www.aodhanoriordain.ie now live.

Hi there,

This blog-site is no longer active.

My new website is live as of January 15th 2013.

Please revert to www.aodhanoriordain.ie.

Kind Regards,

Aodhán

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD
Dublin Bay North

NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON.

Dear Resident,

My new website is currently under construction. 

In the meantime you can stay in contact with me online at:

• labour.ie/aodhanoriordain
• twitter.com/aodhanoriordain
• facebook.com/aodhanoriordain

Thanks for taking the time to visit this site.

Aodhán

STATEMENT BY AODHÁN Ó RÍORDÁIN
Labour Party TD for Dublin North Central
Sunday, 16^th September 2012

'SHAME' PREVENTING ELDERLY REPORTING ROGUE WORKMEN

Labour TD for Dublin North Central, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has spoken of the growing problem of rogue workmen targeting elderly people, and this issue being complicated further by their victims' reluctance in reporting their experience.

“Residents at one of my Community Policing Forum meetings in Drumcondra last week spoke of neighbours being exploited for hundreds of euro for menial jobs by rogue workmen, but being too embarrassed to report it to the Gardaí.'

'Often when an elderly person knows that they have been conned, the sense of embarrassment or shame can prevent them from informing neighbours or reporting the incident to the Gardaí.'

'Unfortunately this has the unintentional effect of allowing such workmen to continue to abuse the confidence of other elderly neighbours'.

'It is important to send the message that all reporting such incidents to the Gardaí is incredibly important, and that there is no shame in making a mistake.'

'Age Action Ireland also offer a 'Care and Repair' service which offers free household jobs completed by reputable workmen with Garda Clearance.'

'I encourage residents to keep an eye on their elderly neighbours during these uncertain times as the number of burglaries continue to rise in Dublin and across the country.'

ENDS

STATEMENT BY AODHÁN Ó RÍORDÁIN TD 

Vice-Chair of Education and Social Protection Committee

Labour Party TD, Dublin North Central

Sunday, September 9th, 2012

PATRON BODIES MUST DO MORE TO REDUCE BACK-TO-SCHOOL COSTS FOR PARENTS - Ó RÍORDÁIN 

Vice-Chair of the Education and Social Protection Committee Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD has stated that representatives of the School Patron Bodies will be invited before the committee to discuss the ongoing problem of back-to-school costs.

"Recent figures have shown that the number of families applying for the Back to School Allowance have doubled since 2007, which clearly indicates that thousands of families are now struggling under the weight of school costs. A Barnardos survey published this summer showed that the average cost of sending a child to senior infants is €355, while the average cost of sending a child to first year in secondary school is now €770."

"Many of the costs incurred by parents are unnecessarily high and it requires more leadership from school Patron Bodies and Boards of Management to reduce these expenses which many parents cannot afford.'

"There are many areas that school leaders must address as a matter of urgency:

• Uniform costs must be monitored more closely
• Book rental schemes must be better utilised
• Concerns over Voluntary Contributions must also be addressed

"We hope to discuss these matters with the various patron bodies in the coming weeks, and I would encourage parents to make their own views known to their respective Boards of Management so as to encourage change."

ENDS

Contact Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD at 086-8190336

High Court decision on forced labour shows urgent need for legislative action

Issued : Friday 31 August, 2012

Statement by Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD

Today's High Court decision to quash an award of €92,000 made by the Labour Court in respect of a Pakistani Chef shows the urgent need for amending legislation to be introduced to ensure that this legal loophole in respect of forced labour is permanently closed.

It is a disgrace that the employer in this case has succeeded in walking away with this decision, and it is now the responsibility of the political system to respond.

I welcome the actions of the judge in forwarding his decision to the relevant office-holders within the Oireachtas.

I have previously raised the issue on the floor of the Dáil* and it is now clear that the Employment Permits Act of 2003 needs immediate revision and necessary amendments need to be made.

I intend to bring such amended legislation to the floor of the Dáil at the earliest opportunity in the coming weeks and to again raise the matter with the Minister for Justice.

It is also now clear that a specific stand alone offence against forced labour is now required.

It is an insult to our Republic that effective slavery continues in this country and that our courts are seemingly powerless to stop it.

* Aodhán previously speaking in the Dáil on the rights of migrant workers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJOWz5OJ7mI)

* Aodhán addressing protest outside Dáil on issue of Forced Labour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_K9cgAAVfc

Update for Ardmore Montrose Residents:

 

Beaumont Hospital Building Works

The building works being carried out on the new Psychiatric Unit in Beaumount Hospital are causing considerable distress to residents on Ardmore Drive.

There are some worries that the proposed road to the rear of the Unit will lead to noise pollution, an invasion of privacy, loss of amenity, security fears and health issues arising from vehicular fumes.

I have attended two meetings at this location with residents and have written to the project manager at the site to seek an immediate meeting to discuss these concerns.

In the meantime the planning enforcement section of Dublin City Council are investigating the site to see if the works comply with the Planning Permission received.

I will continue to work with hospital management, the Ardmore Montrose Residents Association and the local homeowners to come to a reasonable accommodation.

Naniken Flooding Concerns

In July 10^th on the floor of Dáil Éireann I again raised the matter of flooding concerns in Artane and in particular:

·         The lack of progress on works relating to the hydraulic analysis

·         The problems home-owners continue to experience with insurance companies

I am in constant contact with the Drainage and Engineering Division of Dublin City Council seeking a long-term solution to this issue which affects residents in Ardmore/Montrose but also in Maryfield Crescent and further afield.

If you are having difficulties with your insurance company in relation to flood or house insurance please make sure you contact me as soon as possible. I have been assured that negotiations are continuing with the Insurance Federation but the OPW require concrete examples in order to press the case further.

(Please Turn Over)

Number 14 Bus

Residents will be aware of the successful campaign that I engaged in with local residents to save the route of the 20B bus which has now been re-named the 14.

A number of residents have contacted me with concerns over the new service relating to time-keeping and the new direction of the service in the city centre.

Dublin Bus have committed to maintaining contact with local residents to iron out any initial problems that the residents may have.

Please contact my office at any time if you have experienced difficulties with the number 14 service and these concerns will be forwarded to Dublin Bus representatives.

24 McDonalds Drive-Thru

An Bord Pleanála have recently given McDonalds Restaurant in Artane permission to open their Drive-Thru service 24 hours a day. This is despite objections from local residents and myself who were concerned at the distribution this would cause for the immediate community.

McDonald’s Headquarters have informed me that the management of the restaurant and its Drive-Thru is the responsibility of the local restaurant management structure.

Although the permission has been given by An Bord Pleanála, McDonalds may not choose to exercise that permission. A meeting has been sought with local McDonalds management to discuss the matter further.

Congratulations to Artane-Beaumont FC

Artane Beaumont FC recently celebrated their 25 year anniversary with an enjoyable evening in the Artane-Beaumont Recreation Centre which I was delighted to support.

I firmly believe that it is important to support all local sporting clubs and they constantly need mentors and managers to keep their various under-age teams going.

Here’s looking forward to another 25 successful years!

Weekly Advice Centre September-July

My weekly Advice Centre in Kilmore West Community Centre takes a break for August but re-opens on Friday September 7^th 2012.

If there is any matter of concern to you or your community that you wish to discuss please do not hesitate to call into my advice centre, or to contact my constituency office.

Rise in Student Numbers Sitting Higher Level Maths

I am delighted to see that the number of students sitting higher level maths is up by 35% - making it a new record. This year 22.1% of all maths students took the higher level paper, compared to 15.8% last year. This dramatic increase can clearly be attributed to the new 25 bonus points for all those who achieve a D3 or higher in the subject, as well as the continued roll-out of Project Maths.

The Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn must be credited for driving this reform. Although perceived as difficult, maths is an extremely important subject and is relevant to many career choices. The tremendous work done to encourage students to take up higher level maths will no doubt pay dividends for the Irish economy down the line.

I would like to extend my best wishes to all Leaving Certificate students and wish them well in their wait for the CAO announcements next week.