Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)

I take this opportunity to thank Deputy Willie Penrose for his assistance with all of our requests for information. He did a good job in his role of Minister of State with responsibility for housing and I wish him well for the future.

The capital allocation for the regeneration programme should not be subject to any further cuts. There is an urgent necessity to progress these projects, which are crucial in righting the wrongs of many decades of underfunding in those neglected areas throughout the State which have been ravaged by unemployment, drug abuse and serious crime. They benefit not only the residents concerned but also encourage growth in local areas by encouraging new businesses and creating jobs.

The regeneration projects in Dublin are vital and have been flagged for many years. Some work has been undertaken but progress has effectively stalled. Most of these projects were to be done as public private partnerships. What is the Minister's current position in regard to PPP projects? Is he still actively pursuing private sector investment in conjunction with Exchequer capital funding?

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