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Greyhound’s latest move is another slap in the face

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10TH DEC. 2012 P.O. BOx 3430, TallaGHT, DuBlIN 24 TEl: 451 3822 email: info@newsgroup.ie web: www.newsgroup.ie

Fine Gael Dublin South Central TD, Catherine Byrne, has described decision by the Greyhound to charge for recycling household rubbish as another slap in the face to its customers.

Deputy Byrne was a vocal critic of Greyhound’s actions earlier this year, when the company took over bin collection services from Dublin City Council.

“Earlier this year, Greyhound resorted to astonishing bullying

tactics, when it adopted a restrictive and punitive payment regime for its new bin collection customers.

Now, with no prior notice, the company has announced it is going to start charging for recycling household waste, which was free up to this point.

“Customers have been delivered a letter stating that they will have to buy Greyhound recycling bags at a cost of €9 for six bags.

Placing a levy of €9 on

something that had been free of charge up to now seems extraordinary. How can Greyhound justify this charge?

“The company seems to have learned nothing from its last customer service disaster. It already hiked up prices on its standard bin tags earlier this year, after failing to deliver new recycling bags to customers for weeks, it has unilaterally decided to place this very high levy on the bags.

“This move will have a number of negative effects; it will place more pressure on households trying to make ends meet, it will discourage people from recycling their rubbish, and it could lead to an increase in illegal dumping.

“I would like Greyhound to justify this financial imposition. Why does the cost of the bags have to be so high? The nature of recycled

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switch to quality irish products and ‘shift the balance’ in favour of ‘the home team’

ISME, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises association, has called on the hard pressed Irish consumer to ‘think local, think Irish’ when shopping this Christmas season.

While acknowledging the reduced financial circumstances of all our and the citizens necessity to cut back on spending this year, the association, which represents all small and medium businesses across the country, encourages shoppers to ‘BuY IRISH’ where and when they can.

locally on Irish products generates €24 of benefit to the local community. · 45 cents of every Euro spent is reinvested locally in comparison to only 15cents for the foreign multiples.

according to ISME Chief Mark Executive,

Fielding, “now more than ever we need a national effort to save and retain Irish jobs. By demanding quality Irish products we will at least give a fair chance to local producers and retailers to survive and serve the local community.

Buying from locally owned businesses keeps money circulating closer to where you spend. local use local shops services, accountants, insurance brokers, PR companies as well as employing local people.

They also carry a higher percentage of locally-made goods”. · Every €10 spent

waste means it is bulkier than food waste, and as a result an average family can expect to go through about four bags every two weeks. That means Greyhound are adding about €3 every week on

to waste costs, or about €150 a year.

“I can understand that recycling may have become more expensive, but I cannot understand how Greyhound can justify slapping such a high

charge on their customers with no proper explanation and no advance notice.

“With job losses now at levels and record retailers and suppliers struggling to survive, it is vital that we support own local our enterprises during these difficult times. By buying Irish we secure Irish jobs. If every consumer switched just one tenth of their ‘imported shopping’ to Irish produced goods it

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“Yet again, Greyhound needs to properly explain itself to its customers.”

would shift the balance in favour of local producers, manufacturers and retailers and go a long way to sustaining Irish jobs, after what has been a very difficult year. Demand quality Irish when shopping

shop locally and save local jobs.”

“We are asking consumers therefore to ‘think local, think Irish’ and ‘shift the balance’ in favour of the ‘home team’,” concluded Fielding.

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tds must reconsider full support for reilly

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South Dublin County Councillor Trevor Gilligan has said it is now clear that Minister Reilly’s handling of the Primary Care debacle has directly disadvantaged communities in Clondalkin.

It’s emerged that the proposed Rowlagh Primary Care Centre was dropped from a priority list for State investment and earmarked

for private investment with State support.

Cllr. Gilligan commented: “Government TD's in Dublin Mid-West should be livid at Minister Reilly’s stroke removing the politics, Rowlagh Primary Health Care Centre from the Capital programme. local TD's are making promises now that they cannot keep

- we could be waiting another 10 years for a PPP. Dropping Rowlagh down the priority list in the hope of securing private investment is not the way to go.

“There has been lots of talk about the Rowlagh Primary Health Care Centre but have seen no action from government. The people of North Clondalkin are outraged at what has

st paul’s school and tallaght sports complex feature in spar christmas tv ad campaign

happened and I am extremely disappointed at the lack of action taken by our local TD's here in Dublin Mid West They must now reconsider their support for Minister Reilly.

“Fianna Fáil has no confidence in James Reilly as Minister for Health. We previously put forward a

motion of no confidence in the Minister only to see TDs from Dublin-West troop through the Dáil lobbies to back the Minister. James Reilly is not the right person to deliver real, transparent, positive reform in our health service. His handling of the primary care issue is just one example of the dysfunction he has brought

to the Health.

Department

“James Reilly has decided Rowlagh is not a priority for him and the local TDs should show him the same level of commitment and support Fianna Fáil’s position that Minister Reilly should be removed from office.”

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tenants only have until end of year to avail of tenant purchase scheme Your FREE Local Newspaper

Fine Gael Senator for Dublin South-West, Cáit Keane, has highlighted the fact that the Tenant Scheme Purchase comes to an end this year and urged long term tenants to avail of it. The Tenant Purchase

Scheme 1995 enables tenants of local authority housing to buy out their homes. “long term tenants need to be aware that the Tenant Purchase Scheme will finish at the end of December

2012. I have spoken with Minister for Housing and Planning, Jan O'Sullivan TD, who has informed me that while the details of a new replacement scheme are not yet finalised she can say

that the terms will be nowhere as attractive as the current scheme.

In particular, the provision under the current scheme which allows a discount on the market value of the property of 30 per cent

ash ireland response to budGet 2013

aSH Ireland is very disappointed that the Minister for Finance and the government has failed to put a significant increase on the price of tobacco products in the 2013 Budget. an increase of 10 cents as announced on the pack of 20 cigarettes will have no impact whatever on smoking prevalence. This is a missed opportunity as there was a general acceptance among the general public that there would be a significant increase on the price of tobacco.

Dr Ross Morgan went on to say “the government have once again missed the opportunity to significantly increase the price of tobacco, which is well recognised as the principal means of encouraging smokers to quit and discouraging young people from experimenting with tobacco.

Tobacco use is responsible for over 5,000 deaths in this country every year from a range of cardiovascular, cancerous and other diseases. The annual cost of treating tobacco related disease is close to €1.5 billion annually. The government

must introduce every possible measure which reduces the number of Irish people who continue to smoke and take up the habit – and price is by far the most effective measure in this regard. The government clearly has some concerns about price increase and levels of smuggling, which are unjustified. The British government and others have increased the price of tobacco while also reducing the levels of smuggling. Smuggling is a criminal matter and must be treated as such.

Smoking levels are a serious health issue and must be treated separately from any other issues which emerge, such as smuggling.”

aSH Ireland has noted an increase of 50 cents on the 25 gram pack of roll your own tobacco. This again will have no impact on the sales of this product as there will still be a massive differential between the price of roll your own and a pack of cigarettes. Roll your own tobacco is regrettably widely used by young people and students.

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to tenants who have been renting the property for ten years will be stopped.

“This is obviously of particular significance and I urge long term tenants of local authorities to consider the option of buying out their homes while the current scheme is in

operation. This is a golden opportunity for tenants who are in a position to do so, to buy out their own homes.

“They do not have to complete the purchase by the end of the year but must indicate their intention to the local authority. I have been informed by my local

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County Council that applications have to be received by year end 2012 and that transactions must be complete by year end 2013.

“Interested tenants should contact their local authority as soon as possible to get the process underway.”

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breakinG the silence is key to tacklinG domestic violence Your FREE Local Newspaper

make wise christmas choices as financial stresses bite, says director of voluntary counsellinG service

as financial stresses on families increase, it is vitally important that they celebrate Christmas in ways that do not add to their financial burden, according to the director of a voluntary counselling service in Tallaght.

"The number of new clients has increased by 1,000 this year and financial stresses are driving that increase," said Marcella Finnerty, director of the Village Counselling Service and a recipient this year of a Tallaght Person of the Year award in the Disabilities and Carers category.

"Now is the time for families to make different choices about Christmas spending," she said. "If necessary we need to lower our expectations and those of our children about presents, clothes, and so on. a Christmas in which families celebrate their own togetherness in a cheerful atmosphere is worth much more than a Christmas based on material goods which will be soon forgotten but which place a huge strain on family finances."

The affordable counselling service which is based in Killinarden, Tallaght, receives some support from the HSE and the Family Support agency but all its counsellors provide their services free of charge. On average clients pay €7 per hour, compared to €50-€60 for private counselling.

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Fine Gael Councillor Brian lawlor said that the domestic violence figures released by Safe Ireland reveal with shocking clarity what is happening to women and children in homes across the country. The figures show that the number of women receiving support from domestic violence charities has more than doubled in the last five years.

“There has been a dramatic increase in

the numbers of women and children seeking help over the last five years. One can only presume that the pressure on families due to the economic crisis is having a significant impact,” he stated.

“The high level of phone calls received by support services, with many repeat callers, underlines the need for on-going support. It is a credit to the agencies involved that the

number of women receiving face-to-face supports has increased by 68% since 2007.

“Breaking the silence is to tackling key domestic violence. We need to consider how we address this problem as a society. It cannot be simply attributed to a negative knock-on effect of our challenging economic situation; when the country was awash with money, women and children were still being

abused in their own homes,” he continued.

“The Government’s new Child and Family Support agency, which will be up and running in the New Year, will allow for intervention at an early stage to deal with issues like domestic violence. New models of delivery will also ensure full between integration State services and voluntary resources.

“Introducing a more transparent family

court system will also help to lift the lid on domestic violence. We need to know what is happening in families in crisis if we are to bring about a change in how we tackle this problem.

Victims of domestic violence must be given the courage to come forward, and the knowledge that they will be responded to with support and compassion,” Councillor lawlor concluded.

no country to be old and sick 8

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Older & Bolder is alarmed at the changes in medical card eligibility criteria announced as part of Budget 2013.

Older & Bolder Director, Patricia Conboy said, “These changes will not yield savings from the wealthiest in our society, rather it is middle Ireland, older people on incomes just above the new threshold, particularly those living alone, that will be hit hardest by the loss of

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with ill health, cannot be underestimated. We hear from people who would forgo their modest occupational pensions in order to retain their medical cards”.

Patricia Conboy continued, “The cost of being sick and older in Ireland has now increased. For those with medical cards, prescription charges have increased by 300%. For those without a medical card and with high medical costs, changes to the Drugs Payment Scheme mean the threshold for support in purchasing prescription drugs has €132 a increased from month to €144”.

Patrica Conboy described the property tax as “an unforgiving tax for older people. The proposal to pursue property tax after because people death cannot afford to pay it in life does not strike us as being fair. Older people have, over decades and during periods of very high interest rates, striven to pay off their mortgages. a reasonable and widely

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shared goal is to arrive into older age debt free in order to maximise independence post-retirement and to pass on something, other than debt, to a future generation. This proposal risks turning a hard won asset, house ownership, into a liability”.

Older & Bolder welcomes the retention of the State Pension at current levels though the reductions to telephone and electricity allowance will cause concern. While on the face of it the announcement that the fuel allowance has not been reduced further this year seems positive, the increases in carbon tax on coal and turf will, in all probability, increase the cost of heating for older people.

Ms Conboy concluded, “with this Budget the devil is really in the detail, not all of which is available to us at the moment. Over the coming days Older & Bolder will continue to analyse the proposals to gauge the exact implications for older people."

Tuanh Walat and Anna Kelly pictured at the Dogs Trust Charity night in aid of ISPCC at Bucks Townhouse.

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ten new Jobs at nutGrove as pat mcdonnell paints opens first dublin store

TEN jobs are to created

by Ireland’s largest independent painting and decorating retailer when it opens its first Dublin store in the New Year. Pat McDonnell Paints already has six outlets in five counties employing 80 people and the company will bring that to 90 with its new Old Nutgrove Centre store in Rathfarnham which also houses lidl and Home Store + More.

McDonnell says there are positive growth signs in the business.

“We’re delighted to be finally opening in Dublin. The business has changed radically over the past number of years with an increasing concentration on the domestic market while the professional trade market has also become more focused on quality private work.

McDonnells’ aidan

Householders are still anxious to maintain their properties to the

St Michael’s House held their annual Christmas party at leisureplex, where over 400 service users enjoyed free bowling with Christmas prizes and games. St Michael’s House, also announced that leisureplex, a long-standing supporter of the charity, has raised €19,500 for St Michael’s House. St Michael’s House would like to thank leisureplex staff and

customers in Tallaght, Coolock, Blanchardstown and Stillorgan for their kind donations and their support over the last decade.

Sean Kennedy, Business Development Manager, commented: “The partnership grew from staff getting to know service users from St Michael’s House coming into the centre to play bowling and have lunch in our restaurant. One

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highest levels possible and we’ve seen major success with our free home colour

consultation service.

I’m really excited about bringing this and more to Dublin.”

celebratinG 10 years of leisureplex supportinG st michael’s house christmas bowl

Paul Durran gets a bowling lesson from Leisureplex’s own resident Junior Irish Bowling Champion Sarah Finaly (18)

"Nollaig shona"

Karen Mulvey pictured as St Michael’s House held their annual Christmas party at Leisureplex

small fundraising event led to a long-term relationship. The first campaign we ran for St Michael’s House was through our Children’s First appeal, which raised funds for the purchase of a wheelchair bus. Since then we have helped raise €48,000 for St Michael’s House.”

Barbara Wiseman, Head of Fundraising , St Michael’s House,

commented: “leisureplex is a very important part of our community recreational activities. Bowling is a very popular activity for our service users, and some of them have represented Ireland in the Special Olympics World Games. One of the reasons for bowling being so popular amongst service users is the leisureplex staff, who always makes them feel welcome.”

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the chanGinG face of teeth whiteninG

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Six years ago, Tallaght News presented an article on what appeared to be a newly emerging yet fashionable addition to the health & beauty industry. By all accounts, laser teeth whitening was making firm inroads into the Irish market place and even at hefty €1200 price tags, the fad was managing to attract beauty conscious consumers that did not mind parting with a buck or two.

Despite an obvious growing public interest, few might have predicted the explosive nature of the growth that was about to engulf the aesthetic dental industry. It is currently estimated that in any given week in Ireland, between 800 and 1200 people undergo a laser tooth whitening treatment. This apparent pre-occupation with the appearance of our teeth is to make no mention of the huge demand for whitening do-it-yourself trays, whitening toothpastes or whitening strips.

beauty procedure, few Irish consumers are aware of recent Eu regulations that legislate over the teeth whitening industry. On 31 October 2012, new laws determine who can administer teeth whitening and the types of chemicals that are permissible. In a bid to help consumers understand this legislation, Tallaght News approached White Smile Clinic, Ireland’s oldest and largest established teeth whitening specialist. They have now conducted over 35 000 laser teeth whitening treatments in the country and so we asked their dental team how the new laws affect the consumer.

In principle, White Smile Clinic advised us that the administration or application of teeth whitening using Hydrogen Peroxide based gels now exclusively resides within the domain of dentistry.

Only a qualified and registered dentist, or a dental professional under their supervision, is able to administer peroxide based gels in concentrations of up

to 6%. Non- dentists are only able to use peroxide based gels at a concentration of .1%. unfortunately, at these concentrations, convincing teeth whitening results are not really attainable.

It is felt by some commentators that these new laws were drafted to assure a dental monopoly on teeth whitening. Others will rightly point out that only medically trained practitioners can manage acceptable standards of clinical governance and infection control. Despite this observation, it should be pointed out that in many other countries it is legal for non-dentists to perform whitening. In New Zealand for example, a country with traditionally strict standards of dental governance, the prominent Dental Council approached the courts for a ban on all cosmetic teeth whitening. The Council was thwarted as cosmetic banded practitioners together and had the motion dismissed by the courts. The new Eu laws have therefore been met with significant reprisal

Jas Fagan

Despite its popularity as a

within the cosmetic community in Ireland and the uK. Many salons have lost a source of income or continue to practice with the imminent threat of legal action from the State.

Whatever the motivation might have been to enact recent Eu legislation, it appears that it is still permissible for cosmetic practitioners to use peroxide free whitening gels. However, in light of the new legislation White Smile Clinic advises consumers to exercise caution when selecting a whitening centre. Results in a cosmetic salon will probably not meet expectations unless a salon is practicing illegally. In the unlikely chance of an adverse medical reaction, it is also doubtful that a cosmetic practitioner will hold adequate insurance coverage, as the larger companies now balk from insuring the practice by non-dentists.

In terms of technology advancements in laser teeth whitening, 6% strength

peroxides have now been tailored to yield exceptional results. However, results are largely dependent on the type of whitening system that has been purchased by the dental or beauty clinic.

White Smile Clinic utilises a revolutionary cold, blue, laser light, which is filtered to remove all harmful uV and IR light. The light enables the dentine of the tooth to be penetrated, which is the layer of tooth found under the enamel and is responsible for the tooth’s intrinsic coloration. The overall corollary is a more comfortable and shorter treatment than most clinics, which has enabled significant reductions to the overall treatment cost.

White Smile Clinic warns that non-established practices may use lED lights, rather than bone-fide medically tested systems.

These act no better than shining a torch in your mouth and if in doubt, be sure to ask your practitioner if it is an lED system. . at White Smile Clinic, whitening is now cheaper than most forms of mouth

shields or whitening strips.

Teeth whiten by an average of 8.5 shades and can attain an improvement as high as 14 shades for very stained teeth. The results are so prominent, the company also offers a 100% money back guarantee if they do not whiten your teeth.

If you are considering getting your pearly whites looking even whiter in the lead up to Christmas, then Tallaght news would like to make a firm endorsement of White Smile Clinic. We underwent their whitening treatment and were thoroughly impressed by the excellent results as well as the friendly dentists and dental staff. White Smile Clinic has priced its service at the lower end of the market to make teeth whitening available to all consumers. For readers of the Tallaght news, it is offering a further 30% xmas special at a reduced price of €99. The special discount is available until the 20th December. Now that is something to smile about.

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local businesses encouraGed to have their say

local T.D. and Minister for Children and Youth affairs, Frances Fitzgerald, has called on the local business community to engage with the public consultation on the Credit Review Office (CRO). The consultation was launched by Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, and is seeking suggestions from members of the public on what more the CRO can do to ensure SMEs are getting the support on bank lending they require.

“This Government is committed

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to doing all it can to strengthen businesses in order to create more jobs in our economy. One of the ways in which we are delivering this, is through the action Plan for Jobs 2012. The action Plan contains a commitment to assess the CRO to ensure that SME’s are getting the support on bank lending they require,” explained Fitzgerald.

The CRO helps SME’s who have had an application for credit declined, reduced or disagree with changed terms and

conditions on their existing loan.

They can then review this decision with 60% of cases referred to them resulting in bank’s original decision being overturned by the CRO. “The CRO is already providing an important opportunity for businesses to review credit decisions by banks. I welcome the announcement by Minister Noonan that he has opening this consultation process up to members of the public who feel they have suggestions which could further enhance the work of the CRO.

Minister Fitzgerald with members of South Dublin Chamber of Commerce

“The consultation is looking at the process and the remit of the CRO and submissions can be made to croassessment@finance.gov.ie until the 21st of December. I would encourage interested people to get involved, particularly businesses who have had direct experiences with the CRO and who have faced issues with getting the credit they need from their banks.

Those interested in the process who wish to get more information on the process should contact my office for further details,” concluded Fitzgerald

South Dublin County Councillor Trevor Gilligan has stated that building the skatepark is to commence before 2013.

Clondalkin Skate Park spokesperson Tom Grinius stated “We have been trying for years to get this skate park and finally we have results. Its all happening so fast. This new skate park will attract hundreds

own place they can call home. I have to thank the council parks department for their speed and efficiency in moving this forward since the public consultation and the tendering process. The council have met with the clondalkin skate park group and have really allowed them to have an input and so everyone wins.”

festive cheer for children’s wards in tallaGht

Christmas can be a tough time of year for Ireland’s sick children, so this year Folens have teamed up with the charity Children in Hospital Ireland to introduce some fun and colour into the various children’s wards all over the country. Folens are donating 12,500 of their Christmas annuals, to more than 20 children’s wards across the country, including Tallaght Hospital where the campaign was launched with 1,000 annuals delivered.

Tralee to From letterykenny and Wexford to Mayo, Folens and CHI will be

delivering €50,000 worth of annuals – various editions of Sugradh, Siamsa, Sonas and Spraoi - from today just in time for the festive season. Children of all ages will be able to enjoy the stories, art projects and puzzles within all December long.

Mary O’ Connor, CEO of Children in Hospital Ireland, said; “CHI is a voluntary organisation committed to promoting and ensuring the welfare of all children in hospital and their families.

We areabsolutely thrilled that Folens have chosen to help us make life a little brighter for the thousands of children

who will unfortunately have to spend time in hospital this Christmas.”

John Caddell, Managing Director at Folens, said; “as we are located in Tallaght it was only natural for us to launch this campaign here at the National Children’s Hospital. We are fully aware of the amazing work done here and in children’s wards up and down the country and we hope this gesture will help make life a little more fun for our most important people.”

To learn more about CHI and the work they do, please log on to childreninhospital.ie

skate park buildinG to commence in 2012 of people from throughout Ireland. We are so excited to see this skate park built.”

Cllr. Gilligan commented: “I have been behind this skate park 100% from the start and the real motivation for me was seeing youths having nowhere to skate but outside the civic offices in Clondalkin which is not where they want to be, they want their

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Picture are, caption: l-r – Shane Stafford, Folens, Laura Mahoney aged 3, Emma Mahoney aged 5, Mary Gantley, member of the CHI Tallaght volunteer team.

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drivers install vehicle cameras for protection

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garden services Overgrown gardens restored Hedge and grass cutting Shrub and tree planting Light tree pruning Spring/autumn tidy ups All green garden waste removed and recycled

t el : 01 494 67 02 m oB : 087 976 2869

Irish motorists are increasingly buying and installing "dash cams"; small, black box devices which record driving continuously, in an effort to protect against crime and insurance fraud.

The cameras which attach to the windscreen of a vehicle, are extremely popular in Russia where corruption amongst police officers is high and road traffic accidents are common. In the uK, where having a vehicle camera reduces insurance premiums, it is estimated that 180,000 drivers have installed vehicle cameras. This is expected to rise to 500,000 within two years.

David Byrne from DashCams.ie, an Irish website selling vehicle cameras said; "We have seen a surge of people buying our high definition vehicle camera. Young drivers in particular are apprehensive about beginning to drive and feel at peace knowing they have audio and visual evidence in the event of an accident or insurance claim. We're receiving lots of emails from taxi drivers who are looking for the protection of a camera system to monitor passengers."

Smartcam 2 hD is available from dashcams.ie from €159.99

The Legal Column

In this month’s edition of the paper, Romaine Scally Solicitor, of Romaine Scally & Company, Solicitors, Main Street, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Telephone 01-4599506 email legal@scally.ie discusses the question of Enduring Powers of Attorney

Q. can i make a will Directing who will look after me in the eVent that i ShoUlD get alzheimerS or SUffer from Some form of Dementia?

a. The best solution to this concern is to prepare both a Will and an Enduring Power of attorney (E.P.a.). These Enduring Powers of attorney are not just for the elderly, or those on the cusp of lacking mental capacity but, for each and every responsible adult. Making a Will governs the disposal of your assets on your death and is vitally important. However, how much more important is it to put in place a mechanism to govern the administration of your assets and indeed to authorise a person to make decisions as to your welfare, while you are still alive, but incapable of making those decisions yourself. This is where the Enduring Power of attorney (E.P.a.) becomes so important.

an E.P.a. is an Instrument or document which complies with the strict procedural requirement of the legislation (Enduring Powers of attorney act 1996). It is a special type of a Power of attorney, the consequences of which are significantly different to an ordinary Power of attorney.

This type of Power of attorney is not revoked by the Donor (the person signing the Power) subsequently becoming incapacitated by virtue of dementia or mental incapacity of any other sort. It can only operate if at some point in the future, the Donor, being the person who creates the document, becomes mentally incapable of managing his or her affairs. as long as the Donor is well, the E.P.a. cannot be acted upon by the attorney.

any adult who has the required level of ability to execute an E.P.a. can plan for a possible future loss of mental capacity. In other words, it allows for the appointment of an individual, an attorney, to make decisions for the Donor in the sad event of future loss of capacity. The major benefit of an E.P.a. is that it is the Donor, him or her self, who decides, when capable, who is given such a tremendous power over his or her life, should he or she become incapable in the future.

The choice of the attorney is a personal matter for the Donor. Obviously, it is important that the person who is chosen is trustworthy.

Remember that the attorney’s actions will be subject to little or no supervision. You should also make sure that the person chosen to be the attorney is not in conflict by virtue of being a substantial beneficiary in your Estate.

You can appoint more than one person as your attorney. You can choose for the two or more attorneys to act jointly or severely i.e. whether they must act together when making decisions or can do

so individually. Remember that the attorney will, at your choice, be able to make both business, financial and personal care decisions, such as choosing a Nursing Home, deciding when the appropriate time is to more from independent living to sheltered or residential accommodation and can even make gifts.

The act does require a Statement by a Solicitor and a Medical Practitioner, that the Donor, with the assistance of any explanations given to him or her by the Doctor, does have the mental capacity to understand the full effect of creating the Power. Many people only consider an E.P.a. when they are losing capacity, but in fact, the time to consider such a Power of attorney is when you are well, not when you might be running out of time to have the mental capacity to execute the Power. Remember that it takes a certain amount of time to give instructions to your Solicitor to have the documents drafted, arrange for your Doctor to be present on the day of the signing and notify witnesses. as such, the time to consider such a Power is not when it is urgently needed, but when it is simply good forward planning for the future.

It is also important to remember that it is possible to revoke an E.P.a. at any time before it is registered. an formal document of Revocation needs to be signed, specifically confirming that the E.P.a. is being revoked and the original or a copy of the E.P.a. should be exhibited in the Revocation.

Remember that the E.P.a. is signed when the Donor is well, but it only becomes registered when the Donor becomes of unsound mind. There could be a gap of many years between signing an E.P.a. and registering the

by Romaine Scally E.P.a. Therefore, although it is a very important and formal document, nonetheless, it can be revoked before the Donor becomes of unsound mind.

Once the time is appropriate to register the E.P.a., a formal notification of an application to register the E.P.a. must be served on the Donor and also on the persons who were notified of the execution of the E.P.a. and are named on it. any person served with this Notice can object to the registration by sending the grounds of objection to the Wards of Court office within five weeks of receipt of the Notice. assuming that there are no objections, then a Medical Certificate must be obtained from a registered Medical Practitioner to the affect that the Donor is, or where appropriate is becoming, incapable by reason of a mental condition of managing and administering his of her own property and affairs.

Various documents are then completed by the attorney and prepared by the Solicitor, and are forwarded to the Wards of Court office.

Once the E.P.a. has been registered, the applying party will receive a document called a ‘Certificate of Registration’. at this point, the attorney is now is full control of the Donor’s financial and personal well being, subject to any restrictions originally inserted into the E.P.a., as instructed by the Donor. The most important thing is to satisfy yourself that the chosen attorney is trustworthy and the right person to make these important decisions for the Donor.

romaine scally & co, solicitors operate a FREE LEGAL ADVICE CLINIC on the second Wednesd ay from 2.00pm until 6.00p of every month m at in Main Street, Tallaght, their offices Dublin 24.

NEXT CLINIC: WED. 12TH DEC. No Appointment is ne We look forward to answ cessary. ering your legal queries in person.

romaine scally is the principal in the firm of romaine scally and company solicitors main street tallaght, dublin 24 tel 4599506 fax 4599510 email: legal@scally.ie

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plan a Green christmas

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Christmas is fast approaching and as we prepare to get festive and celebrate, South Dublin County Council is asking everyone to think about the Every environment. year each household generates a lot of extra of packaging waste over the Christmas period,

an estimated 54kgs per household. So this Christmas South Dublin Council is County encouraging everyone to reduce and recycle their festive packaging.

The Mayor of South Dublin County, Cllr Cathal King said “Between now and Christmas we will buy

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roughly 32 million batteries (800 tonnes) this accounts for almost 40% of all batteries sold in Ireland every year. So if each of us brought back just one battery to the Civic amenity or to the retailer when purchasing new ones 4 million batteries (100 tonnes) would be diverted from Ireland’s landfill! Now that’s a lot of batteries recycled through one simple action. We are always trying to encourage everyone to recycle in anyway they can, so I am delighted to see the Christmas decoration competition is being run again this year. I look forward to having a look at the results of this competition every

coca-cola to reward desiGnated drivers

year I am amazed by people’s creativity with recyclable materials.

Materials can be recycled at the following locations · Ballymount Civic amenity · Bring banks: South Dublin County Council has 63 banks around the County · Batteries recyclingwww.weeeirel and.ie · WEEE recycling: Clondalkin Community Recycling Initiativewww.recycleit .ie

for more information on where you can recycle more this visit christmas www.sdcc.ie

Pictured at the 2012 Coca-Cola Designated Driver campaign went live on November 26th and runs until December 31st 2012 were (L-R) Brian Maher National Customer Manager Licence Trade, Noel Brett, CEO of the Road Safety Authority, Tom O'Brien, Vice Chairman, LVA (Licenced Vintners Assoc), Fionnuala Sheehan, CEO, Drinkaware.ie, Mark Hargadon - Regional Customer Manager – Coca Cola Dublin, Tim Fenn, CEO, IHF (Irish Hotels Federation) and Garda Aidan Reid, Chief Superintendent Garda Traffic and model Sarah Morrissey at the launch of Coca-Cola’s Designated Driver campaign today.

The award-winning road safety initiative, which went live in more than 1000 pubs all over Ireland, offers safety-conscious Designated Drivers three FREE soft drinks, juice and bottled water from the Coca-Cola range. The full list of participating premises is available at www.designateddriver.ie

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now qualified to help our most vulnerable!

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The recent Open Training College graduation ceremony was a celebration on many levels. Not only do the graduates now possess an accredited and hard earned Ba in applied Social Studies for the disability

sector, they also possess vital best practice skills to empower the service users in their care. It’s all about supporting some of the most vulnerable in our society.

This year’s 128 adult learner graduates are special

indeed. Not only have most of them managed the responsibilities of a full-time job during their studies with the Open Training College, most have raised a family too. Quite a full plate for any Third

level learner. Many of the graduates would speak about challenging nights where the needs of the were finely College balanced with the needs of their family.

Meeting assignment deadlines is an art for these graduates who acknowledge the support of family as being crucial to their success.

But the commitment doesn’t stop there. Now they are qualified to a level that embodies best practice for the disability sector, which means that disability agencies and service users are now in the best hands possible. Even with the savage cuts to services and training budgets, these graduates recognise the value of their degree and most have made financial sacrifices in order to fund it themselves.

Conor Murray of the Open Training College commented ‘In the past, the majority of our students were funded through their employers’ training budgets. However, due to the massive cuts to the sector in recent years, agencies are no longer able to afford the college fees and employees are stepping up to pay the fees themselves.

The commitment from the students is truly second to none.’ a great day for the graduates and a great day for disability services in Ireland.

Pictured are graduates of the Honours BA in Applied Social Studies (Disability) from left to right, Margaret McConalogue, Francis Harrington and Louise Healy.

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honeymoons are top priority for irish newlyweds Your FREE Local Newspaper

Despite the ongoing economic climate, Irish couples are not forgoing their honeymoon according to new research by travel expert Hotels.com. The research shows an overwhelming 99% of are newlyweds-to-be planning to get away, with almost one in four (24%) spending between €5,000 and €10,000 on their dream holiday. The vast majority of couples (70%) say they prefer to go on honeymoon immediately after the big

Over 100 engaged or recently married respondents completed the survey which was conducted

by Hotels.com through Confetti.ie, the online home of Confetti Magazine. The results show that almost (42%) of half newlyweds-to-be like to book their weddings over one year in advance, with a further 15% booking

If you were to listen to the amount of doom and gloom regarding the recession and dare we mention ‘THE BuDGET’ you would be forgiven if you didn’t want to get out of bed some mornings!

We have all witnessed the closure of large businesses, shops and as the restaurants challenges of operating in this environment have become increasingly difficult. However we have to celebrate the good news stories when they arise and one such story is Browns Barn Bar & Kitchen in Citywest celebrating two years in business.

Browns Barn had been closed by its previous owners for over 18 months and when new management took over, the whole premises underwent extensive renovations.

Browns Barn re-opened its doors in December 2010, a winter many won’t forget.

The country was covered in a white blanket of snow.

Owner Brian Flanagan recalls “We literally had just opened our doors and the snow began to fall making roads dangerous for customers to get to us. It certainly was a challenging start, but we came out the better end! Brian Flanagan

day, with just 22% opting to delay their trip so that they can save some money.

between one and six months ahead of the big day. It seems to be a woman’s prerogative when choosing the wedding location, with 60% of those surveyed choosing to get married in the bride’s home county while one in ten of those surveyed have opted to tie the knot abroad.

Thailand is the most popular location for honeymooners with almost one in five (19%) selecting this as their destination of choice. Closer to home, Italy is second

with 11% while 9% say they will honeymoon in australia.

7% of people surveyed claim they are planning to honeymoon at home. 64% of honeymooners say they will try and get a room upgrade upon arrival at their hotel.

is a director in the Silken Thomas Group which also manages lock 13 Bar & Restaurant in Sallins, Harrigan’s Gastro Pub in Newbridge and the award winning Silken Thomas Bar & Restaurant in Kildare Town.

who fancy themselves as a bit of cook, Browns Barn also offers the unique experience of 'Steak on a Stone' where you become the master of your steaks destiny. The dry, searing cooking process means that all the natural flavour remains trapped resulting in a meal that is cooked exactly as you like it!

Kate Hopcraft of Hotels.com commented; “It is no surprise that newlyweds are not prepared to scrimp on their honeymoon as it is such an important part of the wedding celebrations. at Hotels.com we have

noticed a trend that honeymooners are using this as once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to splash out and travel further afield and this is apparent in the research with Thailand and australia proving popular with Irish couples. We have also seen that savvy honeymooners are now using the Hotels.com rewards welcome programme, which offers customers a free night for every ten stayed which is a great cost saving tool for

those planning a long trip. ” Other key findings included:

- 42% of couples plan to spend (or have recently spent) between €11,000 and €20,000 on their wedding The most important factor for couples in booking their wedding is the venue, followed by cost and accessibility Couples are most influenced by their friends (43%), closely followed by online reviewers and family members at 32%

browns barn, citywest celebrates two years in business!

Browns Barn Today customers can enjoy a great selection of food, from delicious carvery lunches, to an evening dinner menu that offers a wide range of dishes from pork belly to fillets of plaice, crispy duck to old favourites like fish & home cooked chips served with mushy peas! For those

last Tuesday Browns Barn celebrated their second

birthday and customers were invited to enjoy a complimentary dessert.

When you consider their first white opening day, the rain was a welcome change.

“Today we employ over 20 staff. To order to maintain these jobs we need to ensure we are offering quality and value at all times. Customers have so much choice and we need to make sure we are on their preferred list” cites

Flanagan.

Browns Barn can be hired for private functions for parties of 10 to 200. also they run a number of themed events during the year such as ladies nights, summer BBQ's and most recently they held a Christmas Craft Fair. For more information visit brownsbarn.net or check out Browns Barn on Facebook.

Today Browns Barn customers can enjoy a great selection of food, from delicious carvery lunches, to an evening dinner menu that offers a wide range of dishes

Browns Barn can be hired for private functions for parties of 10 to 200.

26

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eurolink... what’s haPPening in the euroPean Parliament

youth guarantee a priority during irish eU presidency

an Eu proposal to guarantee young people a job offer, apprenticeship or training within four months of becoming unemployed would not be a “magic bullet” but could avoid creating a “lost generation,” Irish MEPs said this week.

European Youth The Guarantee, part of an Eu Youth unemployment Package unveiled in Brussels this week, has already won strong support from Social Protection Minister Joan Burton. Speaking at a conference in Dublin aimed at examining how the scheme could be implemented in Ireland, Minister Burton vowed to prioritise getting European backing for the youth guarantee during Ireland’s six-month Eu presidency starting in January.

Dublin MEP Emer Costello, who also spoke at the conference, pointed out that Ireland’s unemployment rate

among under 25-year-olds has shot up to about 30 per cent from 9 per cent in 2008.

“The Youth Guarantee would bring approach together public employment services, education and training institutes and other stakeholders to identify the needs of each unemployed person aged between 18 and 24, designing an individual career plan. It’s not a magic bullet, but it could help reduce our historically high youth unemployment levels,” she said.

Fianna Fáil MEP liam aylward cited figures proving that investing in young people’s education and professional experience is far less than the economic cost of paying their unemployment benefit.

“The cost of not acting is €153 billion per year for the Eu. In Ireland, this amounts to around 2 per cent of GDP. But it’s estimated that it would cost only 0.2 per cent of GDP to introduce youth guarantee schemes in all member states. If we want to avoid creating a lost

generation, we have to act now,” said Mr aylward.

Youth guarantee models are already in place in Finland, Sweden and austria, which currently has a youth unemployment rate of just 8.5 per cent. peace process would not have worked without eU

Irish MEP Sean Kelly has said the Northern peace process “could not have been successful” without the broader context of European integration. Speaking at a conference in Brussels on how the North is an international model for peace and reconciliation, the Fine Gael MEP paid tribute to ongoing financial Eu aid for peace work.

However he also praised the Eu as an institution that has “contributed more to peace and prosperity” than any other body in the history of humankind.

“It has brought together a continent that had been at war with itself for most of its history. When the most

ancient of enmities are settled through increased economic integration, it creates a pressure to bring about peace even in the most ingrained of conflicts,” he added.

Mr Kelly pointed out that when the IRa ceasefire was declared in 1994, the then European Commission President Jacques Delors immediately intervened to a sizeable ensure contribution from the Eu budget to the International Fund for Ireland. Meanwhile, MEPs from north and south of the border held a historic meeting in Strasbourg in September 1994.

The PEaCE programme was also instigated, and in the current financial framework, €225 million in Eu funding has been allocated towards peace-building projects. a further €150 million has been committed for the period 2014-2020.

Mr Kelly, who has drafted a report for the European Parliament on the importance of the International Fund for

Ireland, also described an invitation he received to an Orange Hall in North Belfast last year. “Such an invite to a politician from the south have been would unthinkable five years ago, so it is a worthy benchmark of progress made between both communities in the North and across the island of Ireland,” he said. ireland boasts second safest roads in eU

Ireland is on course to become the second safest state in the Eu for road users behind Sweden, following the release of garda figures tracking the number of fatalities resulting from crashes.

Nine people were killed on Irish roads in November just gone - exactly half the number who lost their lives during the same month last year. Overall, 154 people have died in traffic collisions this year up to the first week in December, compared to 169 during the same period in 2011.

Praising the downward trend in road deaths, Irish MEP Jim Higgins noted that last month was the safest November ever recorded. is a massive “This turnaround, and the Road Safety authority deserves great tribute for their work.”

“That said, we cannot forget the 154 families for whom this Christmas will be a lonely one. There are also thousands of Irish people who have suffered serious injuries,” said the Fine Gael MEP.

Thanking the travelling public for their “sense of safety”, Mr Higgins appealed to motorists to slow down and “wise up” over the holiday season.

“use your dipped headlights at all times,” he said.

Eu figures show that an average of 100 people are killed on European roads every day, while another four are permanently disabled with brain or spine damage.

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the dawninG of the day

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The active IT Society, based in Terenure Enterprise Centre in South Dublin, have found a “Novel” way to address the funding shortfalls to their computer society. Their dynamic creative writing group, facilitated by local man Rick Quinn, decided that the best way to affordable maintain computer training for older people in the community, as well as to showcase their creative talents, was to join forces and publish a new book containing

stories and poems stemming from their own life experiences.

“Ireland: The Dawning Of the Day” is an atmospheric, nostalgic, & heart-warming compilation of original short pieces from members of the society themselves, together with special additions from guest writers including broadcaster aidan O’Hara, Irish Independent journalist Ian O’Doherty, renowned Irish tenor John McNally, and former Governor of Mountjoy Prison John

lonergan. This unique book of memoirs, short stories and poems was created with the aim to raise funds to extend this valued community initiative into the homes of those with limited mobility.

The society, based in Terenure Enterprise Centre and operating since 2007 offering affordable or free computer training for over 55’s, is delighted with the response to this book which will ensure the continuity of IT training for older

people from across south Dublin.

“Ireland: The Dawning Of the Day” was launched in Terenure on May 17th 2012 and is currently available for sale in local book outlets and also online at oaktreepress.ie and amazon.co.uk. It makes an ideal gift for family & friends at home and particularly abroad, with the festive season approaching.

avaialable for sale at both www.amazon.co.uk/Ire land-Dawning-MemoirsStories-Inspire and Oaktree Press www.oaktreepress.com

active seniors, you better believe it…..

The book is currently

novenas novenas novenas novenas novenas novenas

miracle prayer Dear Heart of Jesus in the past I have asked for many favours.

This time I ask you for a very special one.

Take it, dear Heart of Jesus, and place it within your own broken heart where your Father sees it. Then in His merciful eyes it will become your favour and not mine. amen. Say this prayer for three days.

Promise publication and favour will be granted no matter how impossible. Never known to fail. a.m. miracle prayer Dear Heart of Jesus in the past I have asked for many favours.

This time I ask you for a very special one.

Take it, dear Heart of Jesus, and place it within your own broken heart where your Father sees it. Then in His merciful eyes it will become your favour and not mine. amen. Say this prayer for three days.

Promise publication and favour will be granted no matter how impossible. Never known to fail. e.c. miracle prayer Dear Heart of Jesus in the past I have asked for many favours.

This time I ask you for a very special one.

Take it, dear Heart of Jesus, and place it within your own broken heart where your Father sees it. Then in His merciful eyes

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it will become your favour and not mine. amen. Say this prayer for three days.

Promise publication and favour will be granted no matter how impossible. Never known to fail. c.f. pleaSe note: if you wish to have your novena published please make a donation to our selected charity. Send a postal order or cheque made payable to Solas centre (ncbi) and send, along with your novena to: newsgroup, po box 3430, tallaght, Dublin 24. if you require any further information call us on 01 4519000.

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