Minutes:
Ø Clancy Chain:
The duplicate Clancy Chain has been acquired by the Mansion House and is now in operation. The original chain will be used for events in the Mansion House. The Duplicate will be made available to those deputising for the Lord Mayor. As committed the Mansion House will courier the Duplicate Chain to Councillors on request. Given the volume of sometime overlapping commitments the Mansion House is investigating the acquisition of a second chain.
Order: Noted
Ø Remedial works in City Hall:
The repairs to the ceiling of the Supper Room in City Hall are almost complete and the room will be back in use for the October Council meeting. The Manager thanked the Members for their patience during the process. Unfortunately these works have led to the rescheduling of the provision of the parenting room and works on the cloakroom adjacent to the photocopying area. These will be rescheduled as soon as feasible.
Order: Noted
Ø City Hall - Ground Floor and Basement Uses:
The Chief Executive has commissioned a review of the current Exhibition in the basement area and the current uses of the Rotunda. When complete the recommendations of this report will be made available to the committee.
Order: Noted
Ø Members’ Room (Civic Offices):
As previously discussed a room has been made available in Civic Office at the request of this Committee. The room is for the exclusive use of Members in Block 2 floor 1 (adjacent to Housing Welfare area) and will allow Members to have a place between appointments or meetings in the Civics. This room will be available by swipe and contains seating, working area, charging facilities, fridge and tea/coffee making facilities. It is not deemed to be a meeting room as it will always be accessible to all Members. Other than Members it will only be accessible by Cleaning Staff and Security staff.
Order: The Members welcomed the new facility and requested that a shredder be installed in the room also.
Ø Clarification on Standing Order 26:
A Motion may be proposed either by the Member in whose name it stands, or, if they are absent, by any Member authorised in writing, to propose it on their behalf. If a Councillor is absent and wishes to have their motion deferred they must inform the chair of the committee in writing.
Order: Noted and Members to be made aware of the procedure.
Ø Protocol Motion on the title of Lord Mayor:
The Council agreed to request the City Council’s Public Participation Network to place the matter on their agenda and consult with their member organisations and to report back to the Council through the Local Community Development Committee and Protocol Committee. The Secretariat of the PPN met on 11th September and indicated they would be delighted to consult with PPN members on the amended motion. However, they felt that the wording of the motion is unclear. They would like to request that Dublin City Council compile a short questionnaire based on the motion which could be sent to the 633 groups currently registered with the PPN.
Order: The Members agreed not to move forward at this time with the survey as the Minister has indicated there are proposals in the pipeline in relation to a directly elected major for Dublin. Members felt they would like to see these proposals before proceeding.
Ø The Manager informed the Member’s that Councillor Paul Hand had requested that an issue relating to Council Questions be raised. Cllr Hand was not satisfied with a response to a Council question which he believed was deliberately misinterpreted so as to not provide a full and comprehensive reply. The Manager informed Members that it was not the role of Council staff to interpret Council questions. Members should frame their questions in a comprehensive manner to ensure that officials can provide them with all the information that they require.
Order: Noted