Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for taking the question. Tipperary town and the issues it faces have been discussed in this House for many years by myself and many other Deputies from Tipperary. People feel it has not had any economic bounce in recent years, and that when it comes to priorities, Tipperary is a town that has been forgotten. There are various social issues and a lack of infrastructure. The N24 bypass has not been developed around the town. It is a town with a great history and fantastic people. It is located in a special part of the country. There is great tourist potential up the road. It is close to the hub of Limerick. It has a rail service and a gas line. It is on a main thoroughfare. It has access to educational facilities nearby. It has a lot going for it but economically and socially it has suffered. There is a crazy scenario where we cannot get DEIS status for schools there, something we have discussed here previously.

I applaud that the Government decided to appoint a taskforce for Tipperary town and has appointed a chairperson, Alison Harvey. Her appointment was welcomed universally across the town and area and by all the Deputies here. However, despite having held several initial meetings, Alison Harvey cannot do her work because she has not been provided with funding. She has no resources. I have spoken to her at length and she is very much enthused about this work. She believes there is great potential in the town. A team of students from Queen's University Belfast are in the town as I speak examining how the town might be improved, the footfall in the town and at the town centre and how it might be regenerated, and potential benefits.

We very much welcome Ms Harvey's appointment and the plan that she will put in place. We welcome her enthusiasm and the structure around the work she wants to undertake. She has exceptional ability and I have dealt with her on other projects in the past. She gets things done. Contrary to what was said here in the last 48 hours in response to other Deputies, I wish to leave here with a positive news and information that the funding for the task force will be provided by this Government. In the grand scheme of things, for a town that has been let down, it is not a huge amount of funding but would have a dramatic impact. I know the Minister of State is himself familiar with the town, and has turned up to public meetings which I also attended. Fair play to him, he is a near neighbour. I have been in discussions with his colleague, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy and the Minister of State, Deputy English whose interest in this I wish to acknowledge. I ask the Minister of State to give the House some positive news that funding is being provided for the task force and that it will be able to get to work immediately because we all want that and want to work with them.

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