We are close neighbours and need to find a solution that holds the peace process and the good relationships that have been so hard won. Brexit is going to hurt us all - and as political leaders you need to take responsibility for the avoiding making the situation worse than it needs to be,

As per the Irish Times article on November 29th by Kitty Holland, homelessness among single adults is up 44% in the Midlands in the year since October 2016 and this shelter, having already cut its staffing is now facing closure (1). The assertion by the Department of Housing that "the needs of regions are kept under review on an ongoing basis" and "it will help to meet the costs faced by housing bodies." is clearly not of any value here. This shelter which also serves the needs of people in Laois, Longford and Offaly needs to be kept open and Midlands Simon has to be given concrete assurances that it will receive adequate funding as a matter of urgency. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/sole-westmeath-homeless-shelter-likely-to-close-over-funding-1.3308697

7 people have died on the streets of Dublin in the past 12 weeks. In our towns and cities there are thousands of people facing the winter without a roof over their heads - sleeping in cars, in tents, doorways, under bushes. Emergency accommodation is needed for everyone and must be made a priority this winter.

It is obvious that the vote of the Irish student is very powerful, with over 20,000 students registering to vote in the Marriage Equality referendum in 2015, making it the largest turnout in twenty years since the divorce referendum in 1995. This is why the referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment must not take place in June or later, when students go abroad to work or travel. Over 18,000 students have registered to vote so far. More will register with an RFA2 form, to be a part of the supplementary register (which requires a Garda witness). Students have been politicised by Ireland’s restrictive laws, and are the agents of change. The 18,000+ votes count in this fight for bodily autonomy. And this is why the referendum must be in May of 2018.

The planning committee have a duty to represent ratepayers and seek to establish if these are unlawful decisions. These decisions may be unlawful if there has been no study of the combined health impacts on the people living in the area. Downwind, and in the six miles between these two developments, lie the homes of tens of thousands of people, as well as recreational water bodies, holiday sites and the shores of Belfast Lough. The human cost of poor air quality is huge causing the deaths of more people per year, in Northern Ireland, than passive smoking or road accidents combined and costing the NHS over £20 billion per year. (1) At a time when the World Health Organisation are saying that the greater Belfast area air already exceeds safe levels by 20% we deserve a cumulative health impact study before any further work proceeds. (2) Read more on FB @Stop the Newtownabbey Pig Factory & Stop Hightown Waste Incinerator 1. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/belfast-air-pollution-levels-among-the-worst-in-uk-35636923.html 2. http://breathelife2030.org/ 3 https://ukhumanrightsblog.com/2017/11/13/air-quality-breaches-stops-development-which-threatened-to-exacerbate-them/

We do not want to minimise the damage Brexit will cause to our communities and to the whole of Northern Ireland. We are deeply worried about destabilising our peace process. We need to save our tourism and farming industries.

Anong many reasons why the residents object are: - The present traffic problem is not due to the roundabout itself, but the backed-up traffic towards town on the Headford Road. - Redesigning the junction does not address this issue at all - €1.2million will be spent - Additional lanes added to four arms of the junction, yet the capacity increase wil be only 15% - Public (and private) green space will be taken - Mature trees felled - Compulsory Purchase will take years to complete - Commercial interests in the area damaged - All local residents will be hugely inconvenienced and in the case of those in the immediate vicinity totally isolated - There will be nine sets of lights in the short stretch from Ballinfoile church to the Courthouse.

We believe - and all evidence suggests - that homelessness is caused by an absence of public housing, by evictions, and by sky-rocketing rents. It is offensive to homeless people to suggest in any way that they themselves are the cause of their homelessness - rather than the landlord who upped their rent or evicted them, or the local authority that hasn't built any new houses in years. Homeless people need to have faith in the services they depend on. We want Eileen Gleeson to apologise and retract her comments, as a start to restoring some small level of trust.

Dublin Region Homeless Executive should be a body that understands homelessness, that supports homeless individuals and their needs. Recent comments by Ms Gleeson show a lack of empathy and understanding of homeless individuals and families [1] stating that homelessness is a result of bad behaviour. Saying that volunteers who offer soup or tents are being unhelpful shows that Ms Gleeson is only focussed on homelessness as a problem to society rather than a symptom of society. These public comments do not reflect the person-centred approach advocated by the Homeless Executive's mission and show that Ms Gleeson is unfit to lead an organisation that so badly needs to embody a more humane approach to their cause. NOTES: [1] https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/tents-and-soup-will-not-fix-homeless-emergency-1.3291978

The current National Youth StrAtegy 'Brighter Futures -Better Outcomes' does not include any intercultural focus. This therefore neglects hundreds of youth in Ireland. Groups affected Intercultural youth groups, international students, migrant youth, children born from migrant parents, mixed ethnicity youth, ethnic minorities excluding Traveller &Roma communities.

Profiting from the incarceration of vulnerable peoples is not in line with Trinity’s statement that they “will fearlessly engage in actions that advance the cause of a pluralistic, just, and sustainable society”. Aramark’s actions should not be tolerated or endorsed by the college. This termination of contract must occur at the next available break clause. If replaced, the replacement must be a contractor that is not involved in the direct provision system. Aramark Ltd. have gone from being a relatively obscure American company in Ireland to being at the forefront of Dublin life. They recently purchased Avoca Ltd., as well as having new catering contracts with Trinity College Dublin in the new Westland East food court and Dundrum Shopping Centre. Aramark received €5.2 million in investment from the Irish government in 2016 for services to three direct provision centres - Kinsale Road in Co. Cork, Lissywollen in Co. Meath, and Knockalisheen in Co. Limerick. Residents of these centres do not feel that this large sum is being invested responsibly. In 2015 residents carried out a brief hunger strike in the Aramark run centre in Knockalisheen, Co. Limerick, after some were hospitalized as a result of the poorly produced food. A year earlier a hunger strike occurred in the Lissywollen Accommodation Centre in Athlone, Co. Meath, also run by Aramark- this time due to small portion sizes, poor hygiene, and unacceptable living standards. By continuing their contract with Aramark the board of Trinity College Dublin are supporting these inhumane conditions, and are ignoring the voices of some of the most vulnerable people in society. We need to give asylum seekers their basic human rights by providing them with decent food, housing, and acceptance in our country. 1 - https://www.tcd.ie/strategy/strategic-plan-201419.pdf 2 - http://www.universitytimes.ie/2016/11/as-part-of-new-deal-three-new-food-outlets-to-replace-westland-cafe/ 3 - https://www.businessworld.ie/news/New-Chopped-outlet-for-UCD-567576.html 4 - https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/state-paid-43-5m-to-eight-direct-provision-operators-in-2016-1.2987004 5 - http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/local-news/198585/Hunger-strike-at-Knockalisheen-asylum-centre.html 6 - https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/asylum-seekers-refuse-food-in-protest-over-conditions-at-direct-provision-centre-1.1918296?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fsocial-affairs%2Fasylum-seekers-refuse-food-in-protest-over-conditions-at-direct-provision-centre-1.1918296

We need to do everything we can to help support people to stay in their homes.