Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

I would like to speak about amendment No. 60, in my name, and the Minister's amendment No. 92, which seeks to introduce a new Fourth Schedule to the Bill. The Minister emphasised the role of residents yesterday. I fully support her argument that they be allowed to speak for themselves. The residents' associations, which have been discussing the redevelopment project at various meetings, are anxious to ensure they will be represented by two of the agency's 15 members. I will pursue amendment No. 60, which seeks to provide that two residents of the Grangegorman neighbourhood will be elected to the agency. The proposed Fourth Schedule to the Bill provides for a quite intricate manner of election of members of the agency. Given that the process of consultation with the many interested parties will be quite lengthy, it would be reasonable to allow for two residents' representatives.

When we discussed certain aspects of this matter yesterday, I said I felt that community development groups like the Dublin Inner City Partnership should have been consulted. The Minister responded by expressing her total opposition to such consultation. She emphasised the pre-eminence of the residents, which I fully support. In that context, I have some queries about the proposed Fourth Schedule. The Minister may intend that all the registered groups in the Grangegorman neighbourhood will be residents' groups, but the manner in which that is expressed in amendment No. 92 is quite vague. Under the proposed Fourth Schedule:

the chairperson of the Agency shall invite community groups and associations, including resident and tenants associations, parish and district associations and groups, sports clubs, and similar non-commercial groups in the Grangegorman neighbourhood, to register as an interested 'registered group'.

I am not sure what is meant by the use of the word "group" in each one of those instances. What are "similar non-commercial groups"? If I understand the logic of the Minister's comments yesterday correctly, the election of the residents' nominee will be arranged in co-operation with the residents' associations in the Grangegorman area. I do not suggest that anyone else should be excluded, but am simply trying to clarify what the Minister said. She is so interested in the residents that she proposes to exclude community development groups from the consultation process. Her amendment refers to a range of vague and badly defined groups that will be able to participate in the process of electing a person to the agency. It does not make any sense to me.

A Pandora's box may be opened when the unfortunate chairperson of the agency, following his or her appointment, has to try to make contact with a myriad of ill-defined groups. I ask the Minister to examine this matter again. She needs to define the precise nature of the groups that will be involved in this process. I appreciate that the Bill provides that the person who will be elected by the groups in question will have to be a resident of the Grangegorman neighbourhood and be on the electoral register in the Grangegorman area. I fully support that provision because it would be nonsense if it were not in place.

I support the general thrust of what the Minister is trying to do. I appreciate that the contents of the Fourth Schedule probably emerged from meetings called to ensure that the residents' representative on the agency will be elected in a democratic, transparent and open manner. I have no problem with the well thought-out, open and democratic arrangements decided on at such meetings. I do not think the provisions in question are entirely in line with the comments the Minister made yesterday, however.

I ask the Minister to clarify what is meant by phrases in the proposed Fourth Schedule like"similar non-commercial groups", "community groups" and "associations and groups". Why has she decided to use such vague terms? We need to ensure that people who are resident in the Grangegorman neighbourhood, are on the electoral register in the area and have a record of involvement in the community take part in the process of election to the agency. I would have thought that the best way to achieve that would to ask the chairperson of the agency to call a meeting of local residents' associations. If we provide that such groups have to be registered with the community department of Dublin City Council, we can ensure they do not start sprouting up all over the place. I pay tribute to the outstanding established and active residents' groups in the Grangegorman area, which have won every competition in the book, such as tidy districts competitions and city council competitions. It would be a straightforward matter to ensure that residents are elected.

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