Another Busy Week in the North Inner City

The Bank Holiday was a rare and welcome chance to spend time with my family and enjoy the sunshine in Dublin.

On Tuesday, I was in Q102 with Elizabeth Hearst to discuss Dublin City Council’s trialling of new technologies to improve pedestrian and road safety across the city centre. Later that day, I was out meeting householders across East Wall, the Markets area, and Sheriff Street to talk through issues ranging from housing and planning to local services. I finished the day in Drumcondra at a meeting of the Dublin Central Fine Gael constituency team, where we reviewed the recent General Election campaign, reflected on the strong results in the Local Elections across the North Inner City and Cabra-Glasnevin, and focused on the year ahead.

Wednesday began back in East Wall, engaging with families on housing transfer and maintenance concerns. From there, it was back to City Hall to meet with Cllr. Cian Farrell, Chair of the Council’s working group on vacancy and dereliction—an issue I’ve been focused on since first being elected in 2009. That was followed by our regular monthly meeting of the Delivering for Dublin party group leaders—myself, Janet Horner (Greens), Darragh Moriarty (Labour), and Rachael Batten (Fianna Fáil)—with the Chief Executive of Dublin City Council, where we discussed the upcoming monthly agenda and key city-wide issues. I also had a series of further meetings with Council officials on both local concerns and wider city initiatives.

A particularly important development on Wednesday was the confirmation that the GP Care for All service at Summerhill Primary Care Centre has been secured. This agreement, achieved through the strong efforts of my colleague Minister Paschal Donohoe and the Department of Health, is a vital win for community healthcare in the North-East Inner City. Huge credit is due to all involved.

On Thursday, I met with Fine Gael colleagues in City Hall, as well as former Lord Mayor Hazel Chu, to continue implementing key elements of the Delivering for Dublin agreement. I was also pleased to confirm to residents of Clonliffe Road that the long-awaited permit parking scheme will come into effect from mid-June. The remainder of the day was spent working through local representations and following up with constituents and community groups.

On Friday, I joined Minister Donohoe at Gaelscoil Coláiste Mhuire to review progress on the new school building on Dominick Street—an important investment in the future of education in our city centre. I also followed up with the City Council’s Housing Department and Bartra regarding the upcoming launch of the Affordable Housing Scheme at Montpelier, Dublin 7, on the site of the former O’Devaney Gardens complex.

Lastly, ahead of Monday night’s City Council meeting, I linked in with my colleague, the Lord Mayor Emma Blain, to confirm our shared view that the public toilets in St. Stephen’s Green must not be removed without clearly identified and in-situ alternatives. Public toilets serve some of our most vulnerable citizens, and their removal without replacement is simply not acceptable. The Lord Mayor has made this clear to officials, and I fully support her stance.

The week concluded on Sunday at the Annual Daniel O’Connell Commemoration in Glasnevin Cemetery, where I had the privilege of attending on behalf of the Lord Mayor. I laid a wreath at O’Connell’s resting place and joined other guests.