Population growth in Fingal highlights need for improved services – O’Brien

​Fingal is the fastest-growing area in the country -


 
Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Fingal Darragh O’Brien has reacted to this week’s Census results issued by the Central Statistics Office.

The population of Dublin has seen an overall increase of 72,333 (5.7%) since 2011 and now show the population of Dublin at 1,345,402. The number of people living in Fingal is now 296,214. An increase of 8pc in the past five years and 22,223 more than 2011.

Speaking on the results, Deputy O’Brien said, “While I am delighted to learn that more and more people are discovering the many attractions to living in the Fingal area; services, particularly public transport and school places, are not being provided to meet this increase in population.

“The Government’s Capital Infrastructure Plan launched this year failed to deliver much for Dublin Fingal in terms of improving our public transport infrastructure. It is bitterly disappointing that little progress has been made on the development of Metro North which would significantly help to alleviate the traffic gridlock experienced in Fingal.

“Furthermore, this increase in population will further pressurise primary and secondary schools which are already over-subscribed or at capacity. It has been continually noted that high birth rates in recent years, mean additional school places are required to simply keep pace with the baby boom.

"The population of Fingal has almost doubled in 25 years yet the reality is that there are currently 9,000 waiting for social housing. This is simply not acceptable.

“These figures underscore the immediate need to allocate an increase in resources to the Dublin Fingal area to ensure that it remains a safe and happy place to live, to work and to raise a family.

“I will continue to raise the necessity to improve services and to ensure that these needs are adequately met,” Deputy O’Brien concluded