Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of the outdoor summer in Dublin. We have been told this year - we should have been told at Christmas - that socialising outdoors is the thing to do. Unfortunately, our capital city is not equipped for that and Dublin City Council seems to be slowing down compared with other local authorities, for example, Dún Laoghaire, in making provision for an outdoor summer. Until recently, only six public toilets were available in the city. Some public buildings have been opened so that their toilets can be used, but there is also inadequate access to public bins. When the Portobello area was closed down, people simply moved down the street.

It is important to have a proper strategy in place for an outdoor summer and to facilitate local authorities and people in socialising safely. To do this, we must provide access to public toilets and bins, security guards to clear up anti-social behaviour, and seating for people. There are reports of people sitting on the side of footpaths in pedestrianised areas because there is no adequate public seating.

We need to make Dublin a world leader like other European cities, one where people can socialise safely and comfortably outdoors. This situation has highlighted the stark difference between Dublin, which is a European capital city, and other cities where there are public facilities. We seem to want to punish people for wanting to socialise, but we must realise that people want to socialise and be with their friends. We need to provide them with safe facilities in order to do so.