Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I do not have a list of all the incentives that are in the Department of housing, but there are incentives for that over-the-shop vacancy and other recent incentives. On the town centre first scheme, local knowledge and consultation with the community has to be the basis of it. My understanding of the allocation to Kilrush is that it is to feed into the development of a plan. Obviously, the plan is the starting point. There are other supports available to support the town team and the council to do this work. It does involve work, and we do not expect it all to be done voluntarily. I would go back to local knowledge and how it needs to come from the ground up as well. Much of the basis for the town centre first plan is that it fits with what we can provide either in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage or the Department of Rural and Community Development in order that it is not just another plan that is left on the shelf. I can testify to the fact it is working, certainly in my area. There will be plans for further roll-out of the town team support fund as well. Again, in my area, Balrothery and Ballyboughal have been earmarked for that support. They are villages but they very much fit the description of villages that have been hollowed out. There is a strong community there, however, and people want to see life brought back into the centre. This policy is working and will work into the future. I look forward to the review. We are eager to review it because we want this to work. People want this to work as well. We are going in the right direction.

See this speech in context