Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I have a friend who works in a voluntary capacity at the gallery. From what I have heard, it is an amazing project. Traditional visitors to the gallery as well as a large number of new visitors will be attracted to visit it. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to see it.

The Minister concluded on the regeneration scheme. I was lucky enough to be a member of South Dublin County Council before my election to the Dáil. The council was innovative in pioneering a project that was similar to this one. I was involved in co-founding one of the groups in the Templeogue area. It was built on the idea of bringing local people and businesses together in a small community way - a village or other geographical area - and having them decide what worked best for them. They would then request funding to do that. There have been successful outcomes across my constituency where a number of groups have been set up. It has been positive. I do not doubt that such an outcome will be reflected in what the Minister is doing nationally. In terms of value for money, the spending of the council's money through and with these groups delivered greater bang for its buck than the more traditional way of approaching the issue.