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Last Updated: May 11, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Department of Education & Skills hosts first meeting of the European ePortfolio project group

The Department of Education & Skills has hosted the first meeting of the European ePortfolio project consortium.

The project is a trial of the use of ePortfolios in teaching, learning and assessment. An e-portfolio, or digital portfolio, is a collection of electronic material which can include texts, electronic files and images.

Working with Ireland on this European project are representatives from Ministries of Education and their agencies in six countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Lithuania, Slovenia and Spain. Representatives from all seven countries have been meeting over the past two days (9^th and 10^th May).

The seven-country consortium was successful in applying for a grant under the European Commission’s “Creative Classrooms” call for proposals. [1][1]

This project is estimated at just over €1million, with the EU providing funding of €790.000.

The two-year project starts this month. Piloting in schools in four countries will begin once the specifications and roll-out have been agreed. Twenty Irish post-primary schools will be involved in the piloting, with schools in Cyprus, Lithuania and Slovenia also involved in this stage.

The project also involves a review of international policy and practice, platform development, pilot implementation, evaluation of the pilot experience and the development of a policymaker’s handbook. A final report from the project will be available at the end of the two years.

Speaking at today’s meeting, the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., welcomed the opportunity for exchanging knowledge and experience: “One of the main challenges all areas of education are facing is the successful integration of ICT into the teaching and learning process.

“ICT has the potential to be a massive educational resource and the learning from this project will provide a sound base for Ireland and other European countries to make policy decisions on the use of technology in teaching, learning and assessment”.

10 May 2013

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

Cabinteely Article in Irish Times – Big Publicity for Little Village

Big publicity for the little village of Cabinteely today as the Irish Times Life and Style section cover the reinvigorated community.

“Cabinteely is an independent little village that has improved during recessionary times,” says Fine Gael TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor, a long time resident of the area.

See the full text of the article here:

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/cabinteely-an-independent-little-village-1.1386186

Mary Mitchell O’Connor

9th May 2013

Last Updated: May 11, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Draft Blackrock Local Area Plan

Draft Blackrock Local Area Plan and Screening Reports

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Section 20(3) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), that Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council, being the Planning Authority for the County, proposes to make a Local Area Plan for Blackrock.

In complying with the Strategic Environment Assessment Directive (2001/42/EC) and the Planning and Development (Strategic Environmental Assessment) Regulations, 2004, (as amended) Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has determined that a Strategic Environmental Assessment is not required.

It has also been determined that an Appropriate Assessment pursuant to Article 6 (3) and (4) of the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and the European Communities (Birds & Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011, is not required.

A copy of the Draft Local Area Plan, the Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment Screening Reports, will be available for inspection from Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) from Thursday 9^th May, 2013 to Thursday 20^th June, 2013 inclusive at the following locations:-

Public Concourse, County Hall, Dún Laoghaire (9.00a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
Council Offices, Dundrum Office Park, Dundrum (9.30 a.m. – 12.30p.m. & 1.30p.m. – 4.30p.m.)
All branches of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Libraries during library opening hours.

The Draft Local Area Plan and Screening Reports may also be viewed on or downloaded from the Council’s website at www.dlrcoco.ie

Draft Blackrock Local Area Plan and Screening Reports

Public information days:

Two Public Information Days will be held in respect of the Draft Local Area Plan, at which Planning Department staff will be available to answer queries and accept written submissions on the following dates:

Tuesday 21^st May, 2013 between the hours of 2.00p.m. to 6.00p.m

and

Monday 27^th May, 2013 between the hours 4.00p.m. to 8.00p.m.

at Urban Junction Youth and Community Centre, Main Street/Newtown Avenue, Blackrock (beside Town Hall)

Submissions and observations may be made in one of the following ways:-

1.Write to:

Senior Executive Officer,
Planning and Enterprise Department,
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council,
County Hall,
Marine Road,
Dun Laoghaire.

2.Email to:

blackrocklap@dlrcoco.ie

All submissions and observations in respect of the Draft Blackrock Local Area Plan, made in writing to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council within the above time period will be taken into consideration by the Council in deciding upon the Draft Local Area Plan.

Note:

Children, or groups or associations representing the interests of children, are entitled to make submissions or observations.
All submissions and observations should include your name and a contact address and where relevant, details of any organisation, community group or company etc., which you represent.
Please make your submission by one medium only, i.e. hard copy or e-mail.

PLEASE NOTE:

YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO MAKE YOUR SUBMISSION AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.

CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 5.00pm on Thursday 20^th June, 2013

LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

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

9^th May, 2013.

Last Updated: May 13, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Outdoor Activity Tourism Seminar

The Outdoor Tourism Project would like to invite you to a FREE seminar on Outdoor Activity Tourism on Tuesday 21 May 2013 in the Royal Marine Hotel Dun Laoghaire

Please see the attached document for all the details

Outdoor Activity Tourism Seminar (pdf -598kb)

8 May 2013

Posted: May 2, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Work on Deansgrange stream gets the green light

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has welcomed the announcement of €148,500 in funding for the realignment of the stream and embankment at Deansgrange.

“Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council submitted an application for funding for works to be carried out on Deansgrange stream under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme. Confirmation has now been given that a total of €148,500 is to be made available for the works to be carried out.

“This funding and the works it will facilitate are to be welcomed. So too is the commitment of the Dun Laoghaire County Council Manager to address flooding in the Monkstown area. The underlying cause of the flood event at Old Connaught Avenue is also being investigated. The flood risk is included in the Eastern Catchment and is funded by the Office of Public Works.

“Ensuring that our streams and local waterways are maintained is essential to alleviating the risk of flooding, and associated damage, down the line. It also reinforces the natural beauty which so many of us take for granted.

“I am delighted that this money is being made available, despite the constraints on the public purse. The realignment of the embankment will help to preserve the Deansgrange stream, ensuring that it is maintained as it should into the future.”

Posted: April 26, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

96% of measures delivered under Action Plan for Jobs Fifth Progress Report – Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister for Jobs

144 out of 150 measures scheduled in the Action Plan for Jobs to be delivered in the first quarter of 2013 have been implemented, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation announced today [Friday] as they published the Action Plan for Jobs Fifth Progress Report.

Measures delivered include:

Implemented range of measures to deliver an additional 2,000 ICT graduates over the next year. The changes made aim to deliver an additional 700 additional employment permits in the ICT sector and an additional 1300 graduates from industry-led programmes, as well as a 33% decrease in processing time for permits. International research has shown that for every high-tech job created, a further 4 to 5 jobs are created elsewhere in the economy
Published and commenced implementing the Government’s plan to deliver an additional 20,000 manufacturing jobs by 2016
Approved a Government investment of €200million in seven world-class SFI research centres, in partnership with €100million industry investment
Implemented the 10 Point Tax Plan for the Small and Medium Enterprise Sector as announced in Budget 2013
A €1million initial investment in an industry-led technology centre in Big Data, a sector growing at 40% per annum which provides particular job opportunities for Ireland
Provided support for, via the National Pensions Reserve Fund, the delivery of a range of Funds totalling €850million aimed at providing credit for SMEs
The Taoiseach said:
“In response to the largest unemployment crisis ever faced by this State, the Government established a rolling multi-annual Action Plan for Jobs to get Ireland working again. Today’s progress report confirms that Government is delivering on its commitments to date, leading to real progress on our task of transforming the economy from one based on property speculation to one based on enterprise, exports and innovation. These plans are beginning to make a real impact with the creation of 1,000 new private sector jobs a month. However, although this is movement in the right direction, there is much more to be done and we will continue to accelerate job creation measures in our Action Plan.”

The Tánaiste said:
“Trade promotion and assisting indigenous business to trade is another area of activity vital to our recovery. I was pleased to launch, with Minister Bruton, the 2013 programme of Ministerial events targeting trade and investment for Ireland.

“Earlier this month I led a successful trade mission to Turkey where we made important progress in developing new markets for Irish business and, with over 30 million in contracts signed, helped to create and support jobs in Ireland”.

Minister Bruton said:
“We are starting to see real progress with our plan to rebuild the economy after 250,000 jobs were lost during the last three years of the previous Government due to the collapse of their economic model based on property, banking and debt. We know that many people have yet to feel the effects of this progress, and that many people are really struggling.

“Over the past 15 months an additional 15,000 jobs have been created in the private sector. Irish and multinational exporting companies had record years in 2012, with major jobs announcements by companies like PayPal and Kerry Group, and our exports have hit levels 16% above the pre-2008 high.

“Today’s announcement shows that the progress is continuing. Jobs will remain our top priority, and we will continue to implement the changes necessary to rebuild the economy. We will continue to deliver on our plan and accelerate the transition to a sustainable, economy based on exports, innovation and enterprise that can provide the jobs that we so badly need”.

Further measures delivered include:
· Approved the creation of an Energy Efficiency Fund to support innovative energy efficiency in the public and commercial sectors

Continued to roll out the Pathways to Work initiative including the integrated Intreo service, and published of quarterly targets by which to measure progress.
Encouraged and reported on restraint exercised in setting commercial rates for 2013 by Local Authorities. 87 out of the 88 rating authorities have either reduced their ARV or kept it the same as in 2012. The average nationwide decrease is 0.34%. This follows similar decreases of 0.31% in 2012, 0.64% in 2011 and 0.62% in 2010
Led an intensive schedule of international visits and events targeting trade and investment for Ireland. As part of the St. Patrick’s Day “Promote Ireland” programme 19 Government Ministers, including the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister Bruton, travelled to 21 countries, took part in a total of over 150 business-related events and 30 high-level political meetings. Other missions included the Tánaiste’s trade mission of 24 companies to Turkey and Minister Bruton’s trade mission of 40 Irish companies to Texas.
The complete Progress Report can be found at the following link: http://www.djei.ie/publications/2013APJ_First_Progress_Report.pdf

Posted: April 25, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Council encourages students to “Draw the Bike” with art competition

Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown County Council is calling all young artists in primary and secondary schools in the County to create artwork based on the theme ‘Cycling is for everyone’, the underlying theme of Bike Week 2013. The aim of the competition is to help promote cycling as a fun, safe, environmentally-friendly and low cost way to make short journeys as an alternative to driving. The competition consists of five age categories with €50 vouchers on offer for the best entry in each category.

According to Gerry Flaherty, the Council’s Sustainable Travel Officer, “In running this competition, the Council hopes to encourage young artists and parents to cycle more and to think about how they travel on short trips that can easily be made by the bike instead of driving. As well as environmental benefits there are also many health benefits for individuals”.

The Art Competition Posters must be received no later than 4pm on Friday June 9th, 2013 and the winning student in each of the five categories will receive a prize to be presented during Bike Week 2013, which runs from 15th to 23rd of June.

Among the events being planned by the Council for Bike Week 2013 are a family cycle from Deansgrange to Kilbogget park on Sunday 16th, Active8 Family cycle event on Sunday 23rd, cycle training for Children with disabilities & Special Needs and a ‘Bike Fix It’ in the Sandyford Business District.

Further details and rules of the Art Competition can be found on www.dlrcoco.ie/artcompetition or by e-mailing the Sustainable Travel Officer at gflaherty@dlrcoco.ie. Details of all upcoming Bike Week events in the Council can be found on www.bikeweek.ie in May.

25 April 2013

Posted: April 25, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

National Positive Ageing Strategy launched

By 2041, it is projected that there will be an estimated 1.3 million to 1.4 million people aged over 65 years in Ireland, representing 20-25 per cent of the total population. A population with between 1 in 5 and 1 in 4 people over the age of 65 years in the future will have significant social and economic implications at an individual, family and societal level.

The National Positive Ageing Strategy was launched by Ms Kathleen Lynch, T.D., Minister of State for Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People on 24 April 2013.

There is no doubt that this will pose challenges but it will also bring many opportunities as older people continue to make a major contribution in society as consumers, workers, mentors, caregivers, child-minders and as volunteers.

The Government believes that the challenges can be met and opportunities exploited by planning now to ensure that Irish society is an ‘age-friendly’ one in the years ahead.

This National Positive Ageing Strategy provides the blueprint for this planning – for what we can and must do – individually and collectively – to make Ireland a good country in which to grow older. At its core, this National Positive Ageing Strategy seeks to create a shift in mind-set in how we conceptualise ageing and what needs to be done to promote positive ageing.

In the past, policy relating to older people tended to deal almost exclusively with health and social care issues. This Strategy seeks to highlight that ageing is not just a health issue – it requires a whole of Government response to address a range of interconnected social, economic and environmental factors that affect health and wellbeing. In addressing the broader determinants of health across the administrative spectrum, the National Positive Ageing Strategy is a new departure in policy-making for ageing in Ireland.

The Strategy also highlights that ageing is a lifelong process that does not start at 65 years of age – the choices that we make when young and middle aged will determine how healthy we will be in our old age.

Welcoming the publication of the National Positive Ageing Strategy, Minister Lynch stated that “Positive ageing is in everyone’s interests and this Strategy provides an important and timely opportunity for Ireland to formally recognise, at a national level, the need for all sectors of society to plan properly for individual and population ageing in Ireland – it is of relevance to everyone in Ireland, no matter what age he or she may be”.

She went on to say that the Strategy is a call to action to Government Departments, other statutory agencies at a national and local level and the community, voluntary and private sectors to ‘start now’ and to take their lead from the strategic direction laid down in the National Positive Ageing Strategy to ensure that older people are, in the words of the Programme for Government commitment, ‘recognised, supported and enabled to live independent full lives’.

The National Positive Ageing Strategy will be publicly available on the Department of Health’s website, Here

Last Updated: April 24, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Mary Mitchell O’Connor and Min. Fitzgerald focus on women, children and families in Dun Laoghaire

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor will this Thursday, 25^th April, welcome the Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald TD, to Dun Laoghaire, where the Minister will officially open the Cottage Home Family Support Service, visit the Harold Primary School and address the Women in Business Alliance at the Dun Laoghaire Chamber of Commerce.

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor said: ‘The official opening of the Cottage Home Family Support Service will be met with a real sense of achievement by those involved in the project. The voluntary organisation, which began as a crèche, has been in existence since 1897. The service, which is self-funded, now provides valuable early intervention and family support services, including home visits, parenting support, home visits and counselling and play therapy.

“Minister Fitzgerald and I will then meet with the Women In Business Alliance at the Dun Laoghaire Chamber of Commerce, where the Minister will address the meeting. Ensuring that women are supported to reach their full potential and to succeed in business is a key objective of this Government, which has earmarked funding to support women’s participation in the labour market and local community projects across the country.

“Getting the balance right by encouraging women to return to the labour market and enable them to attain equal success in reaching their business goals is essential to the creation of an well-adjusted and equitable society. Providing services which allow families who are struggling to cope with everyday life is key to building solid family structures and functioning communities.

“Schools such as the Harold Primary School, which we will also visit are helping to identify the gaps that are causing difficulties where raising a family are concerned. The school is facilitating parents through the provision of after school care, which is run by professional childcare workers. This demonstrates a constructive approach to our childcare needs as the school, which is owned by the taxpayer, can deliver after school care at a significantly reduced price.

“Harold Primary School could well be used as a blueprint for the after school care needs of parents, which I will be pointing out to the Minister tomorrow during our visit. The official opening of the Cottage Cottage Home Family Support Service will acknowledge the essential family support work that is being carried out at community level. The Minister’s address to the Women in Business Alliance will do the same for female entrepreneurs and the local business community.”

Details
Date: Thursday, 25^th April 2013
Venue: The Cottage Home Family Support Service, Scoil Mhuire, Rathsallagh, Shankill
Time: 2pm
Venue: Harold Primary School, Eden Road, Glasthule,
Time: 5pm
Venue: Women in Business Alliance, Dun Laoghaire Chamber of Commerce,1 Haigh Terrace
Time: 6pm