Junior Football Pitch Charges Double In Two Years

Junior football teams have come under heavy financial pressure since August with a hefty and un-foreseen rise in field charges levied by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council. Two years ago the charges for pitch allocation were £250 per club annu-ally. In August 1999 this was increased to £350 and this August these charges went up to £500. This means that junior football clubs have seen an un-precedented and totally un-foreseen 100% increase in pitch allocation fees in two years.

This situation has caused a great deal of concern among secretaries of local junior football clubs who are planning to protest to the Council. A spokesman for one club, Seaford Rock United said, "We are self- financ-ing clubs and our only in-come is from running draws and charging mem-bers subscription fees. The costs of running a club are high. We pay hundreds of pounds a year for League fees. Referee costs, costs of gear and laundry cost which are as much as £14 a week have to be consid-ered among other costs. For the fees we pay to the Council we get the grass cut several times a year and the Council inspects the pitch to see if it is in a state fit to play on."

The spokesman for Seafort Rock Football Club; said what he would like to know is why these in-creases have been applied. He added that if the current charges were frozen, with-out any further increases in the future, this would help the already struggling ju-nior clubs.

A spokesman for the Council, however stated that the increase in fees reflected the need to pay for the cost of Council ser-vices. He added that the council already subsidises School's football by not levying charges for this. He was unable to say whether charges would again be in-creased at the same rate next year.

Fees actually increased by 71% between 1998 and 1999. From 1999 to 2000 the fees increased by 70% .If this rate of increase continues to be applied fees could soar to £850 by next year.

Withdrawal Of 86 Bus Causes Distress

Olivia Mitchell, TD, Fine Gael Spokesperson on traffic has criticised Dublin Bus for withdrawing a key south Dublin bus service.

"It is highly inconsiderate of Dublin Bus to withdraw a bus service just before the school term begins and after parents have made school selection choices based on exist-ing bus services."

"Many parents are now left high and dry with no way of getting their children to the many south Dublin secondary schools which were served by the No 86.'

'Although it was a very sparse schedule of services the 86 was a vital service in that, before it headed into the city it also provided one of the few orbital services in south Dublin. It also served areas like Foxrock, Leopardstown and Kilmacud, large parts of which have no other bus services.'

She concluded, 'Dublin Bus maintain this route was with-drawn because it was 'financially unviable.' If it was unvi-able this was not due to lack of potential passengers but it was due to the infrequency of the schedule. Most people are too busy nowadays to organise their lives around an infrequent service. If the number of buses on this route had been trebled instead of abandoned altogether it would have attracted many more passengers and provided a real alternative to the private car for many commuters. I would ask Dublin Bus to reinstate the school service.'

Gilmore Calls For Control of Road Works

Labour's Eamon Gilmore has accused Minister for the Environment, Noel Dempsey of reneging on a promise to deal with the continuos digging up of the roads. This follows on from a newspaper report which revealed that there are now 11 telecommunications companies digging up the streets of Dublin.

Mr Gilmore said," Last April I pointed out that at present, these companies do not have to apply for planning permission and are only required to get a Road Opening Permit from the local authority. This arrangement dates from a time when there were only a few 'statutory undertakers' as they are called, and these were all state bodies, such as the ESB, P&T and the local authorities.'

'I argued that this unregulated road digging was chaotic, it was causing huge traffic problems, it was destroying roads and footpaths and was costing the tax payer a fortune, while the owners of these companies were becoming millionaires.'

'Minister Dempsey refused to accept the Labour Party amendments to the Planning Bill which would have resolved the problem. He did however, acknowledge that I had made a strong case and that he would consider separate legislation to deal with it. I urged him to do so quickly because most of the road digging would occur in the immediate aftermath of deregulation.I am calling on him to clarify what he intends to do to release Dublin from the scourge of road digging.'

Andrews Welcomes Drop In Local Hospital Waiting Lists

Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdown Councillor Barry Andrews has welcomed the news from the Minister for Health and Children, Michael Martin TD that waiting lists for medical procedures in St Michael's' Hospital and St Vincent's Hospital have fallen.

"The latest figures which cover the period from March to June 2000 show that in St Michael's Hospital in Dun Laoghaire the number of patients on the waiting lists went down by 27, while the number of patients on the waiting list in St Vincent's Hospital dropped by 70, a drop of 55 for the period from December 1999 to June a2000' said the Councillor.

'This drop in the waiting list afigures is very wel-come. I am confident that this trend will continue over the coming months and years. Healthcare is a pri-ority for this Government and these figures reflect the work that has been in-vested in this area', added Barry Andrews M.C.C.

Earlier this year the Minister for Health and Children announced a blitz on waiting lists, which saw an investment of £10 mil-lion nationally. Procedures which were targeted in-clude Ear, Nose and Throat, Orthopaedic, Ophthalmology, Plastics and Vascular.

'Since the beginning of this year, the national waiting list has fallen by 5000 and looks set to continue its downward spiral', con-cluded Cllr. Andrews.

New Classes in Dun Laoghaire to aid the Deaf

Hearing loss is usually difficult to reverse but special classes are now available in Dun Laoghaire to maximise what is left. These are organised by the National Association for the Deaf and the Irish Hard of Hearing Association.

These hearing help and lip-reading classes give essential support to hearing aid users and to everyone whose hearing has deteriorated.

Since 1997, lip-reading teachers have been trained in Dublin to deliver these classes. In a hearing help class, people will to:

Find out more about the sophisticated equipment on the market here to help with doorbells, telephones, smoke/burglar alarms and all the other sound systems which you cannot hear as well- if at all- as you did before your loss of hearing.

Meet others socially and make friends.

Rebuild confidence and be assertive.

Learn to cope in difficult listening situations, e.g. eating out, attending meetings, travelling, going to the bank, hospital, hairdressers etc.

Learn lip-reading skills.

Have lots of fun!

Brigid Mc Sweeney of the Irish Association for the Deaf says, "Classes to maximise hearing are a new concept here, but are well established in countries such as the USA. The classes started in Dun Laoghaire last year and will be restarting in October. So far we have had a terrific response and many people have said they have really improved their lives."

Classes will recommence in October at the Boylan Centre, Sussex Street, Dun Laoghaire on Thursdays from 7.30- 9.30pm and in the Hanley Centre.( The Mews, Eblana avenue, Dun Laoghaire) on Fridays from 10.30- 12.30 pm.

For more information contact Brigid or Emma, The National Association for Deaf People,Tel: 8723800

Dublin Taxi Children's Day Out

The 4oth Dublin Taxi driver's' Children's Day Out took place on 12th September. Over 1000 children took part in the trip. Adshel, the leading street furniture specialists, have recently unveiled the prototype of Dublin's new taxi shelters. To mark the occasion they decided to auction the initial use of the advertising panels on the shelter and donate the money to the Taxi Driver's Children's Day Out. The £3000 raised was presented to Mikey O'Hanlon and Sam Boyle, as representative of all the children who will benefit.

Loreto Abbey Dalkey Jubilee Year Pilgrimage

To celebrate their Jubilee Year, 500 students and staff from Loreto Abbey Secondary School, Dalkey, participated in a pilgrimage through the monastic city in Glendalough on September 15th.

The pilgrimage took the group through the monastic city and Laragh, stopping at spiritual places en route for prayer and song and concluded in a special fun filled cele-bration of faith in St Kevin's Church in Glendalough. A cross and banners made by students added a festive atmo-sphere to the procession.

Dr Dolores Mc Kenna, Principal of Loreto Abbey said, 'There has been tremendous interest in the Jubilee Year amongst our young people and this pilgrimage provided an ideal opportunity for them to participate actively in it.'

Each student on the Dalkey Pilgrimage was presented with a specially commissioned Jubilee T-shirt designed by 6th year students, a New Testament and a book mark to commemorate the event.