The Lucan News

lucan news©

100% IRISH OWNED2nD APRIL 2012 P.O. BOx 3430, TALLAGHT, DuBLIn 24 TeL: 451 3822 email: [email protected] web: www.newsgroup.ie

Curtis Stream, Old Lucan Road, Palmerstown, Dublin 20. • Tel: 01 626 5466

LLOOUUNNGGEE BBAARR •• RREESSTTAAUURRAANNTT&& FFUUNNCCTTIIOONN RROOOOMM

FAMILY SUPER SATURDAYSAll Main Courses

€9.95Kids Eat FREE

* Offer Valid from 12noon to 5pm on participating Saturdays Only.* * Only valid for children aged up to 10 years with accompanying full paying Adult,

ie 1 Adult Meal - 1 Kids Meal. Kids Meal selections from our Kids Menu Only.

* *

Local Fine Gael TD andMinister of State withresponsibility for theOPW, Brian Hayes, hasannounced €500,000 forflood relief works inDublin South West.

Minister Hayes stated“Flooding problemsarising from the RiverPoddle has been apersistent problem inthe Templeogue andLimekiln area for manyyears. We all saw theconsequences of thefloods last October andthe impact it had,particularly in the

Willington, Osprey andLimekiln areas. Themain cause of theflooding in these areaslate last year was thelack of capacity withinTymon Park to holdlarge amounts offloodwater.”

Minister Hayescontinued “Followinglast Octobers’ floodsmyself and mycolleague Cllr ColmBrophy met with SouthDublin County Councilto identify whatmeasures could be putin place to address this

issue and preventfuture flooding. Mydepartment recentlyreceived a proposalfrom South DublinCounty Council thatincludes the redesignand installation of newtrash screens, works totwo restrictivepedestrian bridges andmaintenance, dredgingand widening of theriver. The cost of thiswork will be €250,000. Ihave today approvedthis funding and havecommunicated this toSouth Dublin CountyCouncil.

SALE NOW ON

get a free 75lt bagof comPoSt

only with thiS newSPaPerSee Page 17 for detailS

€500,000 floodrelief workS

Minister Hayes furtherstated, “In addition tothe above funding beingprovided to SouthDublin County Council,the second part of thescheme, namely worksto increase theattenuation capacity inTymon Park will beadvanced directly bythe direct labour forcewithin the OPW.Therefore the total costof works along the RiverPoddle will be€500,000. These workswill not only benefitDublin South West butalso furtherdownstream such asHarold’s Cross whichexperienced seriousflooding resulting in thelost of one life lastOctober.

Minister Hayesconcluded, “Theseworks will finallyaddress the majorproblem of flooding inthese areas and willalso give greaterprotection tohouseholders. I hopethat these works will becompleted by the endof this coming Summer.I am also aware of otherparts of South Dublinthat suffered seriousflooding last Octoberand that the Councilare currently preparingproposals to addressthese matters.”

Hayes announces €500,000 flood relief works for Dublin South West

for aS little aS€35.00 Per 1,000

Terms & Conditons Apply & Subject to VAT

get your leafletS deliveredwith thiS newSPaPer

call 01 45 13 822www.newsgroup.ie

See Page 13 for aneggS-tra SPecialeaSter SkiP hire

Promotion!

2 Your FREE Local Newspaper

High St, Tallaght, Dublin 2401-4630960 01 / 4599011 / 087-7407559

Freshly Cooked to Order Hong Kong Style Buffet Only €18 per person(children under 10yrs €10), Eat as much as you like. Opening Hours 3.00pm to 12.00am.

Price includes 1 Soft Drink or 1 Ice Cream (Vanilla, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate or Strawberry)

Chicken & Sweet Corn SoupChicken Noodle Soup

Crab Meat & Sweet Corn SoupMixed Vegetable Soup

House Special / Chicken / Beef /King Prawn / Mixed Vegetable

Singapore

House Special / Chicken / Beef /King Prawn / Mixed VegetableSingapore (Dry or with Sauce)

l Spring Roll l Vegetable Rolll Spare Ribs l Chicken Wings

l Prawn Toast l Crispy Won TonSalt Chilli Shredded Chicken

House Special / Chicken / BeefKing Prawn / Mixed Vegetable

With Choice Of:l Sweet Sour Sauce l Curry

Sauce l Singapore Sauce (hot)l Black Bean Sauce l Oyster

Sauce l Szechuan Saucel Fried Rice l Boiled Rice

l Chips l Fried Noodlel Curry Sauce l Sweet Saucel BBQ Sauce l Chicken Ballsl Chicken Nuggets l Prawn

Crackers l SausagesMixed Vegetables l Onion Rings

Soups

Starters

Main Courses

Fried Rice

Chow Mei

Side Dishes

Wei Kee Buffet

Terms & Conditions: 2 Hour time limit per table. Management reserve the right to refuse to take further orders when excessive amounts of food has beenordered or uneaten. Extra charges will only be applied if the offer is abused. No Sharing. No Take-Away. No Doggy Bag.

OPEN BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY

SkiP hire

tel: 045 865 374

offeringSkiPS from

€130Per lift

phibbsenvironmental

domestic l commercial l industrial

we offer a compliant & efficient service

covering south dublin & surrounding areas

An Taisce has welcomedthe publication of theMahon Tribunal Reportwhich has exposed theendemic corruption atthe heart of the IrishPlanning System.

The catalyst for thesetting up of theTribunal was theplacement in 1995 byMichael Smith, formerChairman of An Taisce,of an anonymous

advertisement in theIrish Times through afirm of newry Solicitorsoffering a reward ofIR£10,000 forinformation on landrezoning corruption thatwould lead to aconviction. This actionexposed a chain ofcorruption whichreached into the highestlevel of Government.An Taisce once more

calls for the setting upof an IndependentPlanning Regulator. This is supported by theTribunal'srecommendations of anumber of importantchanges to the Irishplanning systemincluding theestablishment of anindependent PlanningRegulator who is freefrom political influence

and has the power toundertake independentinquiries into theplanning functions oflocal authorities.

In light of the Tribunal’sfindings the decision bythe current Minister ofthe environment, PhilHogan T.D, not toproceed with theindependent planning

inquiry initiated by theprevious Governmentinto the considerableevidence of malpracticewithin local authoritiesis a retrograde step.It is now clear thatthere was acatastrophic andsystemic failure of theplanning system andproper planning wasentirely abandoned.

One of the first actionsof the IndependentRegulator should be toinitiate a time-limitedinvestigation with strictterms of reference toexamine the endemicclientelism, cronyismand corruption thatpervaded the entireIrish planning systemthroughout the 'CelticTiger' era.

indePendent Planning regulator requiredto guard againSt endemic corruPtion

Cllr Trevor Gilligan, FF, Dublin Mid-West hasreported to the litter warden in SDCC, thathundreds of Greyhound leaflets were illegallydumped on the Fonthill Road. The leaflets were tohang on doors and asked people to ‘contactGreyhound to ensure continued service’. “I was onmy way to a meeting in the area when I saw 100’sof leaflets thrown around. Its unacceptable - thecompany that has received the tender for DublinCity and South Dublin Council waste collection, hasnow dumped 100’s of leaflets in the area.”“If the Council does not take action then I firmlybelieve from what I can see, that there is one rulefor us [the residents] and another for them[Greyhound]. These leaflets can only have comefrom Greyhound... The Council must enforce thefull rigors of the law against Greyhound”

greyhound rePortedfor illegal dumPing

3Your FREE Local Newspaper

l Stoves l Fireplaces l Timber Floors l Tiles

UNIT 1C AVONBEG(NEXT TO PAT WHITE CARS)LONGMILE ROAD, DUBLIN 12TEL: 01 – 4584300 / 4584304email: [email protected] OUR WEBSITE ON www.bestpriceireland.com

OPENING HOURS: OPEN MON TO SAT 9.00 – 6.00

SUNDAYS 1.30 – 5.30 BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY 1.30 – 5.30

eaSterSPecialS

now only€21.99 Per yd

orleanS 8kwmulti fuel Stove

now only

€349.00now only

€649.00

€139offer includeS:

14 Sq ydS of kitchen floortileS

2 x 20kg raPid Set flooradheSive

1 x 5kg grey grout

54” william corbel creammarble firePlace includeSSurround, inSert and hearth

waS €1399.00now only

€999.00

50% offnow only

€10.99 Per yd

only while StockS laStauvergne 14kw boiler Stove

will heat uP to 9 radS and domeStic hotwater

WHILE STOCKS LAST

Solid flooringSolid oak

12mm laminate flooring20 year warrenty

re-tile your kitchen floorfor aS little aS

Your FREE Local Newspaper4

Labour Councillor BreedaBonner has called for actionfrom council officials on thetacky, unsightly andunacceptable street tradingtaking place on Main StreetClondalkin, an issue onwhich she has beencontacted by residentsmore than any other.

"I am sick and tired of theviews of the people ofClondalkin on this issuebeing ignored by councilofficials and representativesbeing given the run around.

It is a cause of greatannoyance to residents ofClondalkin that there areshops on the Main Streetplacing products on thepavement"

"The practice of suspendingitems for sale from theshutters or from theshop-fronts looks likesomething that would beseen at a car boot sale or ata sale of work. Anotherpractice is for shopkeepersto be seated on thepavement supervising and

selling the products that arefor sale. This is totallyunacceptable behaviour inour scenic and historicvillage."

"The recent increase in thenumber of neon signs issomething that I am alsoconcerned about. Thesesigns are againstregulations, but the counciljust doesn't seem to beinterested in tackling theseissues."

"It is high time the council

tacky Street trading in clondalkin 'muSt end'officials started listening towhat the people ofClondalkin are telling them

and took action to end thispractice." "I will be raising this at the

Clondalkin area committeeagain this week and askingfor action on this issue."

Paintings by two Tallaght students -Mohamed el Sayed from Glenshane Park andAlannah O’Reilly from Kiltippear Road - areamongst the over 26,000 entries receivedfrom budding young artists from each of the32 counties who took part in this year’s 58thTexaco Children’s Art Competition. Pictured admiring the works is competitioncoordinator Annemarie Barnes – on the lefta colourful landscape entitled ‘PlanetRelaxation’ by 12-year old Mohamed and,on the right, a portrait study set against a

busy street scene entitled ‘Cape Town’ by14-year old Alannah.This year, some 6,579 students from Dublincity and county were amongst those whoentered. This level of entry has helpedDublin retain its place as the highestrepresented county in the competitionahead of Cork and Wexford.Judging of entries is currently taking placeand winners will be announced inearly-April, followed by the prize-givingceremony which takes place in May.

tallaght StudentS Paint eye-catching art workS

Your FREE Local Newspaper 5

In a statement toNewsgroup, RobertDowds Labour Party TD,Dublin Mid West saidthat "As arepresentative for thepeople of Clondalkin,Lucan, Palmerstownand Quarryvale, it is myfirm belief that ourcommunity is stillpaying the price for thewidespread corruptionin the planning processoutlined in the findingsof the Mahon Tribunal.

"It is people in ourcommunity that are stillliving with theconsequences of thecorrupt planningdecisions of the late1980s and early 1990s.examples of this are thelack of a nearby towncentre for thousands inLucan and Clondalkin,the fact that theClondalkin railwaystation is located wherefew people actuallylive, and the fact thatClondalkin, Lucan andPalmerstown villages alllive under thecommercial threat of a

major supermarket atLiffey Valley.

"The consequences ofthis corruption continueto be felt in 2012, asthe people of the areahave been deprived of adecent town centre andthe area that wasoriginally intended tobe a town centreremains undeveloped tothis day.

"As a result, most of theresidential areas are faraway from whatpurports to be the towncentre at Liffey Valley.This is far from theideal when trying tobuild a strong sense ofcommunity. "The findings of thetribunal have borne outwhat was commonknowledge among manypeople in ourcommunity, thatvarious Fianna Fáilpoliticians werereceiving corruptpayments in exchangefor votes on planningissues." "As a Labour member, I

OPENING HOURS: MONDAY TO SATURDAY 9AM - 6PMSUNDAY AND BANK HOLIDAYS 1PM TO 5.30PM

for the finishing touch...

consult the professionals

COSTELLO DOORS35 YEARS SUPPLYING AND FITTING DOORS TO THE TRADE AND PUBLIC

Unit 3, Kylemore Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 Tel: 01 626 9895

We have a massive range of doors in stock with avariety of unique styles and designs to choose from

Specialists for porch units, front doors, Backdoors, internal glazed doors, pair of doors,Bedroom doors, and triple glazed design doors

SpecialofferS!

Solid pine doorS from €70pine doorS fully glazedwith deSigner glaSS €115

community Still Paying Price forff corruPtion in weSt dublin

have fought against thismalicious anddestructive culture,and the Labour Partyhas a very proud recordof neither engaging innor tolerating this kind

of behaviour. "Fianna Fáil should hangtheir heads in shame forwhat they haveinflicted upon thepeople of ourcommunity.

"I am hopeful that thereport will be sent on tothe DPP for hisconsideration in thecontext of criminalproceedings." Dowdsconcluded.

Local T.D. and Minister for Children & YouthAffairs, Frances Fitzgerald, has welcomed thedecision by the industry group Retail Ireland, toprepare guidelines on the responsible retailingof childrenswear.

“At my initiation, the industry group RetailIreland, have announced that they will prepareguidelines on the responsible retailing ofchildrenswear. This is an issue that is of concernto many parents throughout Lucan and I havebeen working on this for some time,” saidMinister Fitzgerald.

Last month Minister Fitzgerald wrote to Irishfashion retailers inviting the sector to prepareguidelines to address growing concerns over thesexualisation of childhood and body-image, inparticular among young girls.

Minister Fitzgerald states: “I warmly welcomethe decision of Retail Ireland, followingconsultation with their members, to proceedwith the preparation of guidelines, similar tothose introduced in the uK last year by theBritish Retail Consortium.

“Safeguarding our children and protectingchildhood is a task which falls to all of society.We all have a responsibility and I welcome RetailIreland’s initiative in this important area,”continued Fitzgerald.

The Minister added that “guidelines should notjust be about restricting what you can sell, butinstead should provide a more constructiveguidance on best practice on a range of issuessuch as styling, age-appropriateness, size,labelling and marketing."

guidelineS to reSPond to concernSover SexualiSation and body-image


crumlin & clondalkin denture ServiceALL NEW DENTURES MADEl Repairs l Relines l Missing Teeth Added

Also - Chrome Cobalt Dental Plates(FREE Palate Designs)

THiN l LigHTWEigHT l TigHT FiTTiNg l FLExiBLE

100% guARANTEED NOT TO BREAkiDEAL FOR PARTiAL DENTuRE uSERS

Near St. Agnes ChurchCrumlin Denture Service21A St Agnes Rd.Crumlin, Dublin 12 Tel: 455 0992

Facing Laurels PubClondalkin Denture ServiceShangrila HouseNew Road, Dublin 22 Tel: 4111 648

new from americaunBreakaBle dentures

ALSOl TEETH WHiTENiNg 2 TyPES

l 1 LAzERLigHT WHiTENiNg

l 2 gELTEETH WHiTENiNg

big reductionS for medical card holderson new dentureS!

boilerS rePlacedfrom aS little aS

€1550

We will offer you aFREE quotation onhow you can reduceyour energy bills!l Condensing Boilers l Radiatorsl Attic Tanks l Hot Press Cylinders l Bathrooms Valvesl Pumps l Oil Boilersl Heating Controls

call 01 8569679to start saving today!email: [email protected]

high efficencycondenSing

boilerS can Saveyou 30%

on your gaS billS

Sinn Féin CouncillorMáire Devine wassuccessful in passingan emergencymotion at theTallaght Local AreaCommittee Meetingtoday. The motionput forward by thercouncillor stated;‘That thiscommittee fullysupports LocalAuthority Staff thatrefuse to knock doorto door personally,to remind peoplethat they owe theHousehold Tax andwe call on the tradeunion movement tofully endorse thissentiment.’ Themotion was passedwithout the supportof Fine Gael andFianna Fáilcouncillors.

Ms Devine said thatit was time that westood up against theausterity measuresand unfair taxes thatare being imposedon the people ofIreland. It was time

to take a leaf out ofthe Greek’s book. In2011 the Greekgovernment wereforced to impose aproperty tax as partof their bailoutagreement. ThisHousehold chargewas added to theelectricity bills offamilies in a bid torule out boycot ofthe payment. Thisincrease on the billof hardpressedfamilies resulted inthousands of homeshaving theirelectricity cut off.In disgust at thisinjustice Greekelectricians staged asit in at theelectricity supplycompany’s office.“Those workerswere supported100% by theirunions, we need thatsame show ofsolidarity from thetrade unionmovement in Irelandfor Local Authorityworkers.” SaidCouncillor Devine.

Solidarity- greek Stylefor council workerS

ISMe, the Irish Small &Medium enterprisesAssociation, has

demanded strongergovernment action tostamp out the black

economy and the roguetraders involved.Reacting to the latest

Retail Sales figuresissued by the CSO, theAssociation pointed tothe continuing declinein legitimate salescontrasted to the surgein black market activityacross a range ofproducts fromcigarettes to diesel.The Retail Sales figuresshow a 0.3% drop insales in February,continuing thedownward trend nowstretching back overfour years, with no signof abating.Commenting, ISMeChief executive, MarkFielding stated, “theeffect of illicit tradehas a much broaderimpact on the smallerretail outlets, with lessfootfall, loss of salesand margin threateningtheir very existence andthe jobs involved. TheGovernment’s ActionPlan for Jobs will be atotal waste, ifimmediate action is nottaken to stop theincrease in illegitimatetrade. We have alreadylost 50,000 jobs in the

retail sector and afurther 40,000 arecurrently in jeopardy asa result of the twinthreats of reducedconsumer spending andshadow economyactivities”.The Association calledfor the;· introduction of anawareness campaign tocommunicate the issuesand highlight thenegative effect of blackmarket activity onlegitimate business, theeconomy, jobs andsociety.· Increase in judicialpenalties on convictionof illegal trading.

“Small and medium,owner managed,retailers andwholesalers must beprotected, promotedand prioritised in thefight to save their260,000 jobs. Theimmediate introducingof the long awaitedRetail Strategy Groupwould show some realaction”, concludedFielding.

aS retail trade StruggleS - Stronger meaSureSto combat black market oPeratorS demanded


LLOOUUNNGGEE BBAARR •• RREESSTTAAUURRAANNTT&& FFUUNNCCTTIIOONN RROOOOMM

€14.95 Available all night Monday - Sunday

Why Not Try Our Famous

SStteeaakk oonntthhee SSttoonnee

Tel: 626 5466FOR BOOKINGS & RESERVATIONS

Email: [email protected] w w. d e a d m a n s i n n . i e

FOODSERVED until 9pm

7 Days a Week

Curtis Stream, Old Lucan Road, Palmerstown, Dublin 20. • Tel: 01 626 5466

Spring intoSummer 2012

Come Celebrate Easter at

The Deadmans InnLive Music Every Saturday Night

& This Easter SundayDON’T MISS OUT ON ANY OF THE ACTION

Live Sporting Eventson our Large Screens

Our new State of the Art

FUNCTION ROOMis NOW available for Private Parties

Come Celebrate Easter at

The Deadmans InnLive Music Every Saturday Night

& This Easter SundayDON’T MISS OUT ON ANY OF THE ACTION

Live Sporting Eventson our Large Screens

Our new State of the Art

FUNCTION ROOMis NOW available for Private Parties

JAMES O’DRISCOLL ELECTRICAL LTDFOR ALL YOUR DOMESTIC AND COMMERCIAL

ELECTRICAL NEEDS AT VERY REASONABLE PRICES

CONTACT: 087 2811 042 / 01 4527 138email: [email protected]

OUR CERTIFIED ELECTRICANS ARE:F FULLY INSURED F ECSSA APPROVED

F SAFE ELECTRIC REGISTERED CONTACTOR

F WE WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH ESB

WE INSTALLF NEW FUSE

F BOARDS

F SHOWERS

F (INCLUDING PLUMBING)F SOCKETS

F TV POINTS

F EXTRA LIGHTING

F POINTS

F SECURITY LIGHTING

F SECURITY CAMERAS

F INTERCOM SYSTEMS

F FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS

F MAINTENANCE

F CERTIFICATE ISSUED ON

F COMPLETION OF WORK

F FREE ESTIMATES

free carbonmonoxide alarmSupplied & fitted with every domestic

job over €100 until end of april

Local Fine Gael TD andMinister of State, BrianHayes has welcomedthe announcement bythe Housing Minister,Jan O’Sullivan TD thatmore than €11 million isto be provided to SouthDublin County Council

for the provision andimprovement of socialhousing units.

Minister Hayes stated“There has been anincrease in the numberof people applying forsocial housing across

South Dublin in recentyears. Due to ourcurrent economicsituation, theGovernment has beenforced to come up withnew ways of ensuringsocial housing continuesto be provided and

Sdcc to receive more than€11 million for Social houSing

maintained.”Minister Hayescontinued; “Just over€5 million will be spenton improving theexisting housing stock –such as increasingenergy efficiency. Afurther €6 million willbe spent on increasingthe housing supply. Thiswill be done in anumber of ways. Therewill be a focus onvacant units, so theycan become part of thehousing stock. TheCapital Advance LeasingFacility will also help toboost the number ofsocial housing units byproviding an up frontequality stake of 30% ofthe property value toapproved voluntaryhousing bodied whoraise private finance toacquire or build newunits, using leasingpayments to repayloans in respect of theirequity share.”Minister Hayesconcluded; “It isimportant that theGovernment continuesto prioritise socialhousing provision at thistime of economicdifficulty. Theallocation of €11 millionfor South Dublin CountyCouncil is a verysignificant investment.”

The union of Studentsin Ireland (uSI) hasreacted with dismay tothe Government’sannouncement thatpolling in the europeanFiscal Treatyreferendum will takeplace on a Thursday.

Tánaiste eamonGilmore announced tothe Dáil that polling inthe referendum willtake place on ThursdayMay 31st, a decisionthat will preventthousands of studentsfrom being able to casttheir vote and havetheir say on this issue ofnational importance. By holding thereferendum on aThursday thegovernment is ensuringthat many citizens, whowork or attend collegeoutside of theirconstituency, will beunable to vote.

In order to register fora postal vote, studentsmust have theirregistration formssigned by their collegeand returned to theirlocal authority within48 hours of the pollingday order being signedby the Minister for theenvironment.uSI is calling on theGovernment to beginholding all elections ona Saturday, as iscommon across europe.

uSI President, GaryRedmond, said that“While in oppositionboth Fine Gael andLabour insisted that allelections must to beheld on a weekend.However, now that theyare in Government,they have changed theirtune.This is a pre-electionpromise that is simple,easy and doesn’t cost

any money toimplement. For thesecond time in less thana year this Governmenthas told the youngpeople of Ireland thatthey are unimportantand not relevant byscheduling polling formidweek.The fact that thereferendum is to beheld on a Thursday willexclude thousands ofpeople from being ableto vote. This includesthousands of studentsacross Ireland.It is physicallyimpossible for studentsto get home fromcollege in good time tovote on a weekday.Given the fact thatmost students will beundertaking exams inMay, the Governmenthas created a farcicalsituation where thealmost 250,000students nationwide

will be unable to vote.There is only a 48 hourwindow after polling iscalled for students toregister for a postalvote – this is too shortand requires animmediate change inlegislation. To accommodatepolling schools andother public buildingswill have to close,which will caused majordisruption to thegeneral public. Allelections and referendashould be held on aSaturday as is commonacross the rest of thecontinent.

elections and referendaneed to be accessiblefor the students ofIreland, who are thefuture taxpayers of thecountry and will beultimately responsiblefor the recovery of theeconomy.”

thurSday Polling iSa farcical Situation


Fine Gael TD, CatherineByrne, has called forincreased security onthe Luas red line to deal

with high levels ofanti-social behaviour onthe route. Deputy Byrnehas written to the

Railway ProcurementAgency (RPA) to voiceher concerns. “The Luas is a

Two of Ireland’s sporting greats, Stephen Roche and eamonn Coghlan, havejoined forces to help raise funds for Crumlin Children’s Hospital.To mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of his 1987 Tour de France, Giro d’Italiaand World Championship wins, Stephen Roche is hosting a week-long cyclingchallenge at his camp in Mallorca while eamonn Coghlan is inviting runnersto join him in the new York City Marathon to mark the twentieth anniversaryof his first participation in the event.The cycling challenge takes places in October followed by the nYC Marathonin november as part of Crumlin’s ‘Kilometres for Kids’ fundraising campaignto raise the euR8million required to fix the cardiac and cancer units.Stephen and eamonn are pictured with children Sophie McMahon (left) (aged6) and her sister Ruth (9).Further information, registration, fundraising ideas and sponsorship cards forboth events can be accessed online at kilometresforkids.ie or by lo-call 1890507508.

SPorting greatS Join forceS to helP Sick children

Chris Bond- LabourCouncillor for TallaghtSouth has urged againstgranting permission fora late night Off Licenceor Takeaway on thecampus of a proposeddiscount store inBeechdale, Ballycullen.Planning has beensought for theconstruction of adiscount supermarketof German Origin at asite that has been leftempty for the past 8

years. In addition to thediscount store, planningfor four unspecifiedfuture retail units hasbeen sought by theapplicant.''I welcome the proposalfor a new discountstore, as it finally putsto use the empty site onthe corner of TheBeechdale andBallycullen road. Since2006, Beechdaleresidents have beenpromised that a small

retail centre would bedelivered for thecommunity. The newoutlet will also providepeople living in theFirhouse andBallycullen area withmore shopping options.''

''As someone who liveswithin walking distanceof the site, I share theview held by manyresidents that noprovision for aTakeaway or stand

alone Off Licenceshould be grantedalongside this newstore. This site islocated adjacent to aresidential area andsuch outlets wouldencourage anti socialbehaviour in particularat night time.Furthermore there arealready a sufficientnumber of Takeawaysand Off Licences in theFirhouse andBallycullen area.

local councillor urgeS againSt late night off licenceand takeaway at Site of ProPoSed diScount Store

increaSed Security urgently needed on red luaS linewonderful facility, butthe benefits it providesare being severelyundermined by highlevels of anti-socialbehaviour on the route.Constituents of minehave expressed graveconcern aboutbehaviour ranging fromsmoking and spitting tointimidation andharassment. I and myfamily have alsopersonally experiencedthreatening anti-socialbehaviour. “Security on the route isclearly inadequate. I

wrote to the RPA toraise my concerns aboutthis issue, and I havereceived a responsefrom Veoila, theoperators of the Luas.While the companyacknowledges thatanti-social behaviour istaking place, I believetheir response does notgo far enough. “Veolia says that itemploys a specialisttransport security firm(STT), which patrols theline from 10am to thelast tram, every day.The company goes on to

say that the best way toreduce incidents ofanti-social behaviour isto increase Gardavisibility on the tramand at stops. Monthlymeetings are heldbetween the companyand the Gardaí todiscuss securityproblems on the tramlines. “This isn’t enough. Idon’t believe Veoliashould be passing thebuck to the Gardaí onthis issue. Luascustomers are sufferinghere; people are feeling

threatened and in somecases are avoidingtaking the tram as aresult. As the privateoperators of a publicservice, the companyhas a responsibility toprovide adequatesecurity, day and night. “We cannot allow asituation to persistwhere members of thepublic are beingintimidated, and such agreat source of publictransport is beingundermined. I intend tocontinue to push Veoliaon this issue.”


Local Fine GaelMinister, FrancesFitzgerald, haslaunched the latestGrowing up in Ireland –The nationalLongitudinal Study ofChildren report on howfamilies matter forchildren’s social andemotional well-being.

Growing up in Ireland -How Families Matter forSocial and emotionalOutcomes of 9-Year-OldChildren explores howchildren in Ireland arefaring in terms of theirsocial and emotionalwell-being.

“This report examinesthe links between whatgoes on within thefamily, and children’ssocial and emotionaldevelopment. Thereport looks at theinfluence of parenting,the quality of theparent-childrelationship, parentaldepression and marital

satisfaction and theextent to whichchildren’s outcomesdiffer according tofamily structure andsocial-classbackground,” saidMinister FrancesFitzgerald who invitedAn Taoiseach endaKenny to the launch sohe could be presentedwith the findings of thereport.“The report confirmswhat we already know.The quality of familyrelationships andfactors within the homeimpact hugely onchildren's development.Good parenting iscrucial for children’soutcomes and that iswhy this Government iscommitted to helpingparents ensure theirchild gets the best startin life. It is with this inmind that I haveprioritised support forfamilies and parents, inparticular those whomay be facing periods

Minister Fitzgerald and children who participated in the Growing Up inIreland Study flick through the publication

of difficulty or trouble.I am pleased that AnTaoiseach could join usat the launch, it is soimportant that thefindings of this studyare widely understoodand fed into futureGovernment policy aswell as policy within my

own Department,” saidFitzgerald.

The Reports findingsare based on data fromthe first round ofinterviews with 8,500nine-year-old childrenas well as interviewswith their parents,

teachers and principals.Interviewing took placefrom September 2007to June 2008. now thatthey have turned 13years of age thesechildren, and theirfamilies, are currentlytaking part in afollow-up interview

new rePort on children’S Social andemotional well-being launchedReport examines link between parenting styles, relationships, parental depression

and marital satisfaction and children’s social and emotional development

Labour TD Robert Dowds has urged all localsports clubs with plans to construct or refurbishfacilities to apply for funding under the SportsCapital Programme announced last week. "The Government has announced a €30 millionfor a new Sports Capital Grant Programme thisweek. Application forms and information abouthow to apply is available on the website:www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie."The deadline for applications made online andthose made in Irish (and hard copy of the signedapplication form and all supportingdocumentation) must reach the Department by5pm on Friday 1st June 2012. Paper basedapplications (and all supporting documentation)must reach the Department by 5pm on Friday11th May 2012.""The scheme will be more open, as a strictrequirement on landownership has beenrelaxed. In the past, all applicants had to owntheir land or have it on a long lease. MinisterRing has decided that these clubs will now beable to apply for grants of up to €25,000 toupgrade facilities.""The minimum amount of matching fundingwhich clubs and organisations will need toprovide themselves in order to apply for a granthas been halved from the previous round of theprogramme in 2008. Groups in RAPID areas willonly need to raise a minimum of 5% of theproject cost in order to apply. Groups innon-disadvantaged areas will only need to raisea minimum of 15% of the project cost in orderto apply.""Should any sports club seek assistance inmaking an application, I would encourage themto get in touch with my office as soon aspossible."

local SPortS clubS urgedto aPPly for funding


l Boiler Servicing Repair l Carbon Monoxidel Detection

l gas Leaks l Water Leaksl Energy Efficient Boilers

Boiler & HomeHeating

sPecialists

we are Based locally so you Have a PromPt efficent

service By tHe PeoPle wHo know your Boiler Best!

special offerGas Boiler service €55

with this ad

tel: 01 515 4519 mobile: 087 249 1570email: [email protected]

‘a’ rated highefficency boiler

€1499

Save uP to 35% on your

gaS bill!

from

5 year warranty

JD ALARMSERVICES

Jd alarmServiceS

087 9046816

due to unprecedented demandoffer extended to end of april

lateSt wireleSS SyStemincludes

l 1 contact l 1 Sensorl 2 p.i.rs l remote control

l external Bell l ability to text your phone

(landline needed)

only€650.00don’t let the burglartarget your house!

phone Joe on087 904 6816

l installations l upgrades l repairs l astec repairs a speciality

l p.S.a. registered l fully insured

The Irish Governmentwill work with a rangeof Telecoms companiesto ensure a nationwideroll out of fastBroadband over thenext three years. Thiswill be the single mostimportant investmentneeded to secure futurejobs in Ireland MinisterRabbitte told newgraduates at aconferring ceremony inuCC. TheCommunicationsMinister explained thatthe process wouldinvolve two phases -firstly the telecomsindustry needs to befreed up so that therange of companiesinvolved can acceleratetheir own investmentplans and roll out fasterinternet over allplatforms includingfibre, cable, wirelessand mobiletechnologies. Secondly,the Minister made itclear that theGovernment itself mustbe prepared to investwhere the market is

likely to fail so as toensure fast broadbandis available in everycorner of the country.elaborating on the twophases MinisterRabbitte said "Firstly,during April the Cabinetwill consider industry'srecommendations on arange of areas whereprivate sectorinvestment needs to befacilitated. MyDepartment has pulledall these ideas togetherby listening to thecompanies whose CeOshave participated in anext GenerationBroadband Task Force,which has been meetingsince June last yearunder my chairmanshipand which has nowcompleted its work. Ihave been veryencouraged by theinvestment plans I haveheard about,- from mobilecompanies who can'twait to take advantageof new mobile spectrumwe are about toauction,

- from the main cableplayer which is rollingout faster speedproducts in many urbanareas and- from the "traditional'telecoms companieswho see great potentialfor fibre roll-out. In the Task Force therehas been a great deal ofstraight talking aboutwhat needs to be doneby the State so as tofacilitate speedyprivate sectorinvestment. We haveagreed targets - thenumbers of consumersand businesses that thecompanies aim tomeet. In return, wehave clarified what canbe done to stimulatedemand for newservices and to removeplanning and otherbarriers that delay thebuild out of telecomsnetworks. We have alsosought to find aconsensus view aboutthe best use of Ireland'sspectrum and teasedout the role of statecompanies that have

large land holdings andextensive infrastructurein facilitatingbroadband build out. I look forward to thepublication of the TaskForce Report as soon asit has been delivered toCabinet. It is an actionplan in its own right butI think it will provide agood basis for a widerdebate with individualsand business consumersabout what they, orindeed you, think needsto be done.We will be looking for aquick reaction though,because the secondstrand of this initiativeis also very importantand I will be going backto Government with myown proposals for whatthe State needs to dothis summer. We mayas well face facts.There are areas ofIreland where themarket will not deliverhigh speed broadbandwithout State support.It’s a simple logic ofgeographic distribution.Some of us, some of you

here today, no doubt,live and or hope towork in thinlypopulated rural areas,perhaps in charming butmountainouslandscapes. Indeedsuch locations arefrequently highly prizedby knowledge workerswith greatest needs forconnectivity. The Programme forGovernment commits tostate investment in highspeed Broadband rollout and, despite thechallenges facing theexchequer, I amconfident that we willfind the resourcesnecessary to bridge thegap. There will be arelatively smallpercentage ofhouseholds that we willneed to connect usingpublic money but wemust do it.I am sure that everyone of you here todaycan access some formof always on broadbandinternet connection.We have spent manymillions of tax payers’

inveStment in broadband infraStructure eSSentialfor economic develoPment - rabbitte

euros ensuring that thisis the case. However,you may be unhappyabout the speeds youare getting. Thechallenge now for theGovernment is toensure that evenremote areas canaccess high speedbroadband as quickly aspossible. It is anecessity for

competitiveness – forthe careers every oneof you aspires tofollow.”

The Minister noted thatthe Government hadrecently also agreed tohis proposal to invest insuper fast broadband toall secondary schools aspart of the connectivitywork programme.

tel: 087 246 7575 / 01 463 0813PSv licensed operator

Larger parties catered for

One Family(up to 6 people)

€40VW Caravelle / Chrysler Voyager

Two Family(up to 12 people)

€80Transit Minibus

new alarm SyStemprewired to include

up to 8 dectection

devices

only€500.00

offer 1 offer 2

no wireS no meSS


NEWLANDS CROSS, CLONDALKIN, DUBLIN 22. CALL: 01 459 5313

SKIN CARE CENTRE & LASER CLINIC

‘Because our reputation is built on results’

Egg-cellent o� ers this Easter at Midas Touch

CELEBRATING

19 YEARS IN BUSINESS THIS MONTH.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED

SUPPORT

TO JOIN US ON FACEBOOK, JUSTSCAN THE CODE

Easter at Midas Touch1/2 PRICE OFFER THE CELEBRITY FACIAL -

LASER SKIN REJUVENATIONONLY €97.50 One per person only

HD BROWSTHE CELEBRITY BROWNow, thanks to a unique seven-step brow-shaping treatment you can have the ultimate in well-groomed, high defi nition eyebrows. Whether they are overgrown or over plucked, HD Brows can sculpt your brows into the perfect shape and transform the way you look and feel about yourself.

20% OFF ALL EXFOLIATING FACIALS & PRODUCTS DURING APRIL Depending on your concerns, the thickness of your skin and most importantly, your purse, we guarantee a little exfoliation will brighten and lighten your complexion. Book a free consultation today and see which level of exfoliation your skin needs to restore a more

youthful glow. Try a half price laser facial for only €97.50. One per person only.

GLYCOLIC CLEANSING WASHis a 4-in-one cleanser, toner, exfoliator and eye make-up remover. Daily use will prevent pores clogging and a build up of dead skin. At €47 for 200ml you can see why it is one of our

best selling products. It’s suitable for face and body, men and women and last 6 months as a cleanser or 3 months when using it as a body wash. Call in and avail of our ‘Try before you Buy’ at our skin bar.

It’s also time to shed the woolly tights and trousers so you’ll be fi nding bristly bits in places you never knew hair could grow! With our ‘as pain-free as possible’ waxing you’ll be smooth as a babies... ready to tan and show o� those pins. Check out our Spray on Stockings to cover unsightly veins for only €10. Covers better than tan and can look like tights without the pinching marks around the waist.

NOTHING TO LOSE BUT YOUR UNWANTED HAIR If your hair is dark and re-growth a problem you should consider the more permanent solution, IPL Laser hair removal. Laser is fast, e� ective and painless. Book a consultation and patch test to check your suitability; you’ve nothing to lose but the hair!

At Midas Touch we use medical grade Lynton Laser equipment for the most e� ective treatment and best results in hair removal, skin rejuvenation and red vein removal.

To Book an appointment Call 01-4595313

exfoliation your skin needs to restore a more

price laser facial for only €97.50.

GLYCOLIC CLEANSING WASHis a 4-in-one cleanser, toner, exfoliator and eye make-up remover. Daily use will prevent pores clogging and a build up of dead skin. At €47 for 200ml you can see why it is one of our

Resist the chocolateGive the gift of some calorie-free skin care favourites

Spring is here ladies so it’s time to prepare for longer days and lighter layers. After a long winter in heavy, pore clogging make-up, you’re probably fi nding your skin a bit dull and congested. Midas Touch skin care centre and laser clinic have some great exfoliating treatments and products to help.


The Mayor CatríonaJones and Minister forChildren and YouthAffairs, FrancesFitzgerald TD, officiallylaunched theestablishment of DublinWest Child Care andLearning Services andthe Dublin Southnational early YearsAccess InitiativeProject.Dublin West Child Careand Learning Services isa merger of fourCommunity Childcare

Services located in theareas of Clondalkin andLucan South. A singlemanagement structurewith a voluntary boardof managementreplaced the existingfour Boards ofManagement, thereforeestablishing a morecentralisedmanagement andadministrativefunction. emily SmarttChairperson of DublinWest Childcare and

Learning Services states“it is early days yet, butwe have made greatachievements throughcollaborative workingwith the Board and thestaff, we hope toachieve all ourobjectives and aimsover the coming year.”

The South Dublinnational early YearsAccess Initiative (neYAI)Project is one of 11demonstration projectsfunded nationally under

Pci college aPPointS dr. derek dorriSaS head of PSychology

PCI College, Ireland’s leading provider of professional counselling andpsychotherapy courses has announced the appointment of Dr. Derek Dorrisas Head of Psychology.In his role, Dr Dorris will develop new Psychology-related programmes atPCI College, designed to be of value to a wide variety of students withdiffering levels of interest and prior experience in the area of Psychology.Dr. Dorris will also be contributing to the development of PCI College’sCounselling & Psychotherapy programmes at graduate and post-graduatelevels, and will play a key role in the setting and maintenance of academicstandards across all the educational and training activities of the College.Prior to joining PCI College, Dr Dorris held the position of Lecturer atuniversity College Cork. Derek is a graduate of university College Dublinwhere he obtained a degree (BA), masters (M.Litt.), and PhD in Psychology.In 2007, he was the IRCHSS (Irish Research Council for the Humanities andSocial Sciences) Postdoctoral Fellow in uCD. His work has also beenpublished in top ranked international peer-reviewed journals.

Sinn Féin Dublin Mid-West representative Eoin ÓBroin last week presented a new club strip toBawongue soccer team Ashwood FC. At the presentation of the club strip was Clubmembers Mick Lordan, Ger Martin and teamCaptain Carl Mahon. Ó Broin said "I am delighted to be able to sponsorAshwood FC. Local sport plays a vital part in ourcommunities. I want to commend the Clubmanagement, the players and all the locals whogive the time to the senior and junior teams inAshwood FC."

Ó broin SPonSorS aShwoodfootball club

this initiative. Theoverall aim of the SouthDublin project is todevelop an original andsustainable model forthe ‘up-skilling’ of theearly Childhood Careand education (eCCe)workforce byaddressing gapsbetween training andpractice. Theestablishment of theDublin West Child Careand Learning Servicesinitiative was thestimulus for applyingfor the neYAI project.

Jean Courtney Chairperson of the SouthDublin neYAI projectexplains, “South DublinCounty ChildcareCommittee aredelighted to beinvolved in this neYAIproject and lookforward to taking thelearning from thisinitiative and sharing itwith the 267 servicesacross South Dublin.This sector hasexperiencedextraordinary changefor the better over thepast number of years,

as it becomes morefocused on providingbest outcomes forchildren, and moreprofessional in itsquality and curriculum.In any sector when thisamount of change isdriven in a short spaceof time it brings its ownchallenges as it hasdone in this sector toservice providers,parents and children.Mentoring is a keyfactor to success acrossall sectors intransferring knowledgeto build successfulconsistent practicemodels.”

eight community basedservices will participatein this initiative, with atotal of 90+ staff andover 400 children andfamilies. It will be aninitiative engaging theDublin West Child Careand Learning Servicesand four services in theTallaght area. This is afour year initiative(2011-2014) and theoverall vision is thatbetter outcomes forchildren, their families

and the community as awhole can be securedthrough the delivery of

high quality earlyChildhood Care andeducation services.

dublin weSt child care and learning ServiceS and the dublin Southnational early yearS acceSS initiative (neyai) ProJect Jointly launched



Hire purchaseagreements aredifferent from theordinary creditagreements becauseunder Hire Purchase(HP) Agreements, youdo not own the goodsuntil you have paid offall the instalments andin some cases a lumpsum payment at theend. So, for example,if you are buying a carunder a HP Agreement,you cannot sell the caryourself without thecreditor’s writtenpermission. If you sellthe car withoutpermission it can be acriminal offence.When using hirepurchase, you aremaking a contract witha financial institutionand the garage isacting as a creditintermediary betweenthe consumer and thefinancier and earning acommission for it’srole.

REPOSSESSiON

With HP Agreements, ifyou do not keep upwith the repayments,it is possible for acreditor to repossess

the goods. Withordinary creditagreements, the goodsyou buy belong to youfrom the time you takeout the credit and sothe lender cannot takethe goods back. Theycan only ask you to paythe money you oweunder the agreement.However, under a HPAgreement,repossession rules aredetermined from theportion of thepayments alreadymade. If you are inarrears with your HPpayments, thecompany may try torepossess the car.However, if you havepaid one third or moreof the total amountpayable, the goodsbecome “PROTECTEDgOODS” and thecreditor must go toCourt for an Order forthe goods to bereturned unless youconsent to therepossession. Whenworking out if you havepaid a third or more,remember to includeany deposit or partexchange as well asthe instalments thathave been paid. If the

creditor removes thegoods or “snatchesback” goods without aCourt Order andwithout your consentwhere a third or morehas been paid, you areentitled to a refund ofall the money you havepaid under theagreement. Also,regardless of whetherone third of the totalamount has or has notbeen paid, your carcannot be repossessedfrom your home, yourdriveway, or yourgarage without a CourtOrder.

Staying with theexample of a carbought under a HPAgreement, if it isrepossessed, you willusually have to payextra costs on top ofwhat you already oweto the financecompany, including arepossession fee or atowing fee. It isimportant to considerthe condition of thecar. Take pictures of itso you are not liable foradditional costs shouldit become damagedduring the towingprocess or any timeafter you return it. Ifyou find yourself in thissituation of financialtrouble and you need tokeep your car then youcould talk to yourfinancial company,explain your situationand ask them tore-structure theagreement. You maybe able to negotiatelower repayments but,work out what you canactually afford first. Ifthe finance companyagrees to re-structurethe agreement, beaware of the extra feesand interest. If youfeel that you can dowithout the car, or youcannot afford to keepup with repaymentseven at a reduced rate,you should explore theoption of terminatingthe agreement.

TERMiNATiNg THEAgREEMENT

If you wish to terminatea HP Agreement, beforethe end of thecontract, you can do soby buying the car onhire for an agreed sumor by returning thegoods. Returning thegoods can be doneusing what is known asthe “half rule” or byvoluntary surrender butit is important to beaware of your optionsin this situation asthere can be asignificant difference inthe amount you end upowing depending uponhow, or who, ends theagreement. You canlose your right toterminate youragreement if thecreditor has alreadyterminated it, or if thefull balance of theagreement has becomepayable.

VOLuNTARySuRRENDER

Surrendering the carmeans that you cangive back the car to thefinance company bysigning a voluntarysurrender form. Givingback the car this waymeans you still owe thefull balance due on theagreement. Your debtdoes not disappear withthe car. The financecompany sells the carand the money theygenerate from the cargoes towards your debtbut, you will still haveto make repaymentsuntil the entire debt ispaid off. Voluntarysurrender works inmuch the same way asrepossession but usuallycosts less as there areno repossession fees tobe paid. However,there is a betteralternative.

THE HALF RuLE

You have the right toend a Hire Purchase

Agreement using the“Half Rule”. The HalfRule was traditionallyunderstood as meaningthat if you have paidhalf the hire purchaseprice, you can returnthe car and give notice,in writing, that you areending the agreementwithout having to paythe remaining 50%outstanding. Youragreement with thefinance company mustshow half the hirepurchase price, socheck your contract tosee how much youwould need to pay inorder to return your carunder the Half Rule.The Half Rule stillworks as it always did,however it has becomeclear that you do notneed to have paid the50% before you are ableto terminate youragreement althoughsome creditors mightsay that you do. Allthat is necessary is foryou to give notice tothe creditor in writingthat you areterminating theagreement regardlessof how much is owed,or even if you owearrears. The financecompany will theneither have to make anarrangement with youabout how any shortfallor arrears may be paid,or pursue you throughthe Courts to recoverthe amount, like anyother debt due. Theclarity relating to theHalf Rule wasestablished by a recentHigh Court decision.Following an Appealfrom the decision of theFiNANCiAL SERViCESOMBuDSMAN, it wasfound that there was nolegal basis for thefinance company (inthis case Ge Money) torefuse the return of acar under a HPAgreement without halfof the repaymentsmade. Of course thefinance company werestill entitled to be paid,

The Legal Column

Romaine Scally is the principal in the firm of ROMAINE SCALLY AND COMPANY SOLICITORSMain Street Tallaght, Dublin 24 TEL 4599506 FAX 4599510 email: [email protected]

by Romaine Scallybut, non payment didnot warrant a refusal toaccept the return ofthe car by the hirer.Once the HPAgreement is validlyterminated, regardlessof the amount ofrepayments made, thecar can be returned tothe company and anarrangement for theremainder of thepayment to the valueof half the originalprice can be made.This has the effect ofrelieving the consumerof the burden ofkeeping a car whichhe/she does not own orno longer use.

WHEN TERMiNATiNg AHP AgREEMENT

When terminating a HPAgreement, it is veryimportant to keep acopy of the terminationletter and send it byregistered post. In theletter, you shouldexpressly state thatyou are exercising yourstatutory rights underSection 63 of theConsumer Credit Act,1995. In the letter youshould also ask thecompany where itwants you to return thegoods. If they arrangeto have them collectedit can cost you quite asum. Some financecompanies charge upto €300.00 to collect acar. You are alsorequired to have takenreasonable care of yourcar under HP.Therefore you should if

at all possible, havethe items assessedbefore you returnthem. You should haveyour car seen to by anassessor or at leastmechanically checked.The HP Company willitself have the carassessed professionally.You are under noobligation to sign avoluntary terminationnotice, if requested bythe HP company. Alsoremember to take careof the goods right up tothe point of return asyou are liable fordamage even after thetermination of thecontract.

iF BuyiNg A uSED CARBE SuRE TO CHECk iFTHE VEHiCLE iSSuBJECT TO A HiREPuRCHASE FiNANCEAgREEMENT. THERESPONSiBiLiTy iS ONTHE BuyER TOENSuRE THAT ALLOuTSTANDiNgFiNANCE iS CLEAREDPRiOR TO PuRCHASE.OTHERWiSE A VEHiCLECOuLD BE SEizED ByTHE BANk TO WHOMTHE FiNANCE iSOWiNg, LEAViNg yOuWiTHOuT A VEHiCLEAND iN THE DiFFiCuLTPOSiTiON OF TRyiNgTO TRACk DOWN THEORigiNAL SELLER.THiS CAN BE DONE ByDOiNg AN ONLiNEHiSTORy. CHECk SuCHWEBSiTES ASCARTELL.iE,MOTORCHECk.iE ORCARSiRELAND.iE

In THIS MOnTHS eDITIOn, ROMAIne SCALLYSOLICITOR, PRInCIPAL In THe FIRM OF ROMAIneSCALLY & CO. SOLICITORS (TeL: 01 4599 506)ADVISeS CLIenTS AS TO HOW BeST THeY CAnenD A HIRe PuRCHASe AGReeMenT

ROMAINE SCALLY & CO, SOLICITORSoperate a

free legal advice clinicon the second Wednesday of every secondmonth from 2.00pm until 6.00pm at theiroffices at Main Street, Tallaght, Dublin 24.next clinic: wednesday 11tH aPrilNo Appointment is necessary.We look forward to answering your legalqueries in person.

energy Minister, Pat Rabbitte, has announced the launch ofa capital fund to support sustainable energy investments in2012 in the public, commercial, industrial and communitysectors.The fund will make available €7.5 million for projects thatsupport energy performance contracting; a key element ofIreland’s national energy efficiency Plan. Public sector

projects are particularly encouraged in order to assist inmeeting the 33% public sector energy efficiencyimprovement target in 2020.Applications for funding will be evaluated on a competitivebid basis, with the scheme open now. Successful applicantswill be notified in June.The 2012 iteration of the scheme builds upon the strong

success of previous programmes run in recent years(2009-2011). Over €23m was provided to energy projectsdelivering an estimated annual energy saving equivalent topowering and heating over 23,000 homes.

Interested parties are encouraged to visitwww.seai.ie/grants for further information.

better energy workPlaceS Scheme 2012 fund announcement



for a free no obligation quotationring denniS at 087 9187961 or 01 4518599

don’t waste any more money on paintingthe outside of your home!

GET IT DRYDASHED BY

THE EXPERTS

why uSe denniS the daSher?

lover 25 yearS daShing in South dublinlno meSS, no fuSS, JuSt a good clean Joblall houSeS finiShed in two daySlall work guaranteedlregiStered contractor

EXTRA SPECIAL RATES FOR 2 OR MORE

ADJOINTING HOUSES BOOKED AT THE SAME TIME

denniS the daSher

the dry daShing

SPecialiSt

LUCAN MONUMENTSA LASTING MEMORY

TEL: 01 6100867 MOBILE: 086 1985 010CHAPEL HILL, LUCAN, CO. DUBLIN

REGULAR OPENING HOURS:MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY 11AM - 4PMAVAILABLE ANYTIME BY APPOINTMENT

VISIT OUR WEBSITE ON WWW.LUCANMONUMENTS.COM

FREE COLOUR BROCHURE AVAILABLE

ALL CEMETERIES - DUBLIN, MEATH & KILDARE

lHEADSTONESl INSCRIPTIONS

l RENOVATIONSl RE LETTERING

for free eStimateS and deSign call uS on 086 038 0838email uS at [email protected]

banniSterS on StairS andlanding rePlaced from

€325 SuPPly & fit

fitted wardrobeS8ft wide to ceiling

from €850

decking12’ x 12’ €460 16’ x 16’ €770

all SizeS available and comeSSuPPlied & fitted

OUR GREAT SPECIAL OFFERS

carpentryPlusSpecialiSing in decking l StairS l wardroBeS l floorS

in a range ofcolourS

timberfolding loft

ladderS €295


Senior Help Linereceived over 1,515calls in January and1,514 February this

year representing a 30%increase in calls overthe same period lastyear. “We are getting

earn extraincome

earn extra incomeworking from home

no experienceneeded, full trainingand support providedeARn €200- €1000

PART TIMeeARn €2000 - €5000

FuLL TIMefor more informationcontact 087 794 5015

The B&Q Ideal Home Show has everything you needfor your home improvements, extensions, homeenergy, interior design, room make-overs, gardens,patios, lifestyle and so much more.Some of what you can expect at the Ideal Home'sSpring Show in 2012· Ideal Woman Zone· Ideal Dinner Parties Zone,· extend, Retrofit & FRee Architects extension Advice

Centre in association with The Royal Institute of theArchitects of Ireland

· DIY & Home Accessories· Furniture & Décor· Dulux FRee Interior Design Advice Centre - bring

photos of your home, to avail of free advisoryconsultations with leading Interior Designers fromthe institute of Designers in Ireland

· eCO expo – The Home energy Show· Kitchens & Bathrooms

The B&Q Ideal Home Show is more than a show, it’san experience! Opening hours for the duration of the show are: Friday, 20th April: 2pm to 9.30pm Saturday, 21st April: 10.30am to 6pm Sunday, 22nd April: 10.30am to 6pm Check out www.idealhome.ie for all the latestinformation.

To win a free ticket simply answer the followingquestion:Where is the B&Q ideal Home Show being held

Answers on a postcard please. Send to Newsgroup,21 Alderwood Avenue, Springfield, Tallaght, Dublin24 to reach us no later than Friday 13th April ‘12.

‘we’re very worried about the future’ – an increasein calls reporting depression to Senior help line

calls from peopleworried as they areunable to afford a fill ofoil and generallyworried about makingends meet. We noticean increase in callswhere the caller saysthey are depressed, orit is obvious that theyare feeling low” saysMary nally, CeO SeniorHelp Line.“Callers are worriedabout the cost of livingand cuts to services.Some grandparentshave becomechildminders fromMonday to Fridaybecause their adultchildren can no longerafford to pay forchildcare. There isobviously a lot of worryand anxiety in familiesand this is comingthrough on the helpline,” she said.The Senior Help Linetake calls from older

people throughoutIreland on LoCall 1850440 444 and is nowopen from Monday toThursday 10am to10pm, Friday from10am to 4pm and 7pmto 10pm, Saturday from10am to 7pm, andSunday from 10am –4pm and 7pm-10pm. Bymid-2012 the servicewill open for 12 hoursdaily - from 10am to10pm.

“Senior Help Line isopen when many otherservices are closed.Being so available isvery appreciated.Callers tell us it is agreat comfort to knowthey can phone us andtalk to us if they are inneed of company, orhave a particular worry.Many people call us justto say goodnight,” saysMary nally.“Many callers who areparents or grandparents

are very upset becausefamilies who may beunemployed areconsidering emigration.This is obviously veryupsetting Loneliness isan all-pervading issuefor many older peopleand the calls to ourservice illustrate theoften hidden lonelinesswhich many olderpeople experience. Thisis european Year forActive Ageing andSolidarity BetweenGenerations. We inviteanyone out there whoneeds someone to talkto, to phone SeniorHelp Line. We areready and waiting,” shesays.

Senior Help Line is anational programme ofThird Age, a voluntaryorganisation thatpromotes the value andcontribution of olderpeople in communities.Third Age has over1,000 people workingthroughout the countryas voluntary tutors,advocates, peernutritionists and more.

to advertiSe in in any of our

PublicationS tel: 01 451 3822


StoneSet drivewayS01 503 1090 085 279 2447email: [email protected]

web: www.stonesetdriveways.com

Overlay your old driveway (cobblelock, tarmacadam or concrete)

with our ECO friendly Resin BoundSolid Finish Agrigates

l maintenance freel SuStainable urban drainage SyStem (SudS)

which iS a fully Permeable Surface allowingwater to drain Straight through

l vaSt range of colourSl very affordablel no meSS - no excavationl referenceS and ShowhouSe available to view

Plans for the opening ofthe new educateTogether nationalSchool for Citywest areprogressing rapidly,with the recruitment ofthe school principalcurrently underway.Following four years ofcampaigning by localparents, educateTogether finally got thego-ahead to open thenew Citywest primaryschool this September.

The new school iscurrently takingenrolments for juniorinfant classes. Whilethe exact location ofthe school is currentlybeing finalised by theDepartment of

education and Skills,educate Together hasconfirmed that it willbe in the Citywest area.The Dublin 24 educateTogether Association,which has beencampaigning for theschool since 2008, isdelighted with the newsthat educate Togetherhave been grantedpatronage of both thisschool and another onewhich is due to open inFirhouse in 2013.Sinead Harrington,Chairperson of theAssociation said; “Thisis something that we,as a group of parents,have been workingtowards for four years.We have demonstrated

that there is a strongdemand for choice inprimary education inthe area and onceconstruction on thenew school starts wewould expect thedemand to growfurther. There has beena lot of hard workcarried out over thelast few years and as agroup we would like tothank the localpoliticians and parentswho have providedsupport to us. We lookforward to working witheducate Together in theestablishment of thenew schools in Citywestand Firhouse and weare confident that itwill provide an

excellent education forour kids.”Amy Mulvihill, RegionalDevelopment Officerfor educate Togethersaid: “The demand weare seeing for aneducate Togetherschool in Citywest ismirrored in other townsand cities across Irelandso we are delighted tosee an educateTogether schoolopening in Septemberfor the parents andchildren of Citywest.The next news we hopeto have is the exactlocation of the schooland we are workingclosely with theDepartment ofeducation and Skills and

Pictured are the Association which has been campaigning for the school for4 years.

PlanS for new cityweSt Primary School ProgreSSingin this regard and anannouncement isexpected in the nextfew weeks”.Today there are 60educate Togetherschools throughoutIreland, with 5 moredue to open thisSeptember. educateTogether aims to meeta growing need in Irishsociety for schools thatrecognise the

developing diversity ofIrish life and themodern need fordemocraticmanagementstructures. Inparticular, educateTogether guaranteeschildren and parents ofall faiths and noneequal respect in theoperation andgoverning of education.educate Together

Schools are fullyrecognised by theDepartment ofeducation and Skills andwork under the sameregulations and fundingstructures as othernational schools.

Parents can pre-enroltheir children for thenew Citywest schoolhere:www.dublin24etns.ie.

Tommy McMotor Mechanic / Breakdown Recovery

TO BELGARD

COOKSTOWNIND.ESTATE

COOKSTOWN ROAD

LUAS LINE TO TALLAGHT

COOKSTOWNCABS

TALLAGHTHOSPITAL

ST. MARKʼSSECONDARY SCH.

LUAS LINE TO CITY

WE ARE HERE

l SERVICING FROM €69l COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS FROM €25l CLUTCH REPLACEMENT FROM €250l TIMING BELTS FROM €170l BODY WORKl CRASH REPAIRSl VEHICLE RECOVERY FROM €50l NCT FAILURES

CALL FOR A QUOTE TODAY4513 876 MOBILE 086 2507 432

OPEN MON - FRI 9AM TO 5PM

Chris Bond- Labour Party Representative for Tallaght South has condemnedthe cuts in allowances for Adults with intellectual disabilities participating inemployment services at Cheeverstown. Cllr Bond’s half brother is currentlyparticipating in the scheme. The allowance paid is currently €20 per week.From April of this year the allowance will be reduced by 50% to €10culminating in the total abolition of the allowance from April 2013.“€20 is only a small allowance but it means a lot to those who areparticipating in the employment scheme many of whom have severedisabilities and are dependant on others to carry out daily tasks ’’‘’I call upon management at Cheeverstown to do the right thing and stop theimplementation of this cut, I am also calling upon the Minister for Health tointervene if necessary. Regardless of the country’s financial circumstances,supports for the most vulnerable people should be maintained’’

cruel cutS for adultS withSPecial needS condemned



theideal gift

The OPW has todaylaunched a nationwideadvertising campaignseeking expressions ofinterest from localheritage/community groups

who may be interested inbecoming a partner with theOPW. Brian Hayes TD said today “For whatever reason Irelandhas never involved

voluntary effort in thepresentation of ourheritage. unlike manyeuropean countries wherevolunteers are an essentialpart of heritage tourism, we

have been slow to formalisethe involvement ofcommunity groups in ournational heritage. This willchange under my time asMinister.”

The Minister went on to say“ the potential ofvolunteering and Irishheritage has never beenorganised at a nationallevel. As the lead agencywith the responsibility inpreserving and presentingour heritage, we need thehelp of local community andheritage groups.” The Minister continued“Building on the success ofthe free day initiativelaunched by the OPW lastyear, I want by this summerto have at least 25partnerships in placebetween the OPW andvarious organisations. Sincecoming into office I havebeen impressed by theenormous interest thatexists locally in the heritagesites that are under thecontrol of the OPW. ”

“I am constantly met bygroups who want greateropening times, more localinvolvement or who haveplans to develop tourismlocally by using our nationalmonuments and nationalproperties. We need to workwith these groups. A newpartnership needs to beformed between the OPWand local volunteeringeffort. There are of coursechallenges for the OPW inthis but I’m convinced thatthis organisation has theexpertise and know howrequired.”, the Ministersaid.Minister Hayes said further“The truth is that fundingfor extending opening timesor extending the excellentguide service are simply notthere. nor will they be overthe next few years. If wewant more domestic orinternational tourists tovisit our fantastic sites, weneed the help of communitygroups. While everyoneknows the Rock of Cashel orKilkenny castle, there are

literally dozens of otheramazing sites which havebeen restored brilliantly bythe OPW and which need tobe developed.”

“next year 2013 is the yearof the gathering. It’s a greatopportunity to showcase thewonderful heritage we havein this country. Far toomany sites across thecountry should have a muchgreater local input. Workingwith local groups the OPWcan help develop thetourism platform and have amuch greater localinvolvement.

The Minister concluded “ Iwould encourage groups toexpress an interest by emailing us [email protected] orcontacting us directly at 0469426106 or 046 9426061. Anational conference willtake place in April and theOPW will provide trainingand support for the groupsselected to be part of thepilot in 2012.”

maJor Scheme for community grouPSto get involved with the oPw launched



POLYGREENGARDEN SERVICES

TEL : 01 494 67 02MOB : 087 976 2869

- Overgrown gardens restored- Hedge and grass cutting- Shrub and tree planting- Light tree pruning- Spring/autumn tidy ups- All green garden waste - removed and recycled

For Details Phone Alfie 086 8444 532

Pas t & PresentnOISemoves Dance Festival 2012 is inviting youth dance groups to joinamazing dancers on stage at the Civic Theatre, Tallaght this year to show theirskill, talent and passion for dancing.Special guest dance companies Dublin Youth Dance Company and CoisceimCreative Steps will return to the festival once again along with young dancers,to present an explosive mix of dance styles and techniques at the CivicTheatre, Tallaght.nOISe Moves Dance Festival2012 takes place from April 20th – 22nd. It is hostto another great programme of dance performances, film screenings andworkshops dancers for young dancers, ages 13 to 25. The highlight of theweekend is on Sunday, April 22nd where young dancers working in all stylestake the main stage of the Civic Theatre at 8pm.

FESTiVAL EVENTS:Friday, 20th April, 8pm Dance Film Screenings, RuA ReD

Saturday, 21st April, 11am – 1pm Street and Contemporary DanceMasterclasses RuA ReD

Sunday 22nd April, 8pm Performance showcase, the Civic Theatre Tallaght

Local Fine Gael MinisterFrances Fitzgerald andCouncillor Tony Delaneyhave lodged a furtherdetailed submission toAn Bord Pleanla inrelation to the decisionon Boot Road. Theirsubmission clearly givesa detailed analysis andassessment of theclaims by thedevelopers includingtheir assertion that thesite is adequatelyserviced by publictransport.

Fitzgerald and Delaneypreviously described as‘extremelydisappointing’ thedecision by the Bordnot to allow an OralHearing into theCouncil’s decision togrant planningpermission for thedevelopment of a five

storey Primary CareCentre and an adjoining80 bed nursing home onBoot Road, Clondalkin.

“We believe that thedevelopers latestresponse exaggeratesthe suitability of thesite for a centre likethis. Their responseclaims that betweenthe bus routes andMetro service the siteon Boot Road isadequately served bypublic transport.unfortunately, this isnot the case. Plans forthe Metro suspended,cutbacks on Dublin Busroutes have curtailedthe services and nopublic transport linksexist between this siteand north Clondalkin orbig residential areassuch as Woodford. Thissite is far from ideal as

a location for a servicelike this and our latestsubmission lodged thismorning aims to showjust that,” said MinisterFrances Fitzgerald.“We were verydisappointed by therefusal of an OralHearing into thisapplication but we areconfident that ourlatest submission to theBord is comprehensiveand contains concernswhich have to be takeninto account by thedeciding officer on thiscase. The refusal of thehearing was a real blowfor residents, whooppose thisdevelopment on thebasis that it isover-scaled, butresidents in the areaare continuing theircampaign and Cllr.Delaney and I have

SubmiSSion lodged on boot road to bordPleanala detailing develoPerS claimS

PROJECTION PHOTOMONTAGE

today submitted astrong proposal we arehoping will influencethe decision on thiscase,” continuedFitzgerald.

Cllr. Delaney, who atthe time, described thedecision as‘demoralising’ statedthat the array ofobjections andconcerns from localresidents needed to betaken into account bythe Bord.

“Aside from theChurch, the highestbuilding in Clondalkinvillage is 5 meters. Atits highest point this

development would bein excess of 20 metersimplying that it wouldbe totally out ofkeeping with thecharacter of thevillage. Given thatthere were almost 100objections andsubmissions on thisplanning application,there is a feeling on theground throughoutClondalkin thatresidents concerns andvoices have not so farbeen heard. All we cando is trust that the Bordwill listen to thoseconcerns and take themon board when makingtheir final decision,”

said Cllr. Delaney.“Cllr. Delaney and I

have worked closelywith local residentswho have validconcerns relating tothis proposal and wewill continue tohighlight theseconcerns. We have nowlodged a furthersubmission for reviewby the Bord and willcontinue to highlightresidents concernsconcerns. The grantingof permission for thisdevelopment iscontrary to the policiesset out in the Council’sCounty DevelopmentPlan and also in the

Draft Clondalkin urbanFramework, whichrecommends thedevelopment of areasadjacent to the Mill inorder to expandClondalkin’s towncentre and make itmore commerciallyviable. A Primary CareCentre would be awelcome addition toClondalkin, but it isonly a welcomeaddition if it is built inaccordance with properplanning andconsideration forresidents and thesurroundingenvironment,”explained Fitzgerald.

make a move at thiS yearS ultimate dance feStival


l fitted BatHrooms

l fitted wardroBes l fitted kitcHens

tile factory outlet

fitted kitcHens & BatHrooms

clondalkin village

2 orcHard road, clondalkin,duBlin 22

freel Planningl designl Quotations

Home - style

we will notBe Beaten on

Price!

visit our extensive sHowroomsin clondalkin village

tel: 01 457 9229 weB: www.tilefactoryoutlet.ie

tileS from €5 Per Sq yd

€2,950x €2,450x

€900x

fitted kitcHens from fitted BatHroomsfrom

fitted wardroBes from

Documents

The Lucan News