I am honoured to receive such a strong mandate from the people of Castleknock, Blanchardstown, Carpenterstown, Mountview, Clonsilla and North Lucan and I am delighted to be elected. I look forward to providing the proactive and committed representation that the people in this constituency deserve. 

The promise that all local authorities would receive 80% of the property tax raised in 2014 has been broken and there is no direct link this year between the property taxes that are paid and the services received by householders. Fingal County Council has raised over 40 million euro in property taxes and not one red cent is being reinvested back into our communities. This is a shameful u-turn when basic local services in Blanchardstown and Castleknock are scarcely being provided.

I made a speech on Saturday the 22nd of March on the importance of rebuilding Community Policing and supporting Community Based Policing Initiatives. 

Resolution: That this Ard Fheis calls for a refocusing of resources into community based policing initiatives in order to reassure communities affected by crime and antisocial behaviour

The National Transport Authority has initiated a public consultation process for a “Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – Core Dublin Network.” There is a proposal to create a route from Blanchardstown via Castleknock to UCD.

Fingal County Council recently published a public consultation regarding a proposal to construct a cycle lane through Blanchardstown and Castleknock Villages to the Phoenix Park. It is important that people locally have substantive input into such proposals and I would encourage all residents to read the proposal. 

If you want further information on this or if you want me to make a representation on your behalf please do not hesitate to contact me.

Further information can be found at: www.fiannafail.ie/fingalpublicconsultations

I have also outlined further detail from Fingal County Council regarding the proposal below:

I welcome the announcement from the Health Service Executive to provide funding for full time beds in St. Francis Hospice from 2014. The funding has been incorporated in the HSE's service plan for 2014 and I hope this commitment is honoured in full. St. Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown was built and developed to provide palliative care to patients in the final period of their lives. This multi-faceted service provides dignity, support and care to families and their loved ones. Funding from the HSE will enable the hospice to provide full time beds in addition to its current day care and community based home care. This announcement is a victory for community activism and the work and endeavour of so many members of our community in fundraising, progressing and driving this initiative must be remembered. 

I am delighted to announce that I will be opening a Local Office in the Laurel Lodge Shopping Centre in the New Year. I hope to run clinics from the office on a regular basis from January 2014 and to provide the active representation that the people in this constituency deserve.

I welcome the recent announcement from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs that funding is being provided for a new Youth Cafe at Castleknock Community Centre in Laurel Lodge. I attended the AGM of the Castleknock Community Centre early in 2013 and having spoken to members involved in this project there has been a significant volume of work, effort and time spent within the community progressing this project over the last number of years. I am delighted that funding is now being provided so this project can be brought to full fruition. The Youth Cafe will add an extra dimension for young people in the community locally and I hope it grows and progresses into the future.

From the 15th of July Iarnród Éireann/Irish Rail increased the car parking charges for commuters using the train by between 25 and 33 percent. This is a significant added cost that is a further barrier to the use of public transport. I have been in contact with a number of residents locally who have parking issues around the train stations and this regressive measure will unfortunately add to the traffic congestion and parking issues in many estates in Clonsilla, Coolmine and Castleknock. If you have any queries or concerns in relation to the Transport Network in Dublin West I would be happy to articulate and represent these issues on your behalf.

There is a significant shortage of grave plots locally and this is a growing issue causing concern to many residents. Many locals are unfortunately being faced with the logistical difficulty of having to bury their family members in different counties bordering Dublin West. Fingal County Council have not made any provision to deal with this issue and in my role as an Area Representative I will do my best to advocate on behalf of residents who strongly feel that a new graveyard is needed locally.