Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We would love if the senior Minister was here, but it is apt that the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is here to discuss Noonan Road. He accepted the offer of the previous Deputy to visit a particular location. He might also come and look at Noonan Road where I am sure he would be welcome.

Noonan Road is the main thoroughfare, but there are three or four little side streets off it, including Fort Street, Dean Street and Finbarr's Road. We can talk about Noonan Road in general. The flats were built in the 1960s and 1970s to replace the lanes and tenements that were previously there. Since that time, it has never had any serious renovation. This is a fairly small area. It is a tight-knit and very proud community, but it is in desperate need of regeneration at this stage. Some of the blocks of flats are in a deplorable condition. Of the housing maintenance requests that come from the south-central ward in Cork city, they are dominated by issues from Noonan Road and the surrounding streets.

The regeneration of the area has been discussed for about 15 years at council level, and probably longer by the people of the community. It has not been a pipe-dream but a priority for Cork City Council. It has submitted numerous proposals to the Department yet, for some reason, it keeps turning it down. It never qualified under the apartment deep retrofit programme of 2017 to 2020. This is a community that is being neglected. Will the Minister of State explain to the people of Noonan Road why they are consistently neglected and how we will get funding from the Department for requests that are coming from the city council to do the regeneration that is so badly needed?

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