THE CHAIRPERSON OF the Dublin Central joint policing committee has called for a ban on MCD holding “any similar events” until they provide a full response to the Garda Commissioner’s report on the Swedish House Mafia gig.

Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick (FF) has today been calling for MCD concert promoters to attend the next meeting of her policing committee. MCD is yet to provide a full response to Garda Martin Callinan’s report on the Phoenix Park gig last month, at which nine people were stabbed.

The report yesterday highlighted the event control centre provided by MCD as one of several issues which led to public order problems at the gig. The centre, it said, was “not fit for purpose”. MCD managing director Denis Desmond said last evening that the report was “unbalanced” and that it had not received notice that the cover letter and a summary of the report would be published.

Apart from a call for the full report to be published, MCD has otherwise not commented on the issue.

Cllr Fitzpatrick wrote a strong message to junior minister Brian Hayes – who has responsiblity for the Office of Public Works (OPW) – on her blog yesterday:

I am calling on Minister Brian Hayes to ensure that MCD is not permitted to hold any similar events until they respond in detail to the points raised in this report.

She goes on to confirm that MCD was issued with an open invitation two weeks ago to the next Dublin Central joint committee meeting. Speaking on Newstalk’s Breakfast show this morning, she said that the OPW has promised to attend but as of last night, she was still waiting on a response from MCD.

Fitzpatrick is also critical of the fact that hoarding erected to seal off the concert area for the Swedish House Mafia gig is still in place almost a month later, limiting public access to the area in the Phoenix Park.

However, she also said gardai have questions to answer too as “they were part of the pre-planning process”, and on her blog calls on Brian Hayes to also reveal how much the OPW was paid for the use of the park, how much the clean-up cost and when the hoarding will be removed.

Read: Swedish House Mafia fallout – MCD control centre ‘not fit for purpose’>
In full: The summary of the Garda Commissioner’s report on the SHM gig>
Read: Nine stabbed at Phoenix Park concert>

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