Cllr. Eoin O'Driscoll

Author: eoinodr

  • O’Driscoll Encourages Women aged 17-20 to access the Free Contraception Scheme

    O’Driscoll Encourages Women aged 17-20 to access the Free Contraception Scheme

    Fine Gael Local Election Candidate for Dundrum, Eoin O’Driscoll has called on all women aged 17 to 30 to access the Government’s Free Contraception Scheme.  Nationally, more than 150,000 women aged 17-26 have accessed the scheme since it was introduced.  In September, it was further expanded to include women aged 27 to 30, and will be further expanded to women aged 31 on the 1st January 2024.

    Figures for the first 8 months of this year show that demand for the service has been highest among those aged 18 to 21.

    “This scheme has been championed by Fine Gael in Government, including by Simon Harris as Minister for Health. I am delighted to see such a high uptake.  It covers the cost of consultations with GPs, part family planning, student health and primary care centres and prescriptions for the wide range of contraceptive options available.  It also covers the cost of prescriptions, as well as fitting, checks and removal of long-acting reversible contraception devices.

    “We know that the most appropriate contraception isn’t always the cheapest, and this scheme ensures that women can choose the method of contraception that is most suited to their needs and circumstances, in consultation with their GP or medical professional, giving more women the freedom to control their reproductive health without any financial barriers.  

    “For more information, you can check out the HSE-run sexualwellbeing.ie.”

  • New criminal offences and tougher sentences will ensure stronger, safer communities – Eoin O’Driscoll

    New criminal offences and tougher sentences will ensure stronger, safer communities – Eoin O’Driscoll

    The introduction of new criminal offences and changes to sentencing demonstrate Fine Gael’s commitment to keeping communities safe, a Fine Gael local election candidate for Dundrum Eoin O’Driscoll has said.

    Eoin O’Driscoll said: “My colleague, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, has announced a range of new criminal offences, as well as tougher sentences for existing offences, under the Criminal Justice Act (Miscellaneous Provisions) 2023.

    “This landmark legislation will target violent and organised crime, and violence against gardaí and other emergency service workers.

    “This legislation will allow the maximum sentence for assault causing harm in domestic abuse cases, as well as in other assaults, increasing from five to 10 years.

    “The scope of the existing harassment offence is widened to include any conduct that seriously interferes with a person’s peace and privacy, or causes alarm, distress, or harm.

    “It will also create a new standalone offence of stalking, which will have a maximum sentence of up to 10 years.

    “These new laws and tougher sentences will reassure residents in Dundrum and throughout the country that the Government is working towards making our communities safer.

    “Gardaí and emergency workers can also be reassured with the introduction of new provisions that ensure better protections. The maximum sentence for assaulting or threatening to assault a garda or other on-duty emergency worker is increasing from 7 to 12 years.

    “These changes will provide the courts with a tougher range of sentences to take account of the severity of assaults and sends a message that these crimes will not be tolerated.

    “I am delighted to see these common-sense measures being introduced which will enhance the powers of our courts and protect communities.

    “Fine Gael has made stronger, safer communities a key priority, along with ensuring the safety of Gardaí and all other frontline workers on duty”, Eoin O’Driscoll concluded.

  • Dundrum Local Area Plan

    Dundrum Local Area Plan

    The Dundrum Local Area Plan came into effect 21st November 2023.

    The local area plan is an important document for our community which will underpin planning over the coming years. While I am fully supportive of the ambition outlined in the plan, I am dissatisfied with the lack of meaningful public consultation in its development. This, I believe, has led to a number of issues in the detail of the plan, particularly with regard to its prioritisation of Dundrum Main Street and its position as the heart of local community life.

    I outlined my views in a submission to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council during the July 2023 consultation process on a Draft version of the plan. You can read it below.

    You can find out more about the plan here.

    Consultation Submission

    Re: Dundrum Local Area Plan

    Eoin O’Driscoll

    Local Area Representative – Dundrum

    Fine Gael

    This document outlines my views on the current draft Dundrum Local Area Plan based on my engagement with residents in my capacity as a Fine Gael Local Area Representative for Dundrum and my own perspective on the draft plan and its impact on our community.

    The vision for Dundrum outlined in the draft Local Area Plan of “a vibrant, inclusive and attractive town which is connected to and supports surrounding neighbourhoods and functions as a place people can enjoy, to live in, work in and visit” is positive and ambitious. Furthermore, I support the Council in its identification of the following priorities:

    • 10-minute neighbourhood
    • Character and heritage
    • Quality Homes
    • Amenities and Employment
    • Permeability, Public Transport and Climate Action
    • Open Space and Healthy Placemaking

    I look forward to the development of a Masterplan for the Old Dundrum Shopping Centre (as outlined in section 2.9.2). The proposed development of a public park, pedestrian focused walkway and civic space on the site will significantly enhance the village, building on the significant public realm improvements on the Main Street implemented in recent years. The development of the Old Dundrum Shopping Centre site, as recognised in the draft plan, presents a major opportunity to significantly enhance the vibrancy of the village.

    The measures outlined in Section 5: Climate Action – Mitigation and Adaptation will play an important role in ensuring the medium and long-term sustainability of our community. Delivering on Climate Action is the major challenge of our generation and it is important that the Local Area Plan supports Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in achieving its ambitions in this regard.

    In this submission, however, I wish to raise two significant concerns I have with the current draft Local Area Plan:

    1. There has not been sufficient consultation with residents
    2. The central role of Main Street as the heart of the community in Dundrum has not been sufficiently prioritised
    1. Insufficient Public Consultation

    The development of a Local Area Plan is of major significance for the community in Dundrum. The plan will shape the development of the village at a critical juncture as we deal with the major challenges posed by climate action and ageing demographics. Therefore, it is of critical importance that the community are fully engaged in the development of the plan and that their support is secured for the ambitious measures outlined therein.

    Unfortunately, I do not believe that this has been achieved. Public interest in the plan is strongly evident over the past number of weeks. It is clear that residents want to be engaged in the process. However, it is also evident that the Council has not effectively engaged residents to date.

    The pre-draft consultation on the plan occurred in 2018. The issues paper published by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council as part of the process is predicated on the adoption of a Dundrum Local Area Plan in late 2019. Consultation at such a lengthy remove from the publication of the Local Area Plan is not meaningful public engagement.

    In the nearly five years since the pre-draft process, the context of the plan has changed significantly, the demographics of Dundrum and how we live our lives (i.e. utilisation of new technologies, increase in remote working) has changed substantially. Moreover, the pre-draft consultation predates the publication of the DLR County Development Plan and Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy – two significant policy documents underpinning the draft Dundrum Local Area Plan.

    Therefore, I do not believe that the pre-draft consultation process can be considered meaningful public engagement in the development of this plan.

    I do not believe that the draft plan can be considered to reflect “public and community aspirations”.

    This urgently needs to be addressed.

    Furthermore, I am dissatisfied with the decision of the Council to hold the public consultation on the draft plan over the summer months when many residents are on holidays and engagement can be expected to be comparatively low.

    I would also urge the Council to take into account the need to actively engage residents as part of public consultation efforts. While the current consultation has been clearly advertised online and via the Council’s social media, greater emphasis on traditional means of communication and particularly leafletting should be considered for future consultations.

    • Vibrancy of Main Street

    While Section 1 of the draft plan recognises Dundrum as a “major town centre”, this is not sufficiently recognised throughout the plan.

    Dundrum community life revolves around Dundrum Main Street. Therefore, its vibrancy should be front and centre of the plan. Considering the material impact of many of the proposals in the draft plan to Main Street, the lack of meaningful engagement with its businesses, many of which have served our community for decades, is disappointing.

    Local businesses and residents are concerned about access to Main Street. Measures to support pedestrian and bicycle access are welcome, as are specific efforts to reduce car usage. However, access to elderly and those with disabilities needs to be taken into consideration – particularly with regard to access to Holy Cross Church. For Main Street to remain the vibrant heart of the Dundrum community, reasonable parking provision will be required. A detailed assessment of local residents’ access needs, based on meaningful public engagement and consultation with the businesses operating on Main Street, should be undertaken by the Council to ensure that the finalised plan reflect this.

    I would also ask the Council to consider the provision of facilities to support the greater use of public and active transport. Public storage facilities for bike helmets, shopping et cetera could help facilitate utilisation of Main Street without reliance on a car. Such facilities would augment public realm improvements implemented over recent years.