Eamon Ryan TD Rathfarnham, Dundrum, Ballyboden, Knocklyon,Firhouse, Churchtown, Foxrock,

Minister for Communications,

Windy Arbour, Mount Merrion, Goatstown, Stillorgan, Kilmacud, Sandyford,
Summer
Energy and Natural
Resources Stepaside, Kiltiernan, Clonskeagh, Ballyogan, Leopardstown, Ballinteer, Cabinteely 2010

Dear Constituents,
Welcome to my local newsletter, which I hope you will enjoy reading.
My first priority in Government is to help provide the new jobs that our country needs.
I am confident we will recover from the economic crisis but to make sure the recovery
lasts, we need to make it green. The two graphs on this page show how in my own areas
of responsibility in broadband and clean energy, we are making real progress.
You can hear more about the plan for economic recovery that I am implementing by
watching my recent speeches on www.youtube.com/MinisterEamonRyan.
I look forward to heaing any advice or support you can give to help make this recovery
happen.

Better Broadband
Source: Comreg
Since I entered Government, broadband Subscribers Broadband Narrowband
services in Ireland have improved
greatly. In 2007, we had 600,000
broadband subscribers. That figure has 1500000
now more than doubled to over 1.5
million people.
1000000
70% of Irish homes and over 86% of
small and medium businesses have a
broadband connection. Around 80 of
our second level schools will have high
500000
speed broadband when they return this
September and by 2012 every secondary
Competition
school in the country will have such
0
access.
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Win a Water Butt!
The cable operator UPC is investing in its network to deliver speeds of up to 100Mbps. Eircom recently Win a water butt for
announced that it will trial new Fibre to2000000
the Home Technology which will provide speeds of up to your garden. See back
Broadband Narrowband
150Mbps, starting in the Sandyford area. We need to continue the progress of the last three years and I
am committed to making it happen.
page for details.
1500000
Source: SEAI

1000000 Clean, Green Energy

Each year Ireland spends almost 6 billion on importing fossil fuels. Investing in our
renewable energy resources improves energy security, reduces our carbon emissions, and
500000 helps to provide a competitive power supply. That is why as Minister for Energy I increased
our renewable energy targets to 40% by 2020. We are on track to meet these targets.
We are now producing 15% of our electricity from local renewable sources. I am proud
0 that our2005
wind power has doubled since the 2010
Green Party entered Government.
2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009
We are investing in upgrading our national grid to support further developments.
Negotiations have begun with our European counterparts on the building of a Supergrid,
so that countries can share their renewable resources – solar from Spain, hydro from
Norway and wind from Ireland.
I will continue to work hard to ensure that there is a long term, secure and sustainable
supply of clean, green energy for both business and households.

Páipear Athchúrsáilte.
 Recent Green Party Achievements in Government
The Civil Partnership Act
The Green Party entered Government on a
commitment to introduce legislation to address
the rights of same sex couples. Therefore I
am delighted that the Civil Partnership Bill
passed all stages in the Oireachtas on 8th July
2010. It provides legal recognition and protection for the thousands
of committed same sex relationships in the country and indeed to all
cohabiting couples both gay and straight. This is a major step forward for
equality in Ireland and I am proud to have been able to help deliver this.
Reforming Planning Legislation
The Planning Act 2010 will change the way we design and build our
communities. It will put an end to the reckless planning decisions that
contributed to the property bubble and the subsequent economic
crisis. The Act will ensure transparency, openness and democratic
involvement in the planning process. We can now look forward to a
planning system that protects the environment, is community-focused
and is truly sustainable.
Clampdown on Premium Rate
Rip-offs
We introduced a new law which regulates premium rate phone lines
selling ring tones, sports results, traffic reports and other high rate
services. Failure to comply will result in fines, or operators having their
licences cancelled.
Inquiry into Banking Collapse
In January the Green Party made sure that the Government established
an independent, thorough and cost-effective inquiry into the collapse
of the banking sector. We were pleased that reports by Klaus Regling
and Max Watson, and Professor Patrick Honohan got to the heart of
the matter. The full reports are well worth reading and can be found at
www.bankinginquiry.gov.ie
Providing Cervical Cancer
Vaccinations
In May 2010, the previously stalled HSE programme to vaccinate
teenage girls against cervical cancer got underway. This was one of the
important measures sought by the Green Party in negotiations for the
Renewed Programme for Government in October 2009. Approximately
30,000 secondary level students will receive the human papilloma virus
vaccination in the first year of the programme.
Reducing our Carbon Emissions
The Biofuels Obligation Act compels fuel providers to include at least
4% of their fuel mix for biofuels.
The Carbon Windfall Levy Act claims back ‘windfall profits’ from large
electricity generators, securing over 70 million a year which will be
used to lower electricity costs and help protect jobs.
The Climate Change Bill will be published later this year.
Protecting
our Animals
The Dog Breeding
Establishments Act will put
an end to unregulated puppy
farms.
Similarly the Wildlife Act 2010
prohibits deer hunting with
packs of dogs.
We are now working on a broader Animal Welfare Bill which will provide
further legislative measures to improve animal welfare across the country.
Delivering on
Debt Relief
The Green Party insisted on
new provisions to help people
manage their personal debt. We
established a group of experts
to work with the Government
to come up with specific
recommendations on how the
banks can help people more.
The group recently published their interim report and we have already
begun to implement the first 40 recommendations, which include:
• No penalty interest or arrears charges to apply
• If you agree a deal with your bank (longer maturity, interest only,
payment holiday) you do not lose your tracker mortgage
• All lenders must develop a Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process
(MARP) and a specialist unit in every lending institution to deal with
those in arrears
• Changes in Mortgage Interest Relief Schemes
I am pleased to be able to implement these measures and we will
continue to help people in difficulties out of debt.
You can find further details on www.finance.gov.ie and a further
report will be published in September.
Free-to-Air Sports on TV
Every three years as Minister for Communications I am obliged
to review the list of special national events that should be
broadcast on Free-to-Air TV. As part of this I published a draft
list in May which includes the Six Nations Championship, The
Heineken Cup in Rugby, GAA Championship Games and the
Cheltenham Horseracing Festival.
The designation of rugby games in particular has led to a lot of
controversy. The IRFU have claimed that up to 12m could be
lost by designating matches to Free-to-Air. However, the vast
bulk of broadcasting revenue (approximately 10m) already
comes from the Free-to-Air broadcasting of our Six Nations
games. This money is guaranteed for the next three years and
similar revenues should be available in the years after that.
In relation to the Heineken Cup, the designation of the event
would not mean that Sky could no longer show the games but
rather that RTE, TV3, and TG4 could also show them. Such a
retransmission would have to be paid for at reasonable market
rates, so Free-to-Air does not mean that the sport is provided
for free.
My job is to ensure that everyone is considered in these
decisions - sports fans, children, pensioners and those who
are on low incomes who cannot afford to pay to watch these
events. I am confident that we can reach a solution which
allows the Irish public see their teams in crucial games and our
sports continue to prosper.
Green Light for Local Schools
I am delighted that work on four schools in Dublin South is now progressing
under the schools building programmes.
Eamon Ryan with Principals and staff from
St Colmcille’s Junior/ Senior NS, Knockylon
 St Colmcille’s National
School, Knocklyon –
new school to be built next year
 Our Lady’s Grove, Goatstown -
new school to be built next year
 Sancta Maria, Ballyroan –
moving to the planning stage for
refurbishment and an extension
 Holy Trinity, Leopardstown –
approval granted to begin the
design of their new school.
Marlay Park Golf
Course Reopens
The golf course in Marlay Park reopened
in May. The new course was built using
state of the art technology, including some
artificial greens which means the course will
stay open all year round. There are three
sets of tees which will allow golf enthusiasts
of all ages and levels of experience play at
an affordable rate. The new club house will
open next year.
For opening hours and further information:
www.marlaygolfcourse.com

These schools have been in need of redevelopment for a number of years and
I have worked hard to ensure that they received these approvals. Even in these
difficult times we are still making education a priority.
I understand there are other schools in Dublin South who would also benefit
Tree Strategy for
from building improvements and I will continue to campaign on their behalf. Dun Laoghaire
Rathdown
Ballyroan Library Gets Funding for a Facelift
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council
The Government has earmarked over €1m in funding to develop and refurbish are developing a Tree Strategy to highlight
Ballyroan library. the value of trees and to help improve
The library is a fantastic resource for the community, attracting people of all ages, the Councils approach to planting and
offering a range of services from books and newspapers to music, internet access, managing trees in the County.
archives and study areas. The funding will also help support local employment as You can view the strategy at www.
the library is redeveloped. dlrcoco.ie and if you would like to
contribute your own thoughts on how the
With the new Community Hall and Youth Centre reopened and the Pastoral Hall
completed, the residents of Ballyroan can now look forward to a range of much trees in your area could be better managed
needed local facilities that will help strengthen the community. then contact:
Mr. Chris O’Neill
Executive Parks Superintendent,
Parks & Landscape Services,
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council,
Marine Road,
Dún Laoghaire,
e-mail parks@dlrcoco.ie.

New Regulations to
Control Quad Biking
and Scrambling
Carrickmines Retail Park – The Real Story For some time there have been problems
Recent proposals by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Councillors to designate the Carrickmines with scrambling and quad biking in the
Retail Park as a ‘district centre’ would have allowed a further 25,000m2 of retail Dublin Mountains and other areas. The
development on the site. mountains are a resource for everyone
to enjoy. It is important that recreational
My colleague Minister Gormley issued a direction to the Council to reject this proposal activities are limited to those which do not
as it would contravene the Retail Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area. disturb or damage the local environment
and its wildlife.
There are already sufficient areas zoned as district centres such as Cornelscourt,
Dundrum, Stillorgan and the proposed site at Cherrywood. Another shopping centre Therefore I welcome my colleague
could cause job losses in these areas. Minister John Gormley’s new legislation to
control such activities in areas where the
Again this is clear evidence that some political partys have learned nothing from the protection of nature sites is required. The
bad planning mistakes of the past and are happy to continue to encourage developer- Dublin and Wicklow Mountains National
led building on green field sites. I welcome the Green Party’s intervention on this Park will be among the first areas in the
occasion and our new planning legislation which will ensure more sustainable planning country to ban these off road vehicles and
in the future. I will keep you informed of the progress
of this.
 New iPhone App Helps Children with Autism
I visited Saplings School in Rathfarnham where I met with local Lisa Domican
who has worked to develop an iPhone Application to help communicate with
autistic children.
The Grace App has transformed the picture exchange communications tools
which are currently used by many parents and tutors of children with autism. It
can hold hundreds of images that can be customised for each child, it is small and
portable and it is simple to use.
For further information http://graceappforautismoniphone.blogspot.com/
Eamon Ryan and Lisa Domican at Saplings, Rathfarnham

Changes to Local Help Clean up The Dodder

Waste Services The Dodder is one of our most precious natural resources
in Dublin South. It crosses the entire constituency and has
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County many nice walks and is home to many different species of
Council recently announced that they flora and fauna.
are withdrawing from household waste
services and have appointed private
While the Councils maintain the river and are working
to create the Dodder Valley Park and Flood Protection
operator Panda to provide waste services in
schemes, there are still large amounts of litter that gather
the County.
along the banks.
Panda will provide a ‘grey’ and ‘green’ bin
Therefore the Dublin South Greens are organising a series of clean ups during the coming
service to all existing Council customers
months. For further information contact my office on 2995513 or www.eamonryan.ie/events
free of charge for the first six months, then
from February 2011 the charges applied
will be 20% below current prices. A
‘brown’ bin service will be rolled out from
Competition! Win a Water Butt!
December 2010. They will also honour all Water Butts are a great way to conserve water. They collect rain
water which can then be used to water your plants, wash your car,
existing waiver schemes for low income clean your patio, fill up your cistern if needed.
households.
To enter please answer the following question:
In South Dublin County Council, the How many litres of water does the average per use per day
problems that occurred when introducing in Ireland?
the new credit system have been A) 5L B) 50L C) 150L
overcome, and it is now working well for Send your answer with your name, address, email and contact number to:
customers. They have also successfully
Water Butt Competition, Eamon Ryan TD Constituency Office,
begun the roll out of the brown bins and
4 Pembroke Cottages, Dundrum, Dublin 14
this is due to be completed in September
of this year. or email eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
For further information on saving water: www.taptips.ie

Get in Touch We need a new politics to restore

confidence and hope in our country
Eamon Ryan TD and our city.
Dáil Eireann, Kildare St., Dublin 2. or I believe that our vision of a Greener
4 Pembroke Cottages, Mainstreet, Ireland will provide the way forward.
Dundrum. Dublin 14 You can be part of the solution by
Tel: 618 3097 / 2995513 getting involved in your own area.
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie The Dublin South Greens meet on
Web: www.eamonryan.ie the second Tuesday of each month.
We discuss politics at both a local
and national level, work on practical
Find out More – Dublin South Greens ways to improve the quality of life in
Dublin South and campaign on issues
Send me your details Name that matter. We move around the
if you are interested in constituency regularly so check out
more information on Address www.eamonryan.ie/events/ to see
where the next meeting takes place.
the Green Party.
There are many ways in which you
Phone, email, or fill in the can help out. If you would like to get
form and send it back to Phone Mobile involved with the Green Party and
help your community steer itself in a
me. greener direction, then please do get
Email
www.eamonryan.ie in touch.

0612