ANTI-HOUSEHOLD CHARGE POSTERS DON’T BELONG ON COUNCIL POLES - HUMPHREYS

STATEMENT BY CLLR RICHARD HUMPHREYS

Labour Party Councillor for Stillorgan

Sunday, 26 February 2012

ANTI-HOUSEHOLD CHARGE POSTERS DON’T BELONG ON COUNCIL POLES - HUMPHREYS

Cllr Richard Humphreys, the Labour Party Councillor for the Stillorgan Ward, has criticised the poster campaign by the “Campaign against the Household and Water Taxes”.

“Posters advocating non-payment of the household charge have begun to appear on poles around the County, urging people not to register or pay.  There is something ironic if not ridiculous about the fact that the Anti-Charge campaign is using poles paid for by Council money and maintained by the Council in order to advocate non-payment of lawful charges to fund essential local government services.” Humphreys said.

“The Anti-Charge lobby advocates a “free rider” philosophy – they wish to take the benefits of democracy but not to contribute to paying for it.  This is an insult to the intelligence of the public.  I am calling on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to withdraw its consent to the placing of posters on its poles which advocate the non-payment of lawful charges.  I fully respect the entitlement of protesters to free speech, but this does not extend to advocating the commission of criminal offences.  The unfortunate reality is that anyone liable to the charge must declare his or her liability and pay the charge due or otherwise they are committing an offence.”

“I regret the necessity for a household charge but due to the disastrous economic situation which the Government inherited from Fianna Fail and the Greens, it has become required as a condition of EU and IMF funding, without which we as a country will not be able to pay our nurses, teachers and Gardai and fund other essential services.  The essential thing is that it be fairly borne by the community.  A mass boycott campaign is sheer economic fantasy and is an insult to the law abiding members of society” Humphreys said.

“It is also somewhat striking that the “Campaign against the Household and Water Taxes” is a somewhat shadowy organisation which does not list its members or committee conspicuously on its website.  Nor does it publish on its website any rules or constitution which would show that its committee is accountable to its members.  Its press releases are featured on a Socialist Party website and it gives every impression of being another vehicle for the cynical politics of the Ultra-Left Alliance.”

Ends

Download full councillors' expenses for 2011

The full list of all councillors' expenses for 2011 is available on my website - http://richardhumphreys.ie/ and click on "Download 2011 expenses".  An excel document with all expenses should download for you.

Amounts paid to each Councillor in 2011

I submitted a question to last Monday's council meeting to establish the total amounts paid to each Councillor in 2011.  This includes conference fees which are not paid directly to the Councillor but to conference organiser on their behalf.  The totals, arranged in order of amount, are as follows.  Note that the 6 lowest councillors did not serve a full 12 months during 2011.  

I received the second lowest amount of the Councillors in the Stillorgan Ward and weighed in at a respectable mid-table position overall.

3505 Richard Boyd-Barrett

3671 Mary Mitchell-O’Connor

7196 Grace Tallon

14907 Melissa Halpin

16472 Aidan Culhane

19332 Patricia Stewart

22155 Hugh Lewis

22167 Aoife Brennan

22256 Stephen Fitzpatrick

23057 Tom Murphy

23473 Jim O’Dea

24114 Carrie Smyth

24681 Barry Ward

24772 Gearoid O’Keefe

25565 Donal Marren

25731 Cormac Devlin

26022 Marie Baker

26199 Richard Humphreys

26641 Neale Richmond

26871 Niamh Bhreathnach

27346 Barry Saul

27958 Victor Boyhan

28198 Tony Fox

28868 Tom Joyce

30085 Pat Hand

30554 Jane Dillon-Byrne

30688 Denis O’Callaghan

34236 Gerry Horkan

38108 Maria Bailey

41789 Lettie McCarthy

47058  John Bailey

Launch of Irish Labour History Society Photo Exhibition

Last night I attended the launch by Tánaiste and Party Leader Eamon Gilmore of the Irish Labour History Society photographic exhibition at Beggar's Bush, Haddington Rd, to commemorate the centenary of the founding of the Labour Party in 1912.  Pic shows me with the legend of recent Labour history, former Tánaiste and Party Leader Dick Spring.  It was an immense privilege for me to have worked as part of Dick's team as a special adviser to Labour during the 1990s.  Photo credit: the ever-professional Shauneen Armstrong.

February 2012 Council Meeting

The webcast of the Feb 2012 meeting of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is now on line -
http://www.dlrcoco.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/71069

To view my input follow these instructions: Along the blue strip on top of the picture you will see three tabs, which stand for Home, Index Points and Speakers. Click on the second one (index points - marked by a picture of what look like a few bullets), then scroll down and click on my name at the following point(s) -

0.09.08 on Councillors expenses and the EUR61,000 expenses incurred by PBP TDs
0.14.58 on my amendments to the public art policy
1.42.39 on the motion concerning a public inquiry in respect of oil drilling
1.54.09 paying tribute to Richard Cremins and Les Moore on leaving the Council
2.10.00 on legal advice regarding Councillors' interests in the Cherrywood SDZ
2.24.50 on reform of the water sector

Monday 20th Feb - All welcome to Public Meeting with local Garda Siochana and Joint Policing Committee

From http://www.dlrcoco.ie/newsevents/latestnews/title,7626,en.html

"Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Joint Policing Committee - Notice of Public Meeting

A public meeting for the residents of Ballinteer, Blackrock, Churchtown, Dundrum, Glencullen, Goatstown, Mount Merrion, Sandyford, Stepaside, and Stillorgan will be held in:

Taney Parish Hall, Taney Road, Dundrum

On Monday, 20^th February, 2012

From 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Joint Policing Committee is chaired by Councillor Dr Richard Humphreys and consists of local elected representatives of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, An Garda Síochána, Oireachtas members and community representatives.

This is a meeting that local residents from the above areas are welcome to attend.  At the meeting you will have an opportunity to make observations and address questions on matters relating to crime and anti-social behaviour with a view to improving public safety within local communities.

RAISE ISSUES, GET FEEDBACK, ALL WELCOME.

For further information contact:

Neil Healy on (01) 2047299

E Mail: nhealy@dlrcoco.ie "

Arts Grants 2012

Artists or arts groups working or living in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County may be interested in the arts grants scheme - closing date 28 February.  Details at http://www.dlrcoco.ie/arts/grants_scheme_2012.htm

FIGURES FOR COUNCILLORS' ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS

There is more to the job of a councillor than attendance at meetings but nonetheless the figures are interesting.  I attach figures showing attendance at meetings up in 2011 up to the start of December.  At that stage I had attended a respectable 88% of meetings which put me in 2nd place in the Stillorgan Ward, and in the top half of councillors overall in terms of percentage attended.   I was in joint 6th place in the Council overall in terms of actual number of meetings attended.

ORGANISATION PROCEDURE & PROTOCOL COMMITTEE

7TH DECEMBER 2011

COUNCILLORS ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS IN 2011 TO DATE

Question: Councillor M. Baker

“To ask the Manager to report on Councillors attendance at all official meetings of

DLRCC for the calendar year 2011 to date, highlighting in each Councillors case

the total number of meeting that should have been attended and the actual

number of meetings attended and the percentage attendance rate in each case?”

Reply:

Councillor        Total No of

Meetings that

Councillor Could

have Attended

No of Meetings

Attended by

Councillor

% Rate of

Attendance

John Bailey    41                          37                                90%

Maria Bailey   35                          29                                83%

Marie Baker   43                          41                                95%

Niamh Bhreathnach 43                 36                                84%

Victor Boyhan 42                         36                                86%

Aoife Brennan 41                         23                                56%

Cormac Devlin 37                         29                                78%

Jane Dillon Byrne 37                      34                                92%

Stephen Fitzpatrick 35                 34                                97%

Tony Fox 39                                 37                                95%

Melisa Halpin 19                          14                                74%

Pat Hand 43                                36                                84%

Gerry Horkan 40                          40                                100%

Richard Humphreys 42                 37                                88%

Tom Joyce 45                              34                                76%

Hugh Lewis 41                             28                                68%

Donal Marren 39                          34                                87%

Lettie McCarthy 45                       43                                96%

Tom Murphy 39                            30                                77%

Denis O’Callaghan 39                   39                                100%

Jim O’Dea 42                               34                                81%

Gearóid O’Keeffe 40                     7                                  18%

Neale Richmond 38                      23                                61%

Barry Saul 42                              30                                71%

Carrie Smyth 41                          39                                95%

Patricia Stewart 29                       29                                100%

Grace Tallon 10                            10                                100%

Barry Ward 43                             30                                70%

Contact: Tony Pluck, Director of Corporate Services & I.T.