Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The establishment of the Tipperary town task force came about at my request following significant protests in Tipperary town. March4Tipp highlighted issues such as long-term unemployment, a lack of industry and employment opportunities, high social deprivation, high levels of vacancy and dereliction in the town centre, a lack of confidence in the Government's commitment to the town and a lack of consensus on what is required to solve issues locally.

Carmel Fox was appointed in 2019 by the Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, to lead a task force that would develop a plan and look at addressing many complex issues. A dedicated manager has since been appointed to support this work. The task force was convened in early 2020 and is a multi-stakeholder group that has the active support of local community and voluntary organisations. Despite the global pandemic, the task force set about a broad and deep-reaching community and stakeholder consultation. A 15-year strategy action plan has been developed, which is aimed at arresting the decline in the town and driving socioeconomic recovery.

The task force has had some early successes. The commitment by the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to the construction of a bypass to alleviate town centre congestion is a major boost. However the extent of the remaining task should not be underestimated. The scale of the challenge around social inclusion is especially daunting. Parallel to developing an overall plan for the town, the task force has developed a detailed and comprehensive social inclusion plan aimed at addressing a myriad of issues that prevail. These include the fact there is up to 40% male unemployment in areas of the town, there are high levels of welfare dependency, 36% of households are lone-parent households and there are high levels of disability and sickness. Several of the key indicators are more than twice the national average and will require significant multi-annual funding support to achieve meaningful outcomes.

I welcome the recent announcement by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, that funding is to be provided for a social inclusion co-ordinator for Tipperary town for an initial three-year period. This commitment in itself is an acknowledgement of the seriousness of the issue. I ask that the commitment is further underpinned by ensuring the person is giving the appropriate resources needed to deliver the required results. The task force opened dialogue with the agencies that operate in the area of social inclusion and has been met with broad support. However, it is already obvious that as these agencies operate on the basis of an annual programme and budget, it is not possible for them to commit to the multi-annual funding required to implement the plan.

The range and depth of the issues facing the town are extraordinary. It now requires an extraordinary response from the Government. We need a lead Department to take responsibility, such as the Department of the Taoiseach or the Department of Finance, to co-ordinate, fund and deliver the objectives of the plan across a ten-year period.

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