Planning permission has been given to build Irelands tallest building and monster hotel on top of The Port Of Cork Buildings. They plan to build this skyscraper will cover up and destroy the Port buildings, which are the most historical, prominent, visually beautiful buildings in Cork City. The Port of Cork Buildings are listed buildings, they are supposed to be protected. They were constructed during the Napoleonic Wars by the prisoners of Spike Island more than 200 years ago. They are in such an important piece of strategic land in the centre of the city and on the historic waterfront. These are the first buildings we see when we arrive in Cork. They have the possibility to make this city very special. These are a unique set of buildings and part of our cultural and historical maritime heritage - of international interest. If this huge development goes ahead the character of Cork will be lost forever. Cork City Council has been allowing many historical buildings in Cork City to be demolished. Their idea of preserving buildings is to keep the front wall, (Some examples Navagation House and Camden Quay buildings demolished leaving only the front walls, the O Callaghan Properties development on Lavits Quay. Opera Lane didn’t even bother keeping the front and now Patrick’s Street has started losing its character and historic buildings).

Taoiseach Enda Kenny announced the restructuring of ministerial departments to better reflect the new government’s priorities and then promptly abolished the Department of the Environment. This does not bode well for this government’s future plans for Ireland’s environment. In fact it indicates a blatant disregard for a healthy environment and its importance to a healthy economy and society. Not only have the words ‘environment’ ‘heritage’ and ‘community’ been culled from the titles of all departments, but the programme for government doesn’t even include a section on the environment and nowhere does it mention nature or water protection. This flies in the face of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which the Taoiseach signed up to just six months ago and which clearly state that environment, society, and economy are equal and interdependent. Environmental functions traditionally housed under a single department have also been split, spreading waste, water and wildlife across three Departments. This fragmentation further weakens the impact of environmental considerations on government decision-making and hampers a cohesive approach to environmental protection. By reintegrating environmental functions under one minister the Government would be recognizing both the innate value of the Irish environment and our moral and legal obligations to protect, restore and enhance our environment for current and future generations. Otherwise Ireland will be the only EU Member State with no Minister of the Environment, a matter of considerable international embarrassment.

Cycling already accounts for 27% of all traffic on Dame Street, making it the most popular cycling area in Dublin, in spite of the current hostile conditions. With an expanding population and national policy to increase the share of walking and cycling trips across the city to 25% in the coming years, this area needs to be equipped to handle a proportionate increase. We’re calling on the City Council to guarantee the delivery of a new College Green that meets the needs for current cycling and walking volumes and is future-proofed for projected demand. The area needs to deliver for all users of the space, no matter where they’re coming from or going to, whether they’re walking through or lingering; whether cycling with children or cycling to work. The needs of visually impaired people, deaf people, children and the elderly need to be catered for at the proposed plaza in particular. The tried and tested Dutch model for cycling, employing high quality segregated routes and widespread permeability, is the only proven way to realise truly inclusive levels of cycling. Cycle flows must have the same attention to detail as public transport to unlock the true potential of cycling in Dublin. We’re concerned that the latest drawings do not convey this. Specifically, we’re calling for: A detailed design that takes advantage of the principles of sustainable safety and does not use shared walking and cycling areas, in accordance with section 1.9.3 of the National Cycling Manual (NCM). We view this as central to the success or failure of the plaza; Use of self-enforcing separated cycle tracks which are well-defined visually and spatially, using angled kerbs, grade-separation and colouring to create new bike permeability for Trinity, Dame Street, Grafton Street Quarter, O’Connell Street and other destinations in the area; Use of bus stop bypasses at all stops on Dame Street and all other possible measures to separate busses and cycles in the area, including bidirectional paths in accordance with the NCM/Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets requirements. 660 Dubliners have already backed our calls for improved walking and cycling commitments in this year’s City Development Plan, joining almost 8000 overwhelmingly positive submissions on the 2015 Dublin City Centre Transport Study. The leading business groups have also backed the College Green proposals, which will make the city even more attractive to the world’s leading companies and their workers. The council has already shown what quality cycling routes can achieve in Dublin with the Grand Canal Cycleway. It’s now time to build on that success.

Is é an Gaeilge ár teanga náisiúnta, agus le Aire sinsear Gaeltachta, is féidir leis an Stát an Stráitéas 20 Bliain don teanga a neartú. Ba chóir go mbeadh gach Roinn den Rialtás áiseanna as Gaeilge a chur ar fáil, agus le béim níos fearr ón córas polaitiúil, beadh seans níos fearr do athbheocháin na teanga.

Ireland has one of the lowest levels of public funding and support for arts and culture in all of Europe. Successive Irish governments claim to honour and take pride in our rich cultural heritage, celebrated artists and world-class artistic achievements but consistently fail to nurture and support the creative community. The Arts, Culture and Heritage communities have suffered disproportionately under the last government. The impact in the sector, on jobs, community and education as well as on our international reputation has not been assessed in any credible way by the incoming government. We demand a) an independent adequately resourced Department is created b) a commitment to raising funding the arts, cultural and heritage sector to European average of 0.6% c) publication of a national cultural policy that has the endorsement of the community. CÉN FÁTH A BHFUIL SÉ SEO TÁBHACHTACH? As na tíortha uile san Aontas Eorpach, cuireann Éire an méid is lú maoinithe agus tacaíochta poiblí ar fáil do na healaíona agus don chultúr.. Bíonn Rialtas i ndiaidh Rialtas sa tír ag maíomh as an mbród agus as an mórtas a bhíonn orthu as saibhreas ár n-oidhreacht cultúir, as ár n-ealaíontóirí iomráiteacha agus as ár sár-ghaiscí ealaíne ach, ag an am céanna, déanann siad faillí orthu siúd atá ag gabháil do na healaíona, gan cóir ná tacaíocht ceart a chur ar fáil dóibh. Tá na pobail atá ag gabháil do na healaíona, don chultúr agus don oidhreacht tar éis fulaingt as cuimse faoin rialtas deireanach. Níl aon mheasúnú sásúil déanta ag an rialtas atá tagtha i gcumhacht ar an tionchar a bhí aige seo ar an earnáil, ó thaobh fostaíochta de, ó thaobh an phobail agus an oideachais de ná ó thaobh ár gcáil go hidirnáisiúnta. Táimid ag éileamh a) go gcruthófar Roinn neamhspleách a mbeidh dóthain acmhainní tugtha di; b) gealltanas go n-ardófar maoiniú earnáil na n-ealaíon, an chultúir agus na hoidhreachta go dtí meán-chaiteachas na hEorpa, 0.6% den OTI; agus c) go bhfoilseofar polasaí cultúir náisiúnta a mbeidh tacaíocht an phobail aige.

CE Supervisors STILL have no pension. In July 2008, the Labour Court recommended that an agreed pension scheme should be introduced for Community Employment (CE) scheme supervisors, to be funded by FÁS, the agency responsible for CE at that time, but now with the Department of Social Protection. Yet CE Supervisors STILL have no pension.There are people who have worked 20 years or more as CE supervisors, who have supported and trained thousands of people to find good jobs, while 8 years after that Labour Court ruling, there is still no pension for them. This shocking when you consider that it is the Department of Social Protection that funds all Community Employment schemes and supervisors. It is time to take action on that Labour Court ruling. So we ask the incoming Minister of Social Protection to step up and put a pension plan in place for CE Supervisors. Don't put it off any longer....

Article 40.3.1 of our Constitution states the following:“The State guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate the personal rights of the citizen.” On 19 August 2014 the UN Human Rights Committee, in its most recent Concluding Observations on the Irish State, under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, stated: “The Committee reiterates its concern at the lack of a definition of terrorism under domestic legislation and the continuing operation of the Special Criminal Court. It expresses further concern at the expansion of the remit of the Court to include organised crime” (arts. 14 and 26). “The State party should introduce a definition of ‘terrorist acts’ in its domestic legislation, limited to offences which can justifiably be equated with terrorism and its serious consequences. It should also consider abolishing the Special Criminal Court.” We all should have the right to a fair trial. We all remember the case of Nicky Kelly who was found guilty by this arbitrary court and then subsequently given a presidential pardon. It has abused its mandate in the past and will do so again. Amnesty International and the Irish Council of Civil Liberties have both called for its abolition, neither are friends of republicans to say the least. Allegations of internment by remand have been made against the Court regarding the detainment of accused defendants who have appeared before it and are now in Prison despite not being convicted of any wrongdoing.

Ireland has international humanitarian obligations to act and respond to this crisis. The crisis in Syria is resulting in millions of displaced people forced to flee for their lives and their safety. People power forced the government to agree to an increase in the number of refugees last year. Now we must step up again to make the government live up to this commitment.

Johns Lane West and Brú Aimsir hostels give shelter to almost 150 people who are former rough sleepers in Dublin. They are both set to close in the coming weeks. This will result in the loss of 150 beds for those sleeping rough. Focus Ireland and Peter McVerry Trust who currently run the hostels have not revealed how they plan to accommodate these people who will be forced back onto the streets with the closure of these hostels. The residents have been told they must ring the freephone in Parkgate St to find alternative accommodation. With an already critical shortage of beds, this will only put added strain on a flawed system which puts people in direct competition with each other, having to spend all day trying to get through to the freephone phoneline, often to simply be told there are no beds available. The Irish Housing Network demands: Dublin City Council, Peter McVerry Trust and Focus Ireland put a transparent plan in place with the residents of the hostels in providing suitable accommodation for those affected by the hostels’ closure. Long term social housing stock is immediately turned over for homeless people and families through the building of housing and opening and refurbishment of empty homes. Tenant’s rights for those in emergency accommodation so they cannot be evicted without notice and are protected under tenancy legislation. Rights for Travellers and Roma people in the ability to practice their culture and have well maintained and provisioned sites available throughout the country, including the restoration of traditional roadside stopping places.

Ireland has a commitment to live up to its international humanitarian obligations

Over 16,000 businesses and organisations have used JobBridge interns since the scheme began 5 years ago. These include: the HSE (399 interns), the GAA (249 interns), Teagasc (184 interns), UCD (also 184), Hewlett-Packard (176) and a number of county councils. All this points towards an endemic level of exploitation which has permeated every sector of employment and even includes unionised workplaces. All employers and the State must commit to a minimum, and really, a living wage of €11.50 an hour, instead of exploiting the unpaid labour of JobBridge interns.

Ireland is facing an unprecedented housing crisis - one that has been driven and worsened by private developers who work for profit, not the public good. Now, yet again, our council is seeking to fix the housing crisis by giving handouts to developers. Under the current Dublin City Council Housing Land Initiative, public land in three sites across Dublin will be turned over, free of charge, to private property developers. The proposal depends on high-interest finance. Banks, not the public, will benefit from this model that is based, at best, in a naive faith in the efficiency of privatization or, at worst, in cronyism. Cross-subsidized housing is a sustainable alternative where local government develops housing directly. Rent is based on ability-to-pay, and tenants benefit from rents that are below market rate, and enjoy security of tenure should their fortunes change. Similar schemes already operate successfully in Vienna and Singapore. Please sign our petition to call on Dublin City Council to support this sustainable model for public housing, not the giveaway of public land.