TDs and Coolock residents in Q&A session

Ivor Callely wants to see 'justice applied in all cases'. Finian McGrath thinks Donna Cleary's murder was 'an absolute crime'. Martin Brady knows families who pay their mortgage out of the children's allowance. Five TDs met the residents of Coolock recently for a public question-and-answer session. From the audience, there was no mention of murders or gun crime. Colin Murphy reports

The setting
Coolock Civic Centre is an imposing new building on a desolate street, Bunratty Drive, in Coolock, down the road from the Northside Shopping Centre. The centre is a short walk from the site of the Stardust disaster, and from the house where Donna Cleary was murdered at a party on 5 March.
Five TDs were there for a debate on local issues on the evening of 14 March, broadcast live on the community radio station, Near fm: Fianna Fáil backbenchers Ivor Callely and Martin Brady, independent Finian McGrath, Fine Gael's deputy leader Richard Bruton and Labour's Tommy Broughan. There were between 100 and 150 people in the hall, with perhaps 90 per cent of them women, and a small number of teenagers.

‘Prioritise the kids who most need it'
The first question was on childcare provision. Finian McGrath called for childcare to be “put on the same level as primary, secondary and third level” education.
“You've got to prioritise the kids who most need it... We should have every child going through a proper childcare or pre-school facility,” he said. “Fair play”, said someone in the audience, and there was applause.
A number of speakers criticised the situation where the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is responsible for the coordination of childcare policy. Ivor Callely said he was “not too sure” if the Department of Justice should be managing childcare, and Tommy Broughan said this situation had been a “ad hoc response” and was “farcical”.
A man named Kevin asked a question from the audience: “What about these foreigners that is coming in and getting all the funding - cars and everything?” The chairman interrupted him.
Richard Bruton said the childcare system was “clearly on a rationed basis at the moment” and that we were “a long way” from a universal free childcare system and, pragmatically, some fees would need to be retained.
Martin Brady said the children's allowance was now the highest “in the history of the State” and that he knew “some people now can pay their mortgage with their children's allowance”.

‘Faced with a massive urban
high-rise city'
There was a complaint from the audience about “ad hoc developments” on the Northside. Finian McGrath said there was “an obsession” in Dublin City Council with high density and that there hadn't been “enough real consultation” in relation to recent local developments. “The whole issue of corruption of officials is something that we've got to face, it's a reality out there”, he said.
Tommy Broughan said we were “being faced with a massive urban high-rise city.
“We've had great difficulties in the past here in parts of the Northside with very high density. We seem to have made the same mistakes again. It seems to be all done for greed”.
He said one developer of a local site would make a €1 billion profit. He criticised past government for not allowing “a democratic system to take place in regard to planning”. We need to begin to get back control over what's happening in this area”, he said.

‘Disability friendly'
A woman in the audience asked a question about local disability access. She said she was “like a prisoner in my own home at the moment” because of her disability and the “awful state” of the paths and the lack of a nearby bus service.
Finian McGrath said the council “cannot plead a lack of resources. The country is awash with money.” Ivor Callely said, “with regard to transport for those with a disability, I think it's fair to say, we have made great progress, recognising that there's more to be done... I'm pleased to say here tonight that every single Dublin Bus is disability friendly.”
A teenager in the audience said that the local 17A bus was not wheelchair friendly.

Anti-social behaviour
A question was asked about anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs). Richard Bruton said ASBOs had a place, but weren't going to “solve the problems that are affecting communities”. He said there was a problem with the lack of enforcement of existing law and the lack of deterrents, such as community service.
Tommy Broughan said the 2001 Children's Act had “a whole range of measures” to deal with these problems, but that the Government hadn't spent the money to bring the act in. “There is a lot of legislation there, we should be enforcing that.”
Finian McGrath drew attention to the fact that we were “300 metres from Donna Cleary's murder”  and said it was “an absolute crime”. He said the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, “seems to be more interested in taking out journalists like Frank Connolly than dealing with the issues on the ground, which are – we need more community policing, and communities need help and families need support, and these are the particular issues that I feel very strongly about”. There was a round of applause.
The Stardust
A man in the audience said it was “the greatest example of anti-social behaviour that Mr Butterly and his family should attempt to do business on (the Stardust) site, which is a grave site for 48 people”, to applause.
Martin Brady said there should be another inquiry. Tommy Broughan said the original inquiry was “a travesty and a whitewash”.
Ivor Callely addressed both the issues of anti-social behaviour and the Stardust inquiry together. “I would like to see justice being applied in all cases. I want to see a society where people feel safe in their own communities, in their workplace, where they socialise, and in their homes”, he said.

‘The youth' talk back
Brendan Carr, in the audience, said the reason there was anti-social behaviour was because “there is no facilities for the youth”. Finian McGrath said, “young people have got to be supported, they've got to be nurtured”. A young man in the audience, Jason, made the final point of the evening: “Kilmore Football Club is 25 years old and there's no changing facilities. Young people aren't going to get nurtured without the facilities.”
Jason was at the debate with a small group of friends from Chanel College in Coolock (Oliver, Stephen and Mark). They weren't impressed.
“They didn't listen to people's issues”, they said. Those asking questions “were just all getting shot down” by the panel.
“They were just avoiding the questions, weren't really answering them... They were too busy making themselves look good in front of us, so that they'll get votes and that.”
∏More You can hear a recording of the full debate on NEARfm's website, www.nearfm.ie