After the disappointing recent news that Tommy's toy store was to close, I am happy to report that three new stores have opened this week, creating nearly 50 jobs, including up to 28 in 'Happy Events', replacing Tommy's.

With jobs on incomes under so much pressure these days, it is great to see a new generation of local retail outlets coming on stream.

Please note that contrary to the report carried in today’s Irish Independent, Joan Burton TD is not and has never been a member of the Board of the Adelaide and Meath Hospital Dublin, incorporating the National Children’s Hospital. (Tallaght Hospital).

As reported in today's Irish Times, the government yesterday finally agreed to accept a Labour proposal that all tax breaks contained in the Finance Bill should be subject to a rigorous cost-benefit analysis.

"This is a simple, common-sense proposal, and I can't see why the government would have been opposed to it in the first place", said Deputy Burton.

I was disappointed to learn that An Bord Pleanala has recently given the green light to a massive development on a site beside St. Patrick’s National School in Diswellstown.

When myself and Cllr. Peggy Hamill organised a public meeting in relation to this development last January, it was clear that there was significant local opposition to any large-scale development on this site.

I have received the following notice from Fingal County Council regarding Black and Brown Bin collections over the coming week.

The revelation that former AIB boss Eugene Sheehy walked away with a golden parachute worth almost €900,000 will leave members of the public gasping in astonishment.

Last week, the Daily Mirror reported that NAMA-bound developer Gerry Gannon had secured a €1m-a-year deal to lease storage space at the site of the old Motorola Factory in Swords to the National Museum.

The National Aquatic Centre is located at Abbotstown in my constituency and is a valued local amenity as well as an important national training centre. However it has had a controversial history and the report in a Sunday newspaper of a €1.5 million compensation payment to the under-bidder for the original contract is another chapter in a sorry history of poor administration and political failure.

Deputy Joan Burton has submitted a series of report stage amendments which would require the Minister for Finance to prepare and publicise reports on important policy areas. Chief among these are the setting cost and legacy costs of tax breaks. She has also tabled an amendment which would see so-called ‘head shops’ having to obtain and pay for licences similar to an off-licence.

Debate on the Finance Bill will continue in the Dail this coming week.

Fingal County Council are currently preparing a scheme for the provision of traffic calming measures along the Diswellstown Road.