Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

I move amendment No. 10:

In page 8, line 10, after "facilities," to insert the following:

"including sporting and leisure facilities to which the adjoining local communities will have access. Special provision will be made for educationally disadvantaged children from local communities to enable them to progress to third level education,".

This deals with the functions of the agency. As the Bill stands it reads: "The functions of the Agency shall be to promote the development of the Grangegorman site as a location for education, health and other facilities". The Minister has already pointed out that there will be facilities in the redevelopment available to the local community. I ask that this measure be included as a function of the agency.

I have clear reasons for the objectives in my amendment. There are large, open-air leisure facilities available on the open land on the Grangegorman site and the Minister is not correct in saying that these were never available to local residents. In the past they were available, to some degree. The commitment to access for local residents is there, so I fail to understand why this cannot be spelt out in the functions of the agency so that the agency is clear that one of its functions is to allow local residents and community groups access to the facilities.

This is a major educational development in the heart of the inner city, in an area where many children never get to third level education. Many of them struggle to complete second level education. A recent report by the HEA pointed out that the north inner city is one of the most disadvantaged areas in the State, based on the numbers that enter third level education. There should be some recognition of this extraordinary irony, that the headquarters of a third level institution will be in an area where so many of the children do not reach third level institutions. It is necessary to provide for educationally disadvantaged children from local communities to enable them to progress to third level education.

If that were included in the functions of the agency some worthwhile way would be found to achieve that end.

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