Ray's Speech to Fine Gael National Conference, November '08

Thank you very much, Mr Chairman.

My name is Ray McAdam and I am a Fine Gael candidate in Dublin's North Inner City. I want to talk to you this afternoon about drug misuse and the need for better preventative measures to be put in place as well as the need for greater rehabilitation facilities for those trying to live their lives free from drugs.

I live and work in Dublin's North Inner City.

I see first hand the affect of drug abuse and drug misuse has on the people of the North Inner City.

I see, not alone the affect it has on the drug user, but on the family of that user.

This in turn, has a devastating affect on the communities of the North Inner City.

And I am quite sure unfortunately, that this situation is replicated across many parts of our country.

Today, Mr. Chairman, I want to raise a number of these issues with our panel of speakers.

A report recently highlighted that one in twenty people are now taking cocaine on a regular basis.

This report also showed that those who want to take drugs are having little difficulty in getting access to these substances.

As drugs have become so readily available in Irish society, I sometimes wonder whether we actually realise the extent of drug misuse across Dublin's North Inner City and the towns and villages across the country.

Do we really understand the impact of drug misuse, is having on people's lives?

As someone trying to follow in the footsteps of the late Fine Gael TD Jim Mitchell and represent the people of the North Inner City, I am particularly concerned about the lack of preventative measures now in place as well as the shortage of rehabilitation facilities are available to those who really need them.

As I said, I hope to represent the North Inner City of Dublin.

The last Fine Gael TD elected for that area was the late Jim Mitchell.

Jim Mitchell was a passionate champion for social justice.

As Dublin's youngest Lord Mayor, Garret FitzGerald's first Minister for Justice and with over 25 years experience in Dail Eireann, Jim Mitchell fought for the forgotten, the marginalised and the oppressed.

Jim Mitchell never forgot that Fine Gael's primary mission is to create a Just Society.

One of the most critical measures needed in order to create that Just Society is fight to eradicate drug addiction in our towns and villages.

So, I want to ask the Panel three questions:

Firstly, given that the Government's Drug Strategy has been in place for many years, does the Panel believe it has had any real impact?

Secondly, are sufficient preventative measures being put in place?

Thirdly, are the support services available for those who really need and want rehabilitation?

Metro North - Submission to An Bord Pleanala

I along with Senator Paschal Donohoe and Councillor Mary O'Shea made a joint submission to An Bord Pleanala on the Metro North planning application. In our submission we stressed the need for an independent monitoring system during and after construction, the need for environmental limits to be strictly observed and an effective local complaint system.

If you have further questions or concerns in relation to our submission, please do not hesitate to contact me and I'll do what I can to help!

The planned Metro North is the single largest infrastructural project in the history of the Irish State. There is little doubt that the Metro will create massive benefits for the city of Dublin and residents living alone the route. However, the construction phase will see a lot of disruption resulting in an immense impact upon the lives of thousands of people. Therefore, we believe it is necessary for An Bord Pleanala to hold an oral hearing into this application, so that the concerns of people affected by the construction and operation of the Metro will be taken into consideration.

Local people are concerned with a number of key aspects of the Environmental Impact Statement which accompanied the Railway Order. We acknowledge that until the contractors provide a final design for the construction of Metro North, many of our concerns and questions will not be fully answered. However, we believe it necessary for any final design to take full account of all conditions included in the Railway Order as seen fit by An Bord Pleanala.

Therefore we urge the Board to take consideration of the following issues:
The need for certain environmental limits to be included in the conditions of the Railway Order at particular locations and particular times of day. We would ask the Board to consider include limiting the hours of working to be included in the detailed design of the Metro.Requests for conditions to be imposed requiring monitoring schemes for major measurable impacts to be agreed and implemented before construction proceeds. These conditions should include:
- measuring the level of noise during the construction phase
- measuring the level of noise during the operation of Metro North
- dust and other airborne emissions during the construction and operation of the Metro
- the impact of construction traffic and pedestrian safety during the construction phase
- potential for the construction works to cause or exacerbate flooding
- potential for the tunnelling works to cause settlement
- potential effects of tunnel construction and the operation of the Metro on human health
- the impact of Metro North on property prices and local planning zones
- control of contractor performance and what will happen if things go wrong

We would urge the Board to include in the conditions of the Railway Order a method for obtaining a technical response to enquiries and concerns from those affected by the works.It is necessary for an effective complaints procedure and dispute resolution process relating to all significant impacts to be included in the conditions of the Railway Order. We believe it to be essential for this procedure to be agreed and implemented prior to the beginning of the construction phase of the project.Requests for conditions to be imposed requiring the Rail Procurement Agency to operate a property protection scheme to ensure that property owners who experience damage to their properties have their problems rapidly addressed.We also believe given the burden of legal costs that will be inflicted upon residents affected by the construction and operation of Metro North, these costs should be born by the Rail Procurement Agency.We and residents affected by the construction and operation of Metro North had insufficient time to assimilate and identify key issues contained in the Railway Order given the volume of documentation included. Therefore, our submission maybe incomplete and we would ask that the Board allow us to bring forward further concerns or questions to your attention as this process continues.It is also crucial that an independent monitoring system be in place to ensure that planning conditions are implemented on Metro North when it is operational.

We hope that An Bord Pleanala will actively consider these and other submissions so that this important project can go ahead with the right conditions attached. We feel these proposed measures will strengthen the Railway Order and that the concerns and questions raised by local people will be adequately addressed.