Friday April 23rd, 2010

Deputy Lucinda Creighton T.D. today rubbished John Gormley’s proposals for a Mayor of Dublin and said it would be a waste of resources unless real local government reform was planned. Speaking at a business lunch in the Four Seasons Hotel, Ballsbridge, she called for the abolition of the four Dublin local authorities, the creation of a single Dublin Regional Assembly, a reduction in the number of Councillors by 50% and the introduction of local rates so as to finance local government in the Dublin region.

Pointing to the 100% rise in unemployment in Dublin in a 2-year period, Deputy Creighton said:

“Governance in the Dublin region, as in the rest of the country, is weak, ill-defined and rife with duplication. There are four local authorities in the region – Dublin City Council, South Dublin County Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and Fingal County Council. They employ a whopping 10,000 staff between them and command a budget of 2.5 billion. Each of these Councils has a city or county manager directing them, in whom the bulk of Executive powers are vested. While there is no shortage of bureaucrats running the city, they are not answerable to anyone.

“And what is the Government’s response to this? The Minister for Environment proposes to add yet another layer of bureaucracy, a new Mayor, causing further waste, with no accountability.

“A new office of Mayor of Dublin should only happen if the Government is brave enough to abolish the existing four local authorities and introduce a directly elected Regional Assembly with fewer Councillors. How is it that we in Dublin with a total population of 1.5 million, have four Councils and 130 Councillors? In contrast the city of New York has a population of 8.3 million people and a total of 52 City Councillors!

“A Mayor of Dublin, presiding over a strengthened and emboldened Dublin Authority, with half the number of Councillors, would require real powers. The mayor and the new authority will also require revenue raising powers, which may ultimately mean the introduction of local taxation, not an unjust property tax, but a form of local rates. This may be politically unpopular, but would amount to a courageous and necessary step in achieving the type of services and infrastructure we need in Dublin. We must restart the economic engine of this country, its capital city. For Dublin to recover, real reform is essential“

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this important legislation, namely, the Central Bank Reform Bill 2010. Clearly, this legislation is badly needed and were one to comb the nation’s highways and byways, it would be difficult to find anyone who does not share the view that our banking and financial systems, and probably our political system, are in dire need of reform. Consequently, this Bill constitutes an important first step. I believe the public is disillusioned and distrustful and is utterly dubious about all financial and regulatory institutions within this State and consequently, reform is badly needed. A robust, credible and rigorous system must be developed that will prevent any recurrence of the type of Russian roulette-style banking and financial practices that literally have brought this country to its knees. While a new system of regulation undoubtedly is required, the question is whether the legislation proposed by the Government is the solution and this requires some consideration.

Objectively, it is highly difficult to place one’s faith and confidence in any system proposed by a Government that itself is utterly discredited. (more…)

On Tuesday Government and Unions negotiated a new public sector pay agreement, dealing with the employment conditions of public sector workers. The deal covers all the main sectors in the public service including Health, Education, Justice, the Civil Service and State Agencies up to 2014. This is a milestone in Irish public policy as it was negotiated outside of the social partnership regime.

The Death of Social Partnership

This means that social partnership has finally run its course and is no longer the preferred method of negotiating pay and conditions in either the public or private sector. As the national finances have collapsed, social partnership is no longer a sustainable model for deciding the levels of pay of public servants. It is an outmoded model, which may have been relevant in the 1980s, but has long outlived its relevance. Looking at the historic impact of social partnership, it seems that pay deals were agreed behind closed doors, often at the expense of any real or meaningful public sector reform.

We now need to be realistic about the need for real public sector reform. (more…)

A Mayor of Dublin, directly elected by the people for the people, presents an enormous opportunity to transform the fortunes of the capital city. It offers us a chance to showcase and drive the economic hub of this country. With almost a third of the country’s population, and over half of the country’s GDP centred on the capital city, it is imperative that we fuel this economic engine of Ireland. The introduction of direct democracy with direct accountability offers a chance to develop a credible economic recovery plan for Dublin. (more…)

The following areas in Dublin South East have had their water supplies cut off by Dublin City Council:

Rathgar

Rathmines

Harold’s Cross

Terenure

A water tanker is providing emergency water beside the church on Terenure Road East. Please note that this water must be boiled before consumption.

Lucinda has been in constant contact with the Council over this. She was outraged at the lack of communication and made the following statement:

“No warning was given to residents of the decision to cut pressure and therefore deprive households of their water supply. Residents had no opportunity to prepare themselves for the lack of water, which affects the most basic human functions such eating, washing and using the bathroom. Residents were not informed of alternative emergency supplies or steps they should take to ensure the health and safety of themselves and their families.

“The lack of water is a health and safety disaster, hitting hardest the elderly and those with young families. The lack of communication from Dublin City Council just compounds the problem. People are being kept in the dark about what is going on. This is unacceptable. I have contacted the Manager of Dublin City Council about this, and I have called on him to actively communicate through the media with residents in affected areas.

“Some parts of Rathmines, Rathgar and Terenure have now been without water since Sunday morning. Ringsend residents have also contacted me about cuts in their area, as have residents in the Pearse Street area. Residents are stressed and worried. The Council needs to actively communicate with the citizens of Dublin, so that they are kept fully aware of what is being done, what alternative services are being put in place, and for how long any cuts will be in operation.”