COMHAIRLE CHONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF TERENURE-RATHFARNHAM AREA COMMITTEE (1)

Tuesday 7th March 2006

MOTION 18

MOTION: Councillor. T. McDermott

"That this meeting discuss the Manager's intervention preventing MVA Consultants from attending a public meeting in Terenure College and that the members call on him to desist from such practice in the future."

REPORT:

It is established protocol that Council officials and/or consultants engaged by them do not attend public meetings unless such meeting is arranged by the Council. In this case the Council did not organise such meeting.

The methodology for progressing the MVA Study was agreed by the Terenure-Rathfarnham Area Committee at its meetings of January 10th and February 7th, 2006, and has been adhered to by the Roads & Traffic Department. The matter of public meetings with local residents was discussed at the February meeting of the Committee on foot of a Notice of Motion from Councillor Ardagh, following which it was agreed to defer any public meetings pending presentation of a full report on the Study to the members at the March meeting. 

When the Consultants sought clarification from Dublin City Council, following Councillor McDermott's direct approach to them to attend a public meeting, they were advised that in view of Notice of Motion which had yet to be discussed, it would be inappropriate for them to engage in separate communication with individual Councillors, and that any such correspondence should be referred to the Roads & Traffic Department for attention. This advice is considered reasonable in the context of established procedure.