Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As expected, I am very frustrated by the reply. I only raised this in the House because of the ignoring of democratically made decisions of South Dublin County Council by a combination of the roads department and gardaí. What are the people of this area to do to have their democratically decided issue addressed? I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister to write to the Garda and South Dublin County Council to ask them to re-examine the issue in light of the decisions made by the county council itself with a view to trying to meet the needs of the local community in Palmerstown. Do trucks have to show signage giving their laden weight limit at all times? I would appreciate a written reply to these questions.

I asked a couple of questions in my opening address. One was about EU directives on noise and trucks. Can the Minister assure us that those directives are not being broken on Kennelsfort Road and the surrounding cell roads in Palmerstown?

I really do not know what to say to the residents.

They have had this issue democratically decided on at least two occasions by the local county council, yet they are left with no real change. If there was ever anything to encourage people to get out and march on the street, it is a situation in which a democratic decision is ignored.

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, this is probably the last time I will speak in this Chamber, so I wish to make a couple of comments. First, I thank you and the Ceann Comhairle for your courtesy over the years. I also thank the Dáil staff, who invariably have been kind to me and anybody I brought to the building. I thank the electorate of Dublin Mid-West for electing me and the Labour Party for nominating me. My next comment is somewhat partisan, but I thank the Labour Party and Fine Gael Government for helping to turn this country around. I hope that if it succeeds in being re-elected it will address the issues that still require urgent action, particularly housing and health.

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