In Government, the Green Party will introduce policies in areas such as public transport, education, health and planning which will improve your quality of life. By giving me your No. 1 vote, you ensure that these issues become the top priorities on the political agenda. It’s time to Vote Green” - Roderic O’Gorman

Public Transport

The lack of adequate public transport continues to be a huge problem for thousands of Dublin 15 residents. Overcrowded rail carriages, unreliable bus routes and congested roads are making the daily commute unbearable. However, the recently published ‘Transport 21’ plan will make little difference to the Dublin 15 area till 2012, an even then, it does not provide for a new direct rail route into the City Centre.
Supporting public transport is a key commitment of the Green Party. We pledge to completely change transport planning in Ireland to ensure that Dublin and the entire country have the world class public transport system that is so desperately needed. This will combat congestion, reduce harmful carbon emissions, cut road deaths and most importantly, improve commuter’s quality of life

Locally, Roderic will work to:

• Ensure the speedy construction of the Metro West and prioritize a DART style electrification of the Maynooth line.
• Increase the frequency of buses services on the 37, 38, 39 and 40D routes.
• Develop more direct bus routes from Dublin 15 into the City Centre.
• Develop new feeder bus services linking estates to train stations and the Blanchardstown Centre.
• Improve facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, with particular focus on developing safe routes to school for children.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Create a Public Transport Regulator which will guarnetee the introduction of an integrated ticketing system for all types of public transport.
• Abolish VRT and motor tax and replace them with a system where the level of taxation  is linked to the emissions of the vehicle.

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Education

The school places crisis in Dublin 15 is the result of years of poor planning and lack of joined up thinking on the part of Government Departments. The solution proposed by the Government seems to be build more prefab class rooms and demand that existing schools take on even more steams of infants, but these measures are not sustainable in the long term. At the same time, some areas of Dublin 15 continue to suffer huge educational disadvantage, with high levels of reading and writing difficulties.
The Green Party is saying what all the other parties are too scared to say – if we want a world class educational system, we have to pay for it. That’s why the first element of our ‘50 Better Steps to a Better Education System’ is a commitment that a Green Government would spend an additional 1 billion per annum on education over a 10 year period. This additional funding would be particularly targeted at primary level. With this kind of investment, we show our determination to put an end to prefab education, and dismantle the educational apartheid that discriminates against students from disadvantaged areas.

Locally, Roderic will work to:

• Ensure Fingal County Council and the Dept. of Education work together to find sites and immediatley begin building much needed new schools at primary and secondary level.
• End the use of prefab buildings for teaching and ensure that every child in Dublin 15 has a proper classroom.
• Introduce a ‘Safe Route to School’ programme for all schools so kids can walk or cycle to school in safety.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Commit to investing an extra 1 billion per year in our education system, over a 10 year period.
• Introduce a legal maximum class size of 25 pupils at primary level, and fund the necessary new teachers to achieve this target.
• Ensure a average class size of under 20, prioritizing the under 9’s.
• Amend planning legislation so that each time a local authority grants permission for new housing, this is immediately factored into the Dept. of Educations school building programme.
• Fully resource extra English language teachers.

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Health

The ongoing use of trolleys in Accident & Emergency departments is an indication of the huge strains our health service is under. Investment in more bed capacity is urgently needed. However, experts agree that many patients in A&E could be more suitably dealt with in other settings. As such, the Green Party prioritizes investment in primary health care centres, so patients can be looked after more efficiently and closer to their home. Further, the Green Party wishes to see Ireland invest much more in preventative health care, with the aim of identifying potential illnesses and treating them before they become more serious.

Locally, Roderic will work to:

• Secure the necessary investment for James Connolly Hospital to ensure that its redevelopment plans may continue.
• Develop primary health care centres with a wide range of health services which will give GP’s the back up facilities they need. These will be within easy reach of each community and will lessen pressure on A&E services.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Tackle MRSA by getting tough on hygene standards in hospitals.
• Create more step-down beds and facilities for the elderly.
• Support our mental health services, with particular emphasis on addressing suicide prevention.
• Increase investment in preventative health care such as nutrition and education in healthy lifestyles. Let’s spend out money keeping people healthy.

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Children’s Health

Many of the major health issues facing children are different to those suffered by adults. Ireland has an alarming high rate of asthma amongst children, with an estimated 1 in 7 now suffering from the condition. One in four Irish children are now classed as obese. Obesity at this age increases the risk of developing diabetes in later years.
As such, the Green Party believes that promoting a healthy lifestyle is as important an element in securing our children’s health as medical solutions.

Locally, Roderic will work to:

• Extend the medical card to all children under 6.

1. Ensure investment in sports facilities for schools, so PE classes can become a reality for kids in Dublin 15.
2. Make the provision of playgrounds a condition of planning permission for new developments, and seek to have development contributions obtained from developers used to fund playgrounds in existing estates.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Restrict the ability of manufacturers of unhealthy foods and beverages to target children in their advertising campaigns.
• Set up a network of regional public health facilities, specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic conditions.
• Prevent advertising of alcohol near schools or at events where large numbers of children will be present.
• Properly resource child and adolescent mental health services and ensure children are not treated or detained in adult units.

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Planning

Some many of the problems experienced by residents of Dublin West such as long hours stuck in traffic, parents worried about getting a school place for their kids or bored teenagers hanging around are a result of bad planning. For far too long, the big developers have decided where houses are built according to how much money it will make them, rather than what is good planning.
Our planning system must be reformed to put the needs of communities at the centre of all planning decisions. Before planning permission is granted to any development, the builder should be able to answer three basic questions. How will the future residents get to and from work? Where will their kids go to school? What social and recreational facilities are there for their use? If these questions cannot be answered satisfactorily, Fingal County Council should refuse to grant planning permission. And An Bord Pleanala should back up the Council, not undermine it by overruling its decisions in favour of the big developers

Locally, Roderic will work to:

• Stop planning permission being granted to inappropriate developments.
• Ensure that estates are handed over to Fingal County Council by developers in good time.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Create a Planning & Transportation Agency, which will coordinate the building of new housing developments with the roll out of new transport links.
• Draw up regulations which set out clearly where high rise buildings should and should not be developed.
• Create a Strategic Planning Unit in the Dept. Education to plan the building of new schools and the use of existing schools.
• Change the law so that developers have to make greater contributions to infrastructure such as schools or social facilities.

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Housing

Across Dublin 15, young couples are increasingly being squeezed out of the property market by spiralling house prices. This is forcing people to move further away from their places of work which results in longer commuting journeys, less time with family and more cars on our roads.
The Green Party believes that legislation should be used to intervene in the property market to ensure the availability of reasonably priced housing for those that require it, located close to their place of work. Housing should be designed to meet the varying needs of people, rather than home owners being forced to choose between a limited range of available house types.

Locally, Roderic will work to:

• Ensure that the Planning and Development Act is fully used to guarentee enough social & affordable housing in Dublin 15.
• End the use of management companies on traditional housing estates, and work with residents to deal with the problems created by existing management companies.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Introduce legislation that ensures that big property developers must contribute to community facilities such as providing school sites, and punishing them when they fail to adequately finish estates.
• Commit to the provision of 10,000 social & affordable houses per year until housing lists are cleared.
• Legislate to regulate existing management companies and management agents.

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Childcare

Each family makes its own decision when it comes to determining how to care for children in the early years. The Green Party supports parental choice in this matter, whether both parents wish to work or one wishes to care for children full time.

Locally, Roderic  will work to:

1. Ensure that all new developments with over 75 dwellings have at least 20 childcare places supplied, as required under the Childcare Guidelines for Planning Authorities.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Create a system of free pre-school education for all children in the year before they go to school.
• Replace the Early Childcare Supplement with a Refundable Parenting Tax Credit - €150 per month tax credit per child from birth until the child enters pre-school and €100 from when the child is in pre-school until the age of 12. As a refundable tax credit, it will be available as a cash payment if the parent is not in paid employment.
• Increase child benefit to €155.92 for the first and second child and €192.85 for the third and subsequent children per month in line with Government commitments.
• Increase Maternity Benefit from 22 weeks to 26 weeks and extend paid Paternity Benefit to two week.

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Children & Teenagers

The results of the recent Census 2006 shows that Fingal is a) the fast growing area in the entire country and b) has the youngest average age in the entire country. Yet still, facilities aren’t being put in place for children and teenagers. This leads to boredom, hanging around and sometimes anti-social behaviour.
In the Green Party, we believe it is better value for money to invest in facilities for kids and young people to keep them occupied, rather than in costly ASBO’s.

Locally, Roderic will work to:

• Ensure the construction of playgrounds, ‘youth cafés’ & other social facilities for kids and teenagers   .
• Ensure investment in sports facilities for schools, so PE classes can become a reality for kids in Dublin 15.
• Put more Community Guards on our streets, who can form better relationships with young people.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Guarentee 1 years free pre-school education for all children in the year before they go to school.
• Replace the Early Childcare Supplement with a Refundable Parenting Tax Credit - €150 per month from birth till the child enters pre-school and €100 per month from pre-school till the age of 12.
• Restrict the advertising of alcohol from sports and other locations where it has a strong impact on young people.

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Environmental Protection

The massive expansion of the Dublin 15 area in the last ten years has placed severe pressure on our natural environment. Economic growth can go hand in hand with environmental protection, but in future, there must be much more thought put into where and how we build.

Locally, Roderic O’Gorman will work to:

• See the creation of a Liffey Valley National Park, along with increased protection for the Tolka Valley and the Royal Canal.

• Prevent developers encroaching on remaining green belts such as those north of Lucan and around Dunsink.
• Ensure stricter observance of anti dumping legislation in the Dublin 15 area.
• Coordinate the work of the Gardai and Fingal County Council to combat graffiti.

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Energy

Ireland faces a major energy crisis due to our massive dependence on imported oil and gas. The continuing increases in fuel prices are being felt by consumers in Dublin 15, and this trend can only get worse. At the same time, Ireland faces massive fines for the Governments failure to stay within the agreed CO2 emissions decided under the Kyoto Protocol.
The Green Party has always promoted the increased use of renewable energy as a method of reducing environmental pollution. However, the massive hikes in the price of fossil fuels means that now, renewable fuels are seen as economically more viable than oil and coal. Investment in these technologies will allow us to save money and save the planet.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Fund grants which will allow housesholds improve the insulation in their homes and change to renewable energy sources e.g. solar, woodchip burners.
• Set high new insulation and energy efficieny standards for new homes, thus saving house buyers money on gas & ESB bills and reducing pollution. Green Party Councillors on Fingal CC have already secured high energy standards in new  local developments.
• Create a partnership approach to energy involving all political parties, industry, trade unions, consumer and environmental groups to develop a long term solution to our islands energy needs, with a target of having 100% of our economies energy needs met by renewable sources by 2050.
• Support major state investment in renewable technologies. Lets create clean, safe and secure energy here in Ireland, rather than spending our money on oil prices inflated by Middle Eastern dictators.

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Climate Change

Global warming and the resulting climate change will be the biggest challenge faced by our generation. Already scientific information is indicating that the Earth’s temperature is rising faster than scientists had earlier predicted. In Ireland, this will result in increased incidences of extreme weather conditions; flooding in the winter and drought in the summer. However, in many developing countries, the consequences will be dramatic including famine, desertification and the complete flooding of low areas, creating hundreds of millions of environmental refugees.
Developed countries like Ireland have a moral obligation to deal with global warming as it is a product of our economic success. While we have already signed up to international commitments on reducing the amount of carbon dioxide we produce, due to Government inaction we will fail to meet these. As a result, the Irish taxpayer will have to shoulder a large fine.
Dealing with the consequences of global warming will require changes in the way we live our lives. However, by making changes to the way we plan development, increase our use of public transport and move to fuelling our economy from renewable sources, these changes can be achieved.

In Government, the Green Party will:

• Enact legislation that will commit Ireland to making a 3% reduction in carbon emissions per year over 10 years, so we can meet the EU target of a 30% reduction in the European Union’s emissions by 2020.
• Implement policies across a wide range of Government Departments such as Environment, Transport, Natural Resources, Finance, Enterprise, Agriculture and Education to reach this target.
  
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