Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

A happy, safe and free Pride to everybody in Dublin, throughout the country and around the world this weekend, this month and every single day of the year.

Last week, I spoke about the Bloomsday festival that took place in Dublin Central. It was a fantastic celebration of James Joyce's work and life. Most of the celebration was spent in the north inner city and in my constituency of Dublin Central. Last weekend, we also had the Stoneybatter Festival, which is a fantastic festival that takes place in Dublin 7. I commend everybody who participated, supported and made it happen. It is similar to the Five Lamps Arts Festival and Phizzfest. These are great festivals that take place in Dublin Central, largely through voluntary effort, supported by Dublin City Council and other State agencies. I thank everybody who gives of their time to those festivals. I particularly commend everybody who makes them happen.

I also want to call out the issue of street cleansing and public domain management by Dublin City Council. Dublin Central includes the north inner city, Cabra, Glasnevin, Phibsborough and Drumcondra. Its landmarks include the GPO, Croke Park, the Hugh Lane Gallery, and the Mater and Rotunda hospitals. We have all these great sites and great shopping in Henry Street. There is no place in the country with a higher footfall but Dublin City Council is failing to maintain and clean that public domain on a daily basis. The levels of litter and dirt on the streets in the public domain impact on the enhancements that have taken place, such as plantings and beddings. They are unveiled, and are beautiful and pristine, but are then left to deteriorate, slowly degrade, and slowly become just more street litter.

Dublin City Council is either not adequately resourcing waste management in the north inner city, Cabra and Glasnevin, or it is not adequately managing it. Whatever the reason, the result is appalling. It is not good enough for our capital city. I ask the Leader to write to the CEO of Dublin City Council to ask him to step up to the plate and clean up the council's act in Dublin Central.