Breaking News: I am delighted to announce that on Monday night 28^th June 2010, I was chosen by the Fine Gael Dublin Mid-West Constituency Organisation to contest the next General Election along with my colleague Senator Frances Fitzgerald.

I will contest this election on foot of my proven track record of dedicated public service to the people of this constituency for well over thirty years, my determination and ability to deliver services for the people of Dublin Mid-West, and my eagerness to be part of a new government that will reverse the inept management of the Irish economy by Fianna Fáil and the Greens.

I intend continuing to work as a full-time public representative to serve the needs of the people of this constituency, and when the campaign begins I will fight it as if my life depended on it, as I know the lives of the people, and the lives of many families in my constituency, and throughout Ireland, depend on the outcome of this election. I will  work to help deliver two seats for Fine Gael in Dublin Mid-West just as I delivered two seats for Fine Gael in last year’s Local Elections.

Kind regards for now. 

“Major Break-Through in Lucan South Secondary School campaign”  

After years of campaigning, agreement has finally been reached on the site for the New Secondary Schools for the people of Lucan South. Having introduced this campaign in some years ago, Cllr. Derek Keating has campaigned to impress on the government the urgent need for this school. Now Cllr. Keating has again moved quickly to make representations to the Minister for Education and Science Batt O’Keeffe TD, in an effort to have this new secondary school opened in September 2010. Derek has tabled the following Question for the next Area Committee Meeting of the Planning Department in South Dublin County Council: 

“To ask the Manager, to agree to make further representations to the Minister for Education and Science on the issue of the Lucan South Secondary School, in noting the long-standing campaign, my earlier motions to the area committee, including my motion of April 2007 following public meetings I convened, which launched this campaign and following which the Lucan South Secondary School Action Group was formed, and now requests the Minister to indicate his intentions to open this local second-level school in September 2010 in the light of the previous local target date of September 2009 not been realised?”

In addition the Lucan South Secondary School Action Group has acknowledged Derek’s consistent efforts by reporting:

 “Councillor Derek Keating held the initial public meetings which launched this campaign and has worked consistently on our behalf at both local and council level to keep this issue at the top of the agenda. Cllr. Keating also fought tooth and nail on our behalf to ensure that the Clonburris LAP was amended to make provision for our new school. Cllr. Keating has also provided us with valuable practical support, such as taking on the task of copying 6,000 fliers for us."