Brendan Ryan (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is worth making public the text of the petition. The petitioner highlighted how the Christmas lights ceremony has been a long-held tradition in Dublin city and how it is loved by many. He pointed out that there has been no crowd trouble in the past and said he saw no reason to envisage any trouble at this ceremony in future. He also said the ceremony has become a part of Christmas for many people and it should stay that way for future generations.

The response of the council is along the lines that there has been trouble managing large crowds attending lighting ceremonies. As Senator Buttimer has said, that is nonsense. Reference was made to the need to disrupt the Luas. That would be relevant if there were only one possible location in the great city of Dublin. I reckon it is not beyond Dublin City Council to come up with an alternative location. The petitioner deserves better than the response from the council. I think someone was asked to tick a box in responding to the committee, and that is unfortunate. There has been no serious consideration of the matter. We should write back and let the council know the strong views of the committee.