Lord Mayor, I understand there is a European Union Directive 2000/84/EC of 19 January 2001. As a result, all ED member states start summer time simultaneously. Consequently, time differences between member states remain constant throughout the year. Were we to consider extending summer time, and subsequently hoping to introduce such a change we would first have to convince all 26 other EU member states to do likewise in order that time differences between member states remain constant throughout the year

In considering any potential changes to our current time arrangements I am sure the Councillor will appreciate that we must consider what is happening in the UK, not least because we have same time arrangements, they are our biggest trading partner and we share a border with Northern Ireland.

Consideration must be also given to how such a change would affect the interaction between the different time zones, specifically between this island and our neighbouring island and between this island and the main Continent of Europe.

The Government recently announced a €13.2 million cut to the vocational education committee (VEC) sector, along with an increase to the pupil-teacher ratio at post-Leaving Cert (PLC) level.

This move has sparked controversy at a time when there is an increased focus on directing jobless people into a variety of education or training programmes.

Some colleges have pointed out that the real number of teachers who are likely to lose their jobs could be significantly higher, given that many work part-time.

The City of Cork VEC is due to lose 24 posts, for example, but colleges locally claim that as many as 50 jobs are at risk.

Staff at one of the colleges in the city – St John’s Central College – have been warned that as many as seven of its courses, ranging from veterinary nursing to software engineering, may be lost as a result of the changes.

Students at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa are already campaigning to save 13 teachers who will potentially lose their jobs, including three staff from the college’s renowned performing arts department which has produced grad

The country’s largest further education college, the Cork College of Commerce could lose 22 part-time teachers who deliver courses that lead to jobs, while St John’s College could possibly lose up to 15 specialised teaching staff.

It seems clear that the Department of Education doesn’t understand what further education does. These cuts will close courses that actually lead to jobs in industry and will put both teachers and students on the live register.

The Government is being completely short-sighted and creating more debt for the Exchequer by transferring the problem from the Department of Education to the Department of Social Welfare.

(Source: based on media reports in the Irish Examiner and Evening Echo plus emails from principals)

 Lord Mayor, on the CSPCA issue, I think overall I am disappointed that this review of the CSPCA hasn’t completely being finished.

There are large questions of the original motion that have not being answered the comparison asked for in the original motion with management and practices nationally hasn’t materialises…there are still governance issues such as the financial management that the Council has still not gone through. We still have not got a set of audited accounts before us. I’m not saying there is anything wrong but I would rather dot all the ‘i’s and cross all the ‘t’s in light of the deficiencies that have been found there in terms of paper work and this is outlined in the report in front of us.

Whereas there have been some positive changes been made, there are a lot of unresolved issues in my opinion.

Overall I’m disappointed with the CSPCA, one of the oldest bodies in looking after stray animals in the city. I’m disappointed with their quite vocal attacks on members of the public who lobbied hard to get where we are this evening. Animal welfare deficiencies were found as revealed in the report before us.

I hope the process of inspections has moved the CSPCA to a better level to start rebuilding its relationship with the general public at large.

I am still disappointed that two councillors are not still appointed to their board of directors. A large amount of tax payer’s money is invested in the facility every year.

With that in mind I am calling for a vote to reject the manager’s report and that the motion be returned to the environment committee so that work on putting two councillors on the board can be completed.

Question:

To ask the Manager what was the cost of compilation of the most recent Docklands report, as discussed at December’s Council meeting?  (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)

Motions:

That Loreto Park be added to the 2013 re-surfacing estates list (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)

That this Council oppose the E.13.5m central government funding cut to the Vocational Education Committee (VEC) sector, along with an increase to the pupil-teacher ratio at post Leaving Cert (PLC) level (Cllr Kieran McCarthy)