Page 59

Last Updated: August 14, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Norris should withdraw his sexist and entirely inappropriate comments – Mitchell O’Connor

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire TD, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has called on Senator David Norris to withdraw the comments he made in the Seanad earlier today (Monday) regarding Fine Gael Meath East TD, Regina Doherty.

“Senator Norris’ comments do not bear repeating. They were sexist, crude, offensive and deeply inappropriate. He launched a personal, misogynist attack on one of my female colleagues that was completely out of order. He should apologise and withdraw his comments immediately.

“Some of the behaviour in Leinster House over the last week has quite rightly been called into question. I believe it is time for a code of conduct to be introduced on how members should behave in the Dáil and Seanad. In my view, this should relate to appropriate language and behaviour.

“This is our national parliament and we need to think about the example we are setting and the message we are sending out to our young people as elected representatives.”

Mary Mitchell O’Connor

Monday, July 15^th 2013

Last Updated: July 15, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Céili Mór on the Seafront, Dun Laoghaire

Dancing at the Crossroads!

Great to see everyone enjoying the music and dancing at the Ceili Mór in Dun Laoghaire today. Well done Michael O’ Brien and DLRCOCO for organising event. Thank you Jacqui in Mary Mitchell O’ Connor’s Office for organising Irish Dancers to give a display of hornpipes, jigs and reels.

The dancers in their beautiful Irish dancing costumes really brought the Seafront to life, and their Irish dancing combined with the fine traditional melodies of the Sean Norman and Fodhra Ceili bands created a great atmosphere on the night. Many of the dancers were All Ireland Champions and Leinster Champions. The crowd had great fun and participated in the set dancing. Great weather and great fun.

Saturday 6th July

Last Updated: July 6, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

CoderDojo at the Dáil

CoderDojo is a global collaboration which helps young people learn to code for free. The CoderDojo delegation which visited the Dáil on Wednesday 3rd July included 5 young coders from CoderDojo Dun Laoghaire, which is held in IADT. They were stars – it was wonderful to witness their programming ability at such a young age.

Philip Doyle of Dun Laoghaire presented his Scratch game based on “Dr Who”. What a wonderful experience for a 13 year old, to present their project in Dáil Eireann!

Philip with myself and Sandra Maguire, organiser CoderDojo Dun Laoghaire.

Philip, Sinead, Eric, Lily-Ann and Luke of CoderDojo Dun Laoghaire

Last Updated: August 14, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Mitchell O’Connor welcomes new system of redeployment for SNAs

New panel system will deliver a sense of security for Special Needs Assistants

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has welcomed the announcement of a Supplementary Assignment Panel for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD, under the terms of the Haddington Road Agreement.

“The introduction of a redeployment panel is a new departure for the Department of Education, and one which will deliver a level of security for SNAs that until now had been missing. The fact that a panel will now be in place, to complement the existing redundancy scheme for SNAs, means that a fairer system of redeployment will be conducted and the level of experience that our SNAs have built up can be harnessed for future positions.

“Under the scheme, any SNA who is appointed to a new position from the panel will be able to carry forward their service from their previous employment, which means that they will not have to begin again at the bottom increment, but will instead be able to continue receiving increments at their previous level. In the instance that an SNA is redeployed via the panel and applies for redundancy down the line, they will also be permitted to include their previous service in their calculations.

“These new arrangements will be backdated to apply from 1st May 2013 of this year and will apply to all SNAs who have at least one year’s permanent service. I would urge any SNA who is in line to be made redundant to ask their employer to complete the Special Needs Assistants Supplementary Assignment form without delay as if the application form is not processed vacancies will be filled in the usual way, which means that the SNA in question is in real danger of losing out.

“The panel will remain live until 1st June 2014, after which point redundancy payments will be processed in the usual way. I welcome the opportunity the introduction of this panel will bring to SNAs who are being made redundant as the possibility of them securing employment at another school is being significantly increased. The Department of Education has committed to fully reviewing the operation of the panel in advance of the 2014/15 school year and I would encourage all SNAs who are due to be made redundant not to delay in having forms filled out and processed as quickly as possible.”

Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD

Tuesday, 2nd July 2013

Last Updated: July 5, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Mary Mitchell O’Connor welcomes new system of redeployment for SNAs

New panel system will deliver a sense of security for Special Needs Assistants

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has welcomed the announcement of a Supplementary Assignment Panel for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD, under the terms of the Haddington Road Agreement.

“The introduction of a redeployment panel is a new departure for the Department of Education, and one which will deliver a level of security for SNAs that until now had been missing. The fact that a panel will now be in place, to complement the existing redundancy scheme for SNAs, means that a fairer system of redeployment will be conducted and the level of experience that our SNAs have built up can be harnessed for future positions.

“Under the scheme, any SNA who is appointed to a new position from the panel will be able to carry forward their service from their previous employment, which means that they will not have to begin again at the bottom increment, but will instead be able to continue receiving increments at their previous level. In the instance that an SNA is redeployed via the panel and applies for redundancy down the line, they will also be permitted to include their previous service in their calculations.

“These new arrangements will be backdated to apply from 1st May 2013 of this year and will apply to all SNAs who have at least one year’s permanent service. I would urge any SNA who is in line to be made redundant to ask their employer to complete the Special Needs Assistants Supplementary Assignment form without delay as if the application form is not processed vacancies will be filled in the usual way, which means that the SNA in question is in real danger of losing out.

“The panel will remain live until 1st June 2014, after which point redundancy payments will be processed in the usual way. I welcome the opportunity the introduction of this panel will bring to SNAs who are being made redundant as the possibility of them securing employment at another school is being significantly increased. The Department of Education has committed to fully reviewing the operation of the panel in advance of the 2014/15 school year and I would encourage all SNAs who are due to be made redundant not to delay in having forms filled out and processed as quickly as possible.”

July 2nd, 2013

Posted: May 31, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Major re-organisation of higher education sector sanctioned

A major re-organisation of the country’s higher education sector that includes provision for the creation of new Technological Universities has been announced.

This announcement follows recommendations made by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to the Minister for Education and Skills. The HEA’s report called for consolidation of the Institute of Technology (IT) sector; the creation of a small number of technological universities; the formation of regional clusters between universities and stronger ITs; implementation of recommendations to rationalise teacher education; as well as increased sustainability and capacity in the higher education system.

The Minister said; “A new relationship between the state and the 39 publicly funded higher education institutes will be implemented. This will allow the system to respond in a more coherent way to national priorities set down by the government and provide graduates with the skills and qualifications that are essential for Ireland’s social and economic well-being.

“A new performance framework will be put in place to increase the transparency and accountability of institutions for delivery of agreed performance outcomes. Integral to this will be a process of strategic dialogue between the HEA and each higher education institution”.

The Minister continued: “Following discussion with Government colleagues this week, my response to the HEA report formally sets out the Government’s national priorities and its key objectives for the higher education system. I will be asking the HEA to report to me on an annual basis on the collective performance of the higher education system against these national priorities and objectives and a set of high level system indicators which will be finalised in the coming weeks. A legislative framework will be brought forward to enable the implementation of these very important processes.”

The Minister said this new focus on system and institutional performance will bring the funding and governance of Irish higher education into line with best practice internationally. “It marks a new era for students and other stakeholders of the system”.

30 May 2013

Last Updated: May 31, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

New Wayfinding system for Dún Laoghaire and the surrounding areas

A new pedestrian signage system has been developed for Dún Laoghaire and the surrounding coastal areas that will point visitors to the key places of interest. This world-class pedestrian wayfinding system will be installed in Blackrock, Monkstown, Dún Laoghaire, Glasthule and Sandycove making it easier for visitors to navigate the coastal area and will greatly enhance the tourism infrastructure of the coastal area in the County. The installation process of the map and fingerpost system will commence in July.

Last Updated: May 31, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Killiney Beach and Seapoint awarded Blue Flags amid sea of award losses

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has said the awarding of Blue Flag status to Killiney Beach and Seapoint is great news for the local areas which will no doubt see an increase in the number of visitors to their shores as a result.

“This year just three new Blue Flags were awarded nationally; two of which were in the Dun Laoghaire constituency. The local Council, and everyone who has played a role in getting, and keeping, our local beaches up to standard, is to be commended for a job well done.

“The awarding of the flags for Killiney Beach and Seapoint is even more marked as so many beaches lost their Blue Flag status this year for various reasons. In all, 13 beaches across the country failed to retain their status because the water quality wasn’t up to scratch, the beach simply wasn’t in an acceptable condition or the council did not apply this year.

“The fact that stricter new EU bathing water quality standards were introduced this year indicates the amount of work that has been done in the past year to bring Killiney Beach and Seapoint up to standard. Both of these beaches are already enjoyed by huge numbers of the population from across Dublin and beyond and hopefully, with a bit of good weather to come, we will see greater numbers taking day trips out here, with a positive knock-on benefit for local businesses generally.

“In some areas, the bad weather over the last year, which caused beaches to be flooded, has been blamed for the loss of status. I am delighted that, considering the fact that 13 beaches lost their Blue Flags this year, Dun Laoghaire constituency made the grade when it came to water quality, information provision, environmental education and beach management, to pick up two new awards.”

23 May 2013

Last Updated: May 16, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Politics is often like trying to knit with spaghetti!

Irish Daily Mail article by Regina Hennelly:

Last Updated: May 16, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Proposed Development by Council – Flood alleviation measures on the Deansgrange Stream in Clonkeen Park, Dun Laoghaire

Plans and Particulars – Flood alleviation measures on the Deansgrange Stream in Clonkeen Park

In accordance with Part 8, Article 81 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001-2012, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council hereby gives notice of proposals pertaining to development as follows:

It is proposed to construct flood alleviation measures on the Deansgrange Stream in Clonkeen Park, (adjacent to Little Meadow), Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin.

In accordance with S.I. 476, 2011, Section 250, Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations, 2011 Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has determined that an Appropriate Assessment is not required.

Plans and particulars of the proposals are available for inspection from Thursday 16^thMay 2013 up to and including Friday 28^th June, 2013 (inclusive), at the Planning Department, County Hall, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire between the hours of 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. and at the Council Offices, Dundrum Office Park, Dundrum between the hours 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 1.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays. A copy of the proposed Part 8 may also be viewed on the County Council’s website at www.dlrcoco.ie.

Plans and Particulars – Flood alleviation measures on the Deansgrange Stream in Clonkeen Park

Submissions or observations with respect to the proposals, and dealing with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, may be made in writing before 4.30p.m. Friday 12^th July, 2013.

Declan McCulloch,
Acting Director of Services,
Planning & Enterprise Department,
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council,
County Hall,
Marine Road,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.

Or by email to: planning@dlrcoco.ie

16 May 2013