“I have today written to Fine Gael Leader, Enda Kenny asking him to create a specific Front Bench portfolio for Dublin and to commit Fine Gael in Government to appointing a Minister with specific responsibility for the Dublin region. This is not a new proposal, Brian Hayes was previously Fine Gael Front Bench spokesperson for Dublin from 2002 – 2007 while it is an idea that has been raised by numerous academics such as Conor Skehan of DIT.

The figures released today to Leo Varadkar TD hint that Dublin may not be getting its fair share of public spending and investment. Parts of Dublin benefit from LUAS and the DART and Dublin is home to many of our national institutions, international facilities and universities.

“However, Dublin also suffers most from overcrowded school classrooms and choked up hospitals and A&E Departments. It is home to many of the most disadvantaged communities in the country and the highest levels of crime. Public spending in Ireland is incremental with existing services getting an increase (or decrease) every year based on the allocation they got the previous year. This system does not reflect shifts in population that have occurred in the last few decades.

“It is a bit rich that the Gaeltacht region with such a small population has its own Minister when Dublin is ignored by this Government. If we are to rebuild Ireland as a strong entity we must focus first on renewing Dublin. Dublin is the social and economic driving force for this country, it deserves recognition of this as opposed to a watered down, directly elected Mayor as is proposed by the Green Party.

“Put simply, it is time for a Minister for Dublin”

Supporting information includes:

The figures show the tax take broken down by county or ‘bailiwick’ for income-tax (PAYE and non-PAYE), VAT, Corporation Tax and Capital Gains for the year 2002 to 2008 inclusive. In total, the Government raised €31.76 billion from these taxes in 2008 with €16.769 or 52% of that coming from Dublin.

A breakdown of figures shows that:

Income Tax (PAYE):
• Dublin paid 50.6% of all PAYE in 2008 raising more than €5 billion for the Government. This works out at €4,441 per inhabitant.
• Cork came next providing 8% or €1,722 per person.
• Westmeath provided 5.4% or €7,025 per person, Galway 4.5% or €2,046 per person, followed by Kerry (3.5% or €2,571 per person), Limerick (3.3% or €1,881 per person) and Kildare (3% or €1,668 per person).
• All other counties provided less than 2% to the pot.
• The average is €2,449 per person.

Income Tax (Non-PAYE):
Dublin paid 38.8% followed by Cork at 11%, Galway 4.5%, Kildare 4%, Limerick 3.9%, Meath 3.5%, Wicklow 3.4% and Tipperary 3.0%

VAT:
Dublin contributed 55.6% of all VAT, followed by Cork at 8.8% and Kildare 3.4%. All other counties accounted for less than 3% of the VAT take individually.

Corporation Tax:
Dublin-based companies paid 62.4% of all Corporation Profit Tax yielding €3.2bn out of a total tax of €5.1bn in 2008. Cork provided 7.7% and Limerick 4.3%

Capital Gains Tax:
Dublin paid 41% of all Capital Gains Tax with Cork on 7.6%, Kildare on 5.1%, Galway on 4.6%, Wicklow on 4%, Meath 3.5% and Sligo 3%

Note: Of course, there are caveats to these figures. Income Tax is collected at the place where an employee is paid rather than where they live and Corporation Tax is collated based on the county address of the company’s office or relevant branch at which contact is established for tax purposes.

All the figures were received through parliamentary questions, tables showing a county-by-county breakdown of the total amount of tax taken, the amount taken per capita and the percentage of the over all take can be found here. http://is.gd/dtd3e
An explanatory memorandum can be found here: http://is.gd/dtcWL

Slate Cabin Lane will be closed from Tuesday, 3^rd August to Friday, 27^th August 2010. The purpose of the closure is to facilitate the re-surfacing of the roadway and for drainage works. 

Local access will be maintained at all times.

The proposed diversion route will be via Woodside Road, Blackglen Road and Enniskerry Road and vice versa. 

A Traffic Management Plan will be in operation and the diversion will be clearly signposted. 

Any interested parties may lodge an objection in writing with the Senior Engineer, Traffic Section, Transportation Department, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin not later than noon on Tuesday 27^th July 2010.

TRACK AND CIVIL WORKS

General Overview All track work has now been installed, with the exception of two short sections at the top of Brewery Road Bridge and under Glenamuck Bridge. The surfacing of the tracks is nearing completion. Installation of the electrical systems is progressing well and in a number of areas final landscaping has been planted.

Sandyford Stop The construction works at Sandyford tram stop are complete. The electrical fit-out of the new equipment and installation of new overhead cables is ongoing. Reinstatement of a Park & Ride facility will be completed in the first half of 2010.

Brewery Road to Central Park Construction of the final section of track on the Vodafone podium is well under way. The installation of waterproofing and vibration matting to the roof structure is now complete. Track installation will follow. Central Park tram stop is entering the final fit out stage and will tie into the new Central Park development when complete.

Glencairn Alignment- Glencairn to Murphystown The track work and platform construction over the completed Glencairn substation is well advanced. The Railway Procurement Agency and its contractor aim to have this complete by Easter prior to the start of construction of the new Murphystown Road by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Ballyogan Road The paving and finishing works on Ballyogan Road are ongoing. The construction of platforms is complete and fit out of platform furniture has been a significant focus over the last couple of months. The next phase of works will be on the road junctions in this area. These activities will continue over the next couple of months and are not expected to have any significant impact on local pedestrian or traffic movements.All Overhead Contact System (OCS) poles in the Ballyogan area have been erected. The installation of the overhead wires has commenced. Treatment to mark the boundary between the tram track and the adjacent footpath along Ballyogan Road is ongoing. The landscaping works consist of a mixture of hard and soft landscaping in this area.

Racecourse to Carrickmines The structure of the pedestrian ramp to Carrickmines Stop is complete. Paving, surfacing and boundary treatment works have commenced. Stone cladding of the retaining walls in this area is nearing completion. The fit-out of the Carrickmines electrical substation is complete and electrical testing will commence in March 2010.

Carrickmines to Laughanstown The construction of the Brennanstown tram stop is complete. The poles for the overhead wires have been installed in this area and overhead wire installation is ongoing. Laughanstown Road junction is complete and awaiting installation and commissioning of traffic signals.Much of the boundary treatment works in this area is complete with topsoil and planting well advanced and most of the boundary fencing installed.

Laughanstown to Cherrywood The installation of overhead wires is well advanced and the substation at Cherrywood is undergoing electrical testing prior to commissioning. The boundary fencing has been installed throughout most of this area and topsoil and planting is complete. Construction of the pedestrian access route from Tully Vale to Cherrywood tram stop will begin in the next couple of months. Access to the Brides Glen tram stop will be via the new road at the southern end of Cherrywood viaduct.

SYSTEMS WORKS

The systems teams are now mobilised and the crews have started cabling for the control, communications and electrical systems. Most of the overhead contact system (OCS) poles are in place and the contact wire installation has commenced. Like the existing Luas system, these wires provide a separate network to feed electricity to run the trams.

The systems installation will be followed by a testing phase which will include dynamic testing with trams. This includes testing of all electrical and power links, CCTV equipment and the integration of the systems with the existing Green Line. This detailed operational testing programme will be completed prior to the introduction of passenger services late 2010.

“The Government has been in hiding for the last three weeks, instead of trying to deal at a national level with this crisis facing the country. Despite repeated calls from myself and others, Fianna Fáil and the Greens have failed abysmally to get on top of this issue and show direction.

“Under sustained pressure from Fine Gael, Government Ministers have finally started to surface but nothing tangible has been forthcoming. I believe it is vital that the following three measures must be implemented urgently:

1. I believe that Noel Dempsey and John Gormley should immediately take control of a co-ordinated response to this crisis. The absence of both Ministers throughout this crisis has been a disgrace. Both Ministers receive large salaries for their jobs, and the least you would expect is for them to be available.
2. The Defence Forces should be deployed immediately. Fine Gael. Highly trained Defence Forces personnel, their transport equipment and their experience of extreme weather conditions can play a vital role in tackling the crisis. There are more than 10,000 trained personnel within the Defence Forces.
3. Finally, with grit and salt supplies critically low, we need to find some alternative. No new supplies are arriving for another five days while Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council only has enough stocks to maintain main roads. Taoiseach Brian Cowen has been unable to provide any alternative strategy to source grit and salt. Beach sand is already being extracted in the UK, and in Ireland could at least be used on footpaths. A number of private quarries here have also offered material, which should immediately be examined for suitability.

“This crisis is hitting everyone in our area with many schools closing and local businesses taking a pounding, nationally it is estimated this cold spell will cost the economy in the region of €1oo million. It takes 18 inches of snow to bring New York to a halt. In Ireland, it takes just an inch. This is a disgrace. It’s time for someone in the Government to take action.”

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council currently have 11 crews out on the roads since 7.00a.m this morning and are continuing to liase with Dublin Bus and An Garda Siochana in order to tackle problem areas across the County.

Whilst gritting supplies are currently low, the Council are continuing to grit over 250 kms of roadway out of a total road network of approximately 700 kms.

Areas being gritted include national roads such as the N11, M11 and N31, regional and other main roads, and all major bus routes. Housing estates are not on the gritting schedule and concerned residents are advised to treat their own driveways and footpaths with salt.*

The gritting of the M50 roadway and ramps is the responsibility of the M50 PPP Concession.

The Council has received a new delivery of grit supplies this morning and is expecting a further delivery later in the week. Approximately 60-70 tonnes of grit are used per gritting session.

The Council will continue to provide regular updates on their website www.dlrcoco.ie and are following AA Roadwatch in advising drivers to be cautious in these extreme weather conditions.

Extreme care should be taken on all local and residential roads. On their website, AA Roadwatch has advised people to drive with care, use dipped headlights and keep additional braking distance from the vehicles in front.

Further updates on specific road conditions and safe driving are available on www.aaroadwatch.ie and www.nra.ie

*For residents concerned about compacted snow and ice on their driveways and footpaths, scattering salt on the affected areas or using a shovel to break up the larger chunks can be most effective. We would also urge people to assist neighbours who may not be in a position to treat their own areas.