Safe Pass Certificate
• It is a 12 week full time course commencing in April 2019.
The purpose of the programme is to progress young people into apprenticeships. The closing date for applications is Friday the 8th of March 2019 at 1p.m. I strongly recommend starting the application as soon as possible as it could take some time to get the required documentation together. Once applications are completed please send them to;
• Therese Fitzgerald, Programme Officer Access to Apprenticeship, TU Dublin Bolton St (Formerly DIT Bolton St), Dublin 1, D01 K822.
For anyone interested in future intakes you can register your interest by following this link: http://www.dit.ie/colleges/collegeofengineeringbuiltenvironment/accesstoapprenticeship/
If you have any queries re the Access to Apprenticeship Programme or the application form please contact accesstoapprenticeship@dit.ie or ring (089) 219 3691.

NORTH-EAST INNER CITY PRIMARY CARE CENTRE – UPDATE
The new North-East Inner City Primary Care Centre is located opposite the existing Summerhill Health Centre site and will become operational in March. The building is currently being commissioned and it will provide services to both the local community and the wider North Inner City areas. Two Primary Care Teams will be based in the centre in conjunction with staff providing all Network services for the entire North Inner City Area. There will be approximately 60 Primary Care staff located in the building, plus a further 30 staff for Mental Health, 10 Dental Staff and 25 Disability staff. The nursing staff currently based in Summerhill will move to new Primary Care Centre when it opens to the public in March.
The following services will be provided in the new North-East Inner City Primary Care Centre, including:

• General Practice Services – Summerhill Family Practice
(Dr. Colleen Hopkins and Dr. Brid Shanahan)
• Public Health Nursing/Community Nursing Service including specialist wound treatment room
• Primary Care Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech & Language Therapy
• Psychology
• Dietetics
• Primary Care Social Work
• Dental (4 Surgeries)
• Community Mental Health Team services including Day Hospital Services
• Disability – Early Intervention & School Aged Teams for children with disabilities
• Ambulance Service (located on site in a separate building)

Specialist network children’s services for the Summerhill and the wider North Inner City area will be provided from the centre. These are the early intervention and school aged teams, dental services (4 suites) along with a hub for all other primary care children’s services in the area. In addition, a number of Primary Care Network services will be delivered from the centre as outlined above. The facilities have been developed to meet the highest infection control, safety and energy standards in a bright and modern environment.