Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 4: To ask the Taoiseach when the cross-departmental team on infrastructure and public private partnership will next meet; the number of meetings of the team planned for the remainder of 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29467/08]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 5: To ask the Taoiseach when the cross-departmental team on infrastructure and public private partnership last met; when the next meeting is due; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29624/08]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 6: To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social inclusion last met; and when the next meeting is due [29625/08]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 7: To ask the Taoiseach the number of occasions on which the cross-departmental team on housing, infrastructure and public private partnership met in 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34895/08]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 8: To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social inclusion will next meet. [34896/08]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 8, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on social inclusion, children and integration met on 13 February 2008 and is scheduled to meet again on 26 November 2008.

The cross-departmental team on housing, infrastructure and PPPs has met on six occasions this year, most recently on 23 September 2008. It is due to hold two further meetings before the end of the year, one tomorrow, 12 November, and the other on 9 December. The role of the cross-departmental team is to assist in progressing and resolving issues related to infrastructure planning and delivery, and ensuring that they are adequately prepared for consideration by the relevant Cabinet committee and, where necessary, by the Government.

Questions about the business actually conducted at Cabinet committees or cross-departmental team meetings have never been allowed in the House on the grounds that they are internal to Government. Questions about the delivery of any particular infrastructure project, housing policy or the role of PPPs should be directed to the responsible Minister.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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There were five key projects due for completion by the end of 2008 under Transport 21. The spend will reach almost €8 billion. The projects are the joining of the Tallaght and Sandyford Luas lines in the city centre; the Luas extension from Connolly Station to the Docklands; the Luas extension from Tallaght to Citywest, which is subject to developer contributions; the Cork commuter rail service to Midleton; and the Ennis-Athenry rail line. None of these will be completed, as was envisaged, by the end of 2008. The Department of Transport has said it is prioritising various schemes, which means it is pushing back other projects which have not reached contract stage. Given that Ireland has dropped from 55th place in 2007 to 64th place in 2008 out of 134 countries in the global competitiveness report dealing with the quality of overall infrastructure, is the Taoiseach concerned this startling fact alone damages the business environment and business attractiveness of Ireland?

I refer to the cross-departmental team on housing, infrastructure and public private partnerships. What are the implications for Transport 21, which had a definitive end date of 2015? Is it the view of the Taoiseach and the team that the completion date can still be met, or will many of the projects never see the light of day? What will happen projects involving contracts which are not yet signed? Is it envisaged these will be delayed forever and a day? Does the Taoiseach see all proposals in Transport 21 reaching contract stage?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Kenny emphasised a point which I make also, which is the need to maintain a public investment programme even at a time when we have seen a severe downturn in performance in terms of the growth of the economy as an indication of the commitment of the Government to continue to put in place the building blocks that will enhance competitiveness, not only during these difficult times, but when the upturn comes in the global economy. The Government maintains its overall commitment to keep capital investment at between 5% and 6% of GNP during the current the national development plan. We have given priority to projects which have an economic return, which will allow us to continue to build upon the competitiveness building blocks of the economy.

We are near the end of the third year of the Transport 21 programme and strong progress has been made in the delivery of road and public transport projects. Some 37 projects have been completed since the beginning of Transport 21 in 2006 and a further 25 projects are underway. Some of the major achievements to date include progress on the major inter-urban routes connecting Dublin with the Border, Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford. These schemes are already open to the public and are on target for completion by 2010.

New inter-city rail cars have been introduced on the Dublin to Limerick, Dublin to Westport, Dublin to Waterford and Dublin to Galway lines. New carriages have been rolled out for the Dublin to Cork line, facilitating an hourly service in both directions. Several new railway stations have opened, namely, Docklands, Park West, Cherry Orchard and Clondalkin Fonthill. A state-of-the-art maintenance facility has been provided at Portlaoise train depot. Construction has begun on several key Transport 21 projects, including the Luas extension to the Docklands and Cherrywood, the Kildare route project and phase one of the western corridor project. There are issues of land acquisition and planning involved and the Railway Procurement Agency, RPA, has been very proactive with communities in that regard, particularly on public transport projects. Much progress is being made in this area and we continue to commit significant funds to these projects.

Regarding the third part of the Deputy's question, planning and preliminary work continues on projects not yet contracted. Decisions on whether we move on some of these projects as set out in Transport 21 is based on the detailed evaluation carried out as these projects were prepared and proceeded. We will make decisions on an ongoing basis at Cabinet depending on the full picture available at the time when these projects are ready to be considered. Overall, Transport 21 reflects a significant part of the public investment programme for the reasons outlined in Deputy Kenny's original question, which include competitiveness, moving goods and services to the market with the most efficient transport infrastructure we can provide, improving the quality of life especially in urban centres and trying to provide a modern public transport system to counteract historical under-investment in these areas. That is the update of the current situation.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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When did the sub-committee on social inclusion, integration and children last meet?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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There was a meeting in February, and one will be held this month.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Cabinet sub-committee on social inclusion, children and integration last met in February. This is a year in which the Government has scrapped child benefit for children over 18 and an immunisation scheme for 12 year old girls, has increased class sizes, has scrapped the book grant for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and capped the number of English language teachers for foreign-born students in our schools.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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Those issues were discussed in full by the Cabinet.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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What is the purpose of the sub-committee on social inclusion, children and integration? Which Minister is responsible for convening it? This shows more clearly than anything the level of priority and consideration that this Government gives to the concepts of social inclusion, protection of children and the integration problems in our schools and the wider society. The specific Cabinet sub-committee responsible for these important areas of Government policy has not met since February, yet Ministers of State are appointed with responsibility for children and integration. We have more Ministers of State and advisers than ever, yet this sub-committee has not met since February. This speaks volumes of the lack of priority that the Government gives to these areas, and what it thinks about poverty and social exclusion in this country.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I do not agree with that contention because we have established Ministers of State with cross-cutting responsibilities in these areas. There has also been much discussion of these issues at full Cabinet meetings. The suggestion that social inclusion matters do not arise unless they are raised at Cabinet committee level is not the issue. The full Cabinet has been dealing with many of these issues in recent times. The cross-cutting responsibilities of Ministers of State on integration, the elderly and so on have helped the co-ordinating mechanism.

The success of the Office of the Minister for Children has meant that we have extended that idea into other areas which deal with social inclusion. When the offices of the different Ministers of State pull together, the situation is far better than what happened in the past, when individual Departments were pulled together through the Cabinet sub-committee system. That work is ongoing and the fact that we have set it up in this way does not mean it has not been given priority. On the contrary, it has been given high priority.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Will the cross-departmental team address the scandalous situation where two private contractors have pulled out of five key social housing projects in Dublin? I refer to St. Michael's estate, O'Devaney Gardens, Dominick Street, the convent lands on Seán McDermott Street and Infirmary Road. Is the Taoiseach aware that communities in these areas have been waiting for years for the opportunity to see the long overdue enhancement of their neighbourhoods? Has the cross-departmental team taken any action on this? If I recall correctly, housing was the first component part of the public private partnership project. Will the Taoiseach indicate what steps will now be taken, given the clear failure of the PPP approach allied to local government, to ensure that the necessary moneys will be provided to the appropriate council — Dublin City Council — in order that these communities do not continue to suffer as they have done over a generation?

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, and Dublin City Council have been working continually on that matter since an issue arose regarding the contracts for those important housing projects. PPPs have a role to play. They do not subsume the role of other means by which housing is provided by the State, including direct Exchequer funding, local authorities or many other approaches, such as affordable or voluntary housing schemes. Many models provide a differentiated approach in respect of different housing needs, rather than the old approach which was almost exclusively a local authority funded and directed operation. That provided for uniform solutions——

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach has moved to the other extreme.

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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——which did not exactly bring social harmony in many respects, or a social mix. The affordable homes partnership is an excellent example of how, with a much more flexible approach, housing is being provided for families in a far more enlightened way than the traditional model of provision did in the past. All of these have a role to play and one method does not subsume the other. The specific issue raised by the Deputy is continuing to be investigated by Dublin City Council. The matter was raised in the House when the prospective developer indicated that he was not able to proceed.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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That concludes questions to the Taoiseach.