Agenda and minutes

The Lord Mayor opened the meeting by expressing condolences on his own behalf

and on behalf of the City Council to the families and friends of the following recently

deceased :

·        The Crew of Rescue 116 who died in a crash off the County Mayo Coast on

            14th March, Dara Fitzpatrick and Mark Duffy whose bodies have been found

            and Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith who are still missing.

·        Maureen Haughey, who died Friday 17th March 2017, mother of former Lord Mayor of Dublin, Seán Haughey

·        Martin McGuinness, former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland who died Tuesday 21st March 2017

·        The people who died in London following the attacks at the Palace of Westminster on 22nd March

·        The people who died in St. Petersburg, with whom Dublin has signed a Friendship Agreement, following the blast on an underground train

All stood for a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for the deceased.

The Lord Mayor then congratulated Councillor Janice Boylan on the birth of her Baby

boy, Bródy, who was born on Sunday 19th March weighing 7lb 9ozs. He also sent

best wishes for a speedy recovery to Councillor Tina MacVeigh.

He then proceeded to thank all those involved in St. Patrick’s Festival and to

acknowledge the work of the St. Patrick’s Festival Committee. In particular he

thanked all the staff of Dublin City Council who were involved in the Festival in very

many ways. These included Dublin Fire Brigade, Chief Executive’s Department

including the Mansion House staff, the Library Service, Events Team and the Waste

Management Teams who were complemented in the media for the speed with which

they cleaned the city after the night’s festivities. He also thanked the staff of the

Waste Water Division who have responsibility for the Lord Mayor’s Coach,

particularly Joseph Reynolds, who looked after the Coach for the last time at this

Parade as he is retiring this year.

The Lord Mayor then informed the Members that the Report of the Moore Street

Consultative Group was published on Wednesday 30th March. He thanked all

involved in this work under the Chairmanship of Councillor Micheál MacDonncha.

The report will go to the Planning SPC and then to the City Council.

The Lord Mayor then went on to thank Councillors for their support during the

ongoing situation at Clerys which has been resolved. He wished the new

development the best of luck and said he looked forward to its impact on the North

Inner City. Many Members paid tribute to the Lord Mayor for his role in resolving the

situation.

            The Lord Mayor then reminded Members that there will be a Special City Council Meeting on the 18th May in relation to the Poolbeg SDZ. He proposed that the meeting would be followed by an adjourned May Monthly City Council to deal with the motions on the Agenda. Members agreed to this proposal. The Lord Mayor then congratulated the Dublin GAA Football Team on their recent win  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

It was moved by Councillor C Burke and seconded by Councillor M Flynn “That Dublin City Council approves the Dublin Chief Executive answering the questions lodged”. The motion having been put and carried, written answers to the 128 questions lodged for the City Council meeting were issued. The Questions and Answers are set out in Appendix A attached.

It was proposed by Councillor V Jackson and seconded by Councillor R McAdam “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of this letter”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor V Jackson and seconded by Councillor R McAdam “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of this letter”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor V Jackson and seconded by Councillor R McAdam “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of this letter”. The motion was put and carried.

The minutes of the Meeting of the City Council held on the 6th March 2017 having been printed, certified by the Meetings Administrator, circulated to the Members and taken as read, were signed by the Lord Mayor.

It was proposed by Councillor R McGinley and seconded by Councillor N Reilly “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No109/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor V Jackson and seconded by Councillor R McGinley “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No118/2017 and hereby approves the Revised Expenditure for 2016 as outlined therein”. The motion was put and carried.

Members requested that the Law Agent would attend the next meeting of the Finance SPC and that the report on the over-run on the cost of the Ballyfermot Leisure Centre would be circulated to all Members.

It was proposed by Councillor C Burke and seconded by Councillor D Flanagan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No108/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was moved by Councillor R McAdam and seconded by Councillor L O’Toole “That Dublin City Council notes Report No 113/2017 and hereby approves the contents therein”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor S McGrattan and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Councillor Ciaran Cuffe be appointed as a member to represent Dublin City Council on the Eastern & Midland Regional Assembly” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor S McGrattan and seconded by Councillor N Reilly “That Councillor Edel Moran be appointed as a member to the Environment Strategic Policy Committee” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor C Cuffe and seconded by Councillor D Lacey “That Councillor Claire Byrne be appointed as a member to represent Dublin City Council on the Dublin North East Regional Health Forum” The motion was put and carried. Filling of second vacancy was referred to the Protocol Committee.

It was proposed by Councillor S McGrattan and seconded by Councillor C Carney Boud “That Councillor Greg Kelly be appointed as a member to represent Dublin City Council on the City of Dublin Education and Training Board” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor S McGrattan and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Councillor Eilis Ryan be appointed as a member to the Housing Strategic Policy Committee” The motion was put and carried.

It was agreed that current vacancies will not be re-listed on future City Council Agendae unless a nominee is forthcoming.

It was proposed by Councillor P McCartan and seconded by Councillor D Flanagan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 98/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor R McGinley and seconded by Councillor M Flynn “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 130/2017”. The motion was put and carried. Members requested that a letter be sent to Minister Simon Coveney to request that he attend the next monthly City Council Meeting. They also requested that the situation in the city be addressed in this monthly report as opposed to the situation in the region as is current practice.

It was proposed by Councillor P McAuliffe and seconded by Councillor D Flanagan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 129/2017 and hereby approves the Amendment to Scheme of Lettings Priorities as set out therein subject to the following amendments to Section 4 Page 174:

·        4.1 Rent Contribution to be changed to Differential Rent

·        4.3 Transfer list to be automatic from the day they sign up to HAP”.

The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor and seconded by Councillor “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 96/2017 and hereby approves the Section 85 Agreement Regarding the Provision of Social Housing via a Public Private Partnership under the Social Housing Strategy 2020 as outlined therein” An Amendment to this motion was put forward by Councillor E Ryan and seconded by Councillor C Perry but was defeated. The original motion was then put and carried. For full text of the defeated amendment, please see Appendix B to these minutes.

It  was  proposed  by Councillor R McGinley and seconded by Councillor P McCartan “That Dublin City Council  notes  the  contents  of  Report  No  114/2017  and  hereby approves  the Supplementary Development Contribution Scheme - Luas Cross City as outlined therein subject to amendments to the ‘Administration of Levy’ paragraph which will now read as follows -

The scheme will apply from the date it is made until the 30th anniversary of that date. The scheme may be reviewed periodically by the planning authority having regard to circumstances prevailing at that time.

Dublin City Council will receive the contributions to be made under this scheme and pay them to NTA or such other body as may be authorised to perform its functions in accordance with an agreement to be made with it. Pending completion of that  agreement  Dublin City Council will retain the contributions collected and pay to NTA or such other body as may be authorised to perform its functions when the agreement is concluded. The agreement with NTA or such other body as may be authorised to perform its functions will provide that the contributions received by Dublin City Council under this scheme shall only be used for the LCC project”

The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor M Flynn and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 103/2017 and hereby approves the amendments to the format of the Dublin City Neighbourhoods Competition”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor L O’Toole and seconded by Councillor M Flynn “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 99/2017 and hereby renames Belmont Court as Woods Way/Bealach Mhic Conchoille ”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor S P Mahon and seconded by Councillor N O Muiri “It is hereby resolved that we, the Lord Mayor and members of Dublin City Council, being the Road Authority for the City of Dublin declare the roads and footpaths at The Mews, Castle Avenue, Clontarf, Dublin 3 to be public roads and footpaths as shown on Drawing R.M. 36648 in accordance with Section 11 of the Roads Act 1993.” The motion was put and carried.

It was moved by Councillor P McCartan and seconded by Councillor R McGinley “That We, the Lord Mayor and Members of Dublin City Council, being the Roads Authority for the City of Dublin and being of the opinion that the Public Right of Way at Stable Lane, off Harcourt Street, Dublin 2, as shown on the attached Drawing No R.M. 36563, is no longer required for public use, extinguish the public right of way in accordance with Section 73 of the Roads Act 1993” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor M Flynn and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 106/2017 and assents to the proposal outlined therein” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor M Flynn and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 120/2017 and assents to the proposal outlined therein” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor M Flynn and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 121/2017 and assents to the proposal outlined therein” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor M Flynn and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 122/2017 and assents to the proposal outlined therein” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor M Flynn and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 123/2017 and assents to the proposal outlined therein” The motion was put and carried.

The City Council agreed to defer consideration of this report to it’s next monthly meeting to be held on the 8th May 2017.

It was proposed by Councillor M Flynn and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 125/2017 and assents to the proposal outlined therein” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor M Flynn and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No126/2017 and assents to the proposal outlined therein” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor M Flynn and seconded by Councillor V Jackson “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 127/2017 and assents to the proposal outlined therein” The motion was put and carried.

The City Council agreed to defer consideration of this report to it’s next monthly meeting to be held on the 8th May 2017.

It was proposed by Councillor R McGinley and seconded by Councillor D Flanagan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 132/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor R McAdam and seconded by Councillor R McGinley “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 112/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor D Lacey and seconded by Councillor A Connaghan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 101/2017”. The motion was put and carried. Members requested that reports in relation to the Waste-to-Energy Plant be circulated. Also staff at the Recycling Centre on Oscar Traynor Road were commended for their efficiency and professionalism.

It was proposed by Councillor M Flynn and seconded by Councillor A Connaghan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 102/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor M Freehill and seconded by Councillor D Flanagan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 105/2017”. The motion was put and carried. Members requested that a report be circulated on staffing levels in the Environment & Transportation Dept and also a report on concerns raised by residents in relation to Luas XCity works. It was further agreed that the issue of horses & carriages in the city would be included as an item on the next agenda for this SPC.

It was proposed by Councillor N Reilly and seconded by Councillor A Connaghan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 119/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

Accordingly, it was proposed by Councillor D Lacey and seconded by Councillor R McGinley “That this Council requests the Government to progress the Coroners Bill 2015 as a matter of urgency, and to ensure that the Coroners Bill will provide for an automatic inquest into EVERY Maternal Death in the State” The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor D Flanagan and seconded by Councillor S McGrattan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 116/2017”. The motion was put and carried. The issue of the flags being flown at the Fishamble St entrance to the Civic Offices was raised and the Chief Executive agreed to report back to the City Council on this.

It was proposed by Councillor L O’Toole and seconded by Councillor A Connaghan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 110/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor R McAdam and seconded by Councillor A Connaghan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 133/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor P Bourke and seconded by Councillor P McAuliffe “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 136/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor P McAuliffe and seconded by Councillor N Reilly “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 134/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor C Ni Dhalaigh and seconded by Councillor R McHugh “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 115/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor D Lacey and seconded by Councillor A Connaghan “That Dublin City Council adopts Report No 131/2017”. The motion was put and carried

It was proposed by Councillor C Ni Dhalaigh and seconded by Councillor D De Roiste “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 117/2017”. The motion was put and carried. Members wished Assistant Garda Commissioner well in his upcoming retirement. It was agreed that the Chair of the JPC and the Lord Mayor would write to an Garda Siochana to request an update on the accuracy of statistics provided to the Dublin City JPC meetings in the past.

It was proposed by Councillor P Hand and seconded by Councillor G Kelly “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 100/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor S McGrattan and seconded by Councillor A Connaghan “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 111/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

It was proposed by Councillor D Lacey and seconded by Councillor A Feeney “That Dublin City Council notes the contents of Report No 137/2017”. The motion was put and carried.

Motion 1         COUNCILLOR TINA MACVEIGH                     Received: 24/02/2016                                                                                                 

To honour the memory of Savita Halappanavar, who tragically lost her life as a consequence of the Irish State's barbaric and antiquated attitudes to women's reproductive rights, that a street in our capital city be named in her memory.

Motion 2         COUNCILLOR LARRY O’TOOLE                    Received: 23/03/2016

That this Council reviews and considers raising the Income Threshold Limit for housing applications.

Motion 3        MOTION FROM THE NORTH WEST AREA COMMITTEE FROM THEIR   MARCH MEETING                               Received: 21/03/2016

The North West Area Committee notes the lack of transportation and infrastructure in the North West Area and welcomes any solution including the proposed Metro North.  We call for it to be given a full evaluation by the Minister.

Motion 4       COUNCILLOR ANTHONY CONNAGHAN         Received: 27/04/2016

That this Council directs the Chief Executive to provide an updated Financial Contribution Scheme to this Council with a view to presenting it to the Department of Environment as a possible solution in helping alleviate the Housing/Homeless Crisis.

Motion 5      COUNCILLOR NORMA SAMMON                     Received: 27/04/2016

                                                                                                  Replaced: 24/08/2016

That the Council sets up a Stakeholders Forum (to include Members of the public, businesses, experts in the control of birds and Council Members) to implement and review control methods for culling Herring Gulls. Herring Gulls are a nuisance throughout the city causing problems such as noise pollution, attacking people and pets, fouling, damage to property and picking apart plastic rubbish bags left for collection. This motion supports the preservation and protection of all other bird species and their habitats in accordance with Irish and EU legislation. 

Motion 6        MOTION REFERRED FROM PROTOCOL COMMITTEE  FROM MARCH MEETING                                           Received: 10/05/2016

In keeping with best practice and mindful of the connotations of the word ‘Lord’ in ‘Lord Mayor’ that this Council agrees to decommission the title ‘Lord Mayor’ and replace it with much more civic and inclusive title of ‘Civic Mayor’.  This would be in keeping with a much more democratic description and title. The days of Lords go back to a time when Ireland was under foreign rule and in many respects, it is an alien, colonialist term.  Dublin, the Capital of the Irish Republic, should assert itself and strike a new title and description for the elected chairperson and Civic Mayor of Dublin City and Council.  Perhaps a plebiscite and a ballot among City Councillors could be considered here.

Motion 7         COUNCILLOR FRANK KENNEDY                  Received:  15/05/2016

                                                                                                  Replaced: 19/03/2017

Dublin City Council laments the decision to require elected members to pay a fee in order to make a submission or observation on planning matters and resolves to write to the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government calling upon him to rectify the situation by passing the necessary amending legislation without delay.

Motion 8         COUNCILLOR CIERAN PERRY                       Received: 01/06/2016

                                                                                                  Replaced: 22/03/2017

This council calls for the immediate release of Tony Taylor and the Craigavon Two, Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton. This is a human rights issue and not one of political ideology.  ...  view the full agenda text for item 50.

“This Council instructs the Chief Executive to refrain from releasing press statements in the name of Dublin City Council that are not reflective of the agreed position of the elected members. The press statement released by the Chief Executive on 7th March in relation to the Dublin Fire Brigade dispute was contrary to the position of the elected members who passed an emergency motion at the January council meeting supporting the current Dublin Fire Brigade Emergency Medical Services. The Chief Executive is free to issue statements in the name of the Council Executive”

Submitted by Councillors C Perry, N Ring, S Stapleton, C Burke, S McGrattan and A Gilliland

“To call on the Irish government to ratify, as soon as possible, The Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs which was adopted by the Council of Europe on 9 July 2014 in order to criminalise illegal organ transplantations [1]. The Irish Government has already signed this convention, but is yet to ratify it.

To call on the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs committee to follow through on the pledge made by the Oireachtas Sub Committee on Human Rights to "investigate to the maximum extent possible" [2], persistent, credible reports of forced organ harvesting and other severe human rights abuses imposed on Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience in China.

To call on the Chinese government to end its practice of forced live organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience. And release all illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners in China”

The motion was put and carried.