Fiach MacConghail (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their presentations. I do not live in the docklands but I work on the edge of them as I run the Abbey Theatre.

Heads 5 and 6 deal with the consultation process and community involvement. The delegations are concerned that the in-depth and integral community involvement in housing and education might be dissipated when the forum and the housing and community trusts move over to Dublin City Council. We need to include that in our recommendations to the Minister.

If they have a concern that Dublin City Council might have a weighted majority with the nomination of members to the consultative forum and trusts, do the delegations have any suggestions for other nominating bodies to balance that?

Can all the groups give a quick snapshot of whether the local community is thriving or not? Is morale high? Social regeneration is a term used often and there are success stories in this but also some not so successful cases, particularly on the north side. What are the key headline anxieties that the local community might have which could inform us in our deliberations of the draft Bill?