Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

I am grateful to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for affording me the opportunity to raise this issue and I am glad the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh is present.

This is a very important issue. I am proposing that part of the public green open space at Iveagh Gardens that are under the auspices of the OPW be made available for some sporting facilities for young children in the area. As the Minister of State is aware, the Iveagh Gardens are located just off St. Stephen's Green in the heart of the city centre. The demography of this area has changed dramatically since the 1986 census. The population of the inner city of Dublin has increased by more than 40% in the last 20 years or so, and we have seen a radical change from what was predominantly bed-sits and flats to a significant increase in the number of family homes. There are many young families and we have been actively encouraging sustainable living in the inner city. In addition, there is a significant amount of local authority housing in the area, with many young families and young children.

One of the difficulties associated with sustainable living in the inner city is the lack of recreational and sporting facilities for children. Efforts have been made, particularly with regard to the provision of playgrounds for young children, which I appreciate. However, matters are more problematic when it comes to the needs of older children. As the Minister is aware, the Iveagh Gardens are of major historical and cultural interest in the city. They are a hidden treasure where people go for walks, lunch and so on, and it is a wonderful facility and a great amenity.

It was envisaged that the Iveagh Gardens would be more than just a location for shrubbery and for people to sit and have picnics. The original use included tennis courts and facilities for bowling and so on. It would be appropriate to try to enhance the amenity and make it available for children so they can play there. I am aware of children living in the vicinity of the Iveagh Gardens having been ejected for kicking around a football, so why not make a part of the Iveagh Gardens available for that purpose and allow children to play there legitimately?

We have a serious lack of sporting facilities and amenities for children. This is an ideal location and an opportunity which, with a little lateral thinking, could be used to provide facilities for them. The Minister is aware that the Iveagh Gardens have been made available for commercial events such as the Taste of Dublin and there was a burlesque show there last summer. Those uses do not necessarily fulfil the cultural criteria. It would be an honourable thing to do for the needs of younger people.

The health aspect is important. We are constantly talking about our concerns about obesity in children and the need for them to engage in sports and live a healthier lifestyle, but it is very difficult for children living in the inner city because the opportunities are not there. This would provide such an opportunity. There are many deprived and disadvantaged children in the inner city area who, unfortunately, as the Minister knows, often end up resorting to drugs and other unpalatable ways of life because of a lack of diversions at a younger stage. Let us do something positive and constructive and try to provide sporting facilities for those children.

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