Budget 2010 NEILSTOWN BOXING CLUB. Cllr. Robert Dowds Social Welfare Cutbacks Work on their premises

NEW CHILD BENEFIT RATES FAMILY INCOME SUPPLEMENT (FIS) starts in early February 2010 KEEP IN TOUCH 2009 2010 2009 2010 Children Rate Rate Family Size Current New (monthly) (monthly) Limit Limit February 2010 € € € € 1 child 166 150 1 child 500 506 2 children 332 300 2 children 590 602 3 children 535 487 3 children 685 703 4 children 738 674 4 children 800 824 5 children 941 861 5 children 920 950 6 children 1,144 1,048 6 children 1,030 1,066 7 children 1,347 1,235 7 children 1,160 1,202 8 children 1,550 1,422 8 children 1,250 1,298 KEEP PERMANENT TSB in

PERSONAL RATES QUALIFIED ADULT JOBSEEKERS ALLOWANCE ■ Rate of Jobseeker’s DON’T DAMAGE OUR VILLAGE. (under 66 yrs) Allowance or Allowance / Benefit 2009 2010 2009 2010 Supplementary Welfare Rate Rate Rate Rate Allowance paid to new Permanent TSB are intending to close Jobseeker’s Benefit/ claimants aged 20 and Illness/ Health & Safety/ 21 is being cut to €100 its Main Street, Clondalkin Branch Injury Benefit 204.30 196.00 135.60 130.10 per week with effect from January 2010. Widow’s/Widower’s next March. We have already lost the (Contributory) Pension/ ■ Rate of Jobseeker’s Deserted Wives Benefit 209.80 201.50 Allowance or Bank of Ireland. Banks leaving the Vil- Supplementary Welfare Carer’s Benefit/Constant Allowance paid to new Attendance Allowance 221.20 213.00 claimants aged 22, 23 lage damage it as a Commercial and Invalidity Pension 209.80 201.50 149.70 143.80 and 24 years is being cut to €150 per week Social Centre. We don’t like this. Disablement Pension 235.40 227.00 with effect from January 2010. Jobseeker’s Allowance/ The Permanent TSB, like other banks, has Pre-retirement/ ■ The personal rate of been hugely supported by us, the public, Supplementary Welfare 204.30 196.00 135.60 130.10 Jobseeker’s Allowance Our Water Shortages. and basic One Parent Family 204.30 196.00 Supplementary Welfare PLEASE DON’T WASTE WATER. to get out of their self-inflicted difficul- Allowance will be cut to Widow’s/Widower’s €150 per week where If some people didn’t waste water, we’d have no (Non Contributory) job offers or activation restrictions at this stage. ties. Closing their local branch in favour of Pension/Deserted Wife’s measures have been Allowance 204.30 196.00 On the last week-end in January when restrictions refused. were lifted water consumption went up Liffey Valley is no way to Carer’s Allowance 220.50 212.00 TREATMENT BENEFIT by 10,000 megalitres over that week-end. This led to the restrictions being put back on again. thank us. Disability Allowance/ ■ Treatment Benefit Blind Pension 204.30 196.00 135.60 130.10 scheme will be limited in We have been collecting signatures for 2010 to the Medical and To improve access to people about Water Shortage Maternity/ Surgical Appliances information I have asked our petition which has huge public support. Adoptive Benefit (minimum) 230.30 225.80 scheme and the free the County Council to regularly update its website, Adoptive Benefit (maximum) 280.00 270.00 examinations provided www.southdublin.ie for under Dental and Guardian’s Payment 176.50 169.00 and to improve the telephone system Optical Benefits. when people have a problem. PLEASE SIGN THE PETITIONS IN LOCAL SHOPS TO KEEP THE CLONDALKIN PERMANENT TSB BRANCH OPEN. Cllr. Robert Dowds Contact Points e-mail: [email protected] Web. www.labour.ie/robertdowds NEWLANDS CROSS Tel. 01-4594583 / 087-6520360 News has come through that work will begin Advice Centre: Each Wednesday at 3.30pm in Clondalkin Civic Offices, again on building a fly-over at Newlands Cross opposite Mill Centre. Write to Cllr. Dowds at South County Council, , Dublin 24. in late 2010. This is good news in that it will ease journeys between Clondalkin and Tallaght and remove the traffic jams at Newlands Cross. Margaret McCarthy Contact Points The down side for people living near New- Area Representative - North Clondalkin Tel. 086-0710921 lands Cross is that the National Roads Author- e-mail: [email protected] ity (N.R.A.) has chosen that the Naas Road will cross over the Belgard/Fonthill Road on Your Local LABOUR T.D. is JOANNA TUFFY. the grounds of being the cheaper option. Tel. 01-6183822 or Unit 4A Tower Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. Monday and Tuesday 10am – 1pm. 3 – 5pm Tel. 01-4575678. This will add to noise locally. Regretfully the N.R.A. did not listen to Coun- [email protected] ty Council’s request that the Naas Road be brought under the Belgard/Fonthill Road. LOCAL NEWS LOCAL NEWS

SENIOR CITIZEN FACILITY - ORCHARD LANE. CORKAGH PARK. GRANGEVIEW. This facility is built but still needs to be kitted out with furniture, water and sanitation. 1). A welcome development in Corkagh Park has been Following requests from residents, I have asked that the ille- I am hugely frustrated the facility is not up and running. the arrival of animals and birds to entertain and inform gal dumping of waste just inside the entrance to the Estate To try to get it open I have done the following things:- children. Well done to all behind this initiative. is monitored and removed. This is being done which I hope 1. I have convened meetings with all the interested groups. will lead to this anti-social activity being halted. 2. Along with these groups we have persuaded the Clondalkin Partnership (CPLN) to 2). Corkagh Park Fishing Lakes. In recent months the become the lead organisation to run the facility provided it can be properly kitted out. fishing lakes in Corkagh have not been running very 3. Appeals have been made to the Junior Minister in the Dept. of Community Affairs, successfully. The Company involved, Mack Trading Ltd., John Curran, T.D. to come up with c. ¤115,000. to finish the job. has ceased its involvement. It is to be hoped that whoever takes over will get the fishing lakes up and BALGADDY – Foxdene, Meile an Ri, Tor an Ri, Buirg an Ri. running successfully again as previously they were Along with a number of other Local Councillors I very popular with anglers. have regularly been raising the following issues in relation to these Estates. TACKLING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR. 1). Getting the Estates finished off and the snags Sadly too many people in both Private and Council Estates suffer a great deal due to the anti-social activity and to the houses completed. Some progress has been made here though a lot more needs to be sometimes intimidation of a small number of neighbours. The Housing (Miscellaneous) Act 1997 gives powers to County Councils done. (up to and including eviction) to deal with anti-social behaviour among tenants. This law does not apply to many people living in Private Rented Accommodation. I have again had a Motion passed 2). Getting a Residents’ Group up and run- by South Dublin County Council asking the Minister for the Environment to pass Legislation so that any ning. This has started and is being led by CPLN disruptive tenants in Private Rented Houses can be stopped from disrupting their neighbours one way or another. (Clondalkin Partnership). Let me know if you ST. CUTHBERT’S PARK. This is so that all Residents, whether tenants or owner occupiers, can live their lives in peace. would like to get involved. The powers of the Housing (Miscellaneous) Act, 1997 need to be updated too, a request which has also gone to the Minister. There were plans to install a limited number of I hope the Minister will act on this occasion. 3. Litter – I have regularly asked that litter be lights in St. Cuthbert’s Park to enable people to walk from removed and that, where possible, the culprits Melrose Estate through toLindisfarne at are caught. night. Much to my annoyance the Parks Department CULTURAL FESTIVAL in CLONDALKIN is trying to back away from this plan. Cllr. Dowds recommends that South Dublin County Council organise a Cultural Festival in Clondalkin for Autumn 2010. I will continue to press for the lights to be put REPLY – The Council through its Community Services Dept. will lead the development of a Festival that includes 3 TON RESTRICTION ON MAIN ROAD in place as requested by many local people. Culture in Clondalkin in September 2010, subject to the availability of the necessary finance. The Council proposes THROUGH WOODFORD. to participate in a Local Festival Committee to facilitate the seeding of the Festival in its first year. This follows a At the request of Cllr. Robert Dowds a request to Community Development Model where the aim is to support an independent and sustainable Festival. exclude vehicles of 3 Tons and more in weight from the TRAFFIC ISLANDS IN LAUREL PARK. The Council also supports the development of the Seo, Clondalkin Intercultural Film Club and its Main Road through Woodford has been passed screening throughout the year. These are to be welcomed. The reason they were by Dublin County Council (Jan. 2010 meeting). installed so rapidly was because a small amount of money Our decision now goes to the Gardai who have was left in last year’s budget and this the final say on the matter. (Note – if such a restriction is covered the cost of doing the work. DOWDS CALLS ON MINISTER CURRAN TO REVERSE CLOSURE OF put in place, it will not prevent lorries doing COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. deliveries, buses will be allowed in too within the Woodford/Knockmitten area.) PROTECTION OF FIELD BETWEEN I am deeply dismayed that funding for the North Clondalkin Community FLORAVILLE & MONASTERY RISE. Development Project (NCCDP) has been withdrawn. I am relieved that funding Cllr. Robert Dowds has asked the County Council to erect for the Dolcain Project in South-West Clondalkin has belatedly been a bollard at the Monastery Rise end of this field to prevent restored. I am appealing to Minister Curran to restore the funding to the cars from driving in. The Parks Department are considering NCCDP as has happened with the Dolcain Project. whether this can be done. Come on Minister – Look After your Local Communities.