Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

I fear Dublin’s urban and suburban villages are getting left behind. As I raised with the Taoiseach previously, out of 150 new gardaí in March, just four came to the K district. The vast majority went to the city centre. The K district is one of the busiest policing districts in the country. Our Dublin West villages are too small for the Town Centre First policy and too big for the town and village renewal scheme, which is funded by the rural regeneration and development fund, yet places like Castleknock and Blanchardstown have just as much of a sense of place as Balbriggan and Celbridge. They are just as deserving when it comes to tackling vacancy and dereliction and ensuring the vibrancy of our main streets, and just as worthy when it comes to promoting heritage assets. Can the Taoiseach advise me whether the programme for Government commitment to review these schemes will bring urban villages under the criteria for community-led regeneration and renewal?

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