Dublin City Council has spent over €1.2m on removing graffiti from buildings and infrastructures since 2010, according to new figures.

Fianna Fail Dublin Councillor Jim O'Callaghan released the figures today, Monday.

He has also called for a greater focus on the use of community service orders under the State's Community Return Programme, so that much of this high expenditure can be redirected to deal with the homelessness crisis in the city.

-- Advertisement --

The Council is currently undergoing a review of its Litter Management Plan with a focus on the costs associated with removing graffiti.

He said: "The exorbitant cost of removing graffiti is simply too high when Council resources are limited and there's a chronic homelessness crisis in the city.

"As part of the current review being undertaken by the Council into its litter management plan, I am urging a greater use of the State's Community Return Programme as a way of reducing the cost of removing graffiti.

"The Community Return Programme is a scheme managed by the Irish Prison Service, the Probation Service and the Department of Justice where carefully selected prisoners may be granted reviewable temporary release with a requirement to do unpaid community service work such as graffiti removal in a supervised setting."

(CD/JP)