Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Last week, together with my Labour colleague, Joe Costello, I held a series of meetings in Dublin north's inner city with community leaders, business owners, educators, service providers and members of An Garda Síochána. As everybody in the House knows, the spotlight is on the north inner city because of gun deaths and the focus on crime. This is a cause of great frustration for the people who live there who are weary of the periodic focus on their community and the analysis and talk relating to it. They were anxious that they now be fully involved in finding a permanent solution to which everybody can buy in.

Two weeks ago, I raised the issue of a joint task force with the Taoiseach. In response to my query, he indicated that this would happen. I have a few questions for the Minister. Where stands the task force? Who will lead it? The latter is one of the issues that was raised again and again with me. It is critical that the local community be fully involved in the design of a solution to all the issues of inequality that prevail in the north inner city. It could be a model for regeneration and a model of hope. However, it can only work on the basis that all of us across the various parties - in or out of government and regardless of the vagaries of politics and how the political winds blow over the next decade - commit to signing a solemn pledge, individually as Members of this House, to implement the blueprint for action outlined by this task force. On behalf of the Government and Fine Gael, will the Minister commit to signing such a pledge for this community, which could become a model for other areas in regeneration, rebuilding and supplanting despair with hope? Will he also answer the questions relating to the timescale and membership of the task force that the Taoiseach agreed to create?

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