Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Transport for coming to the House to deal with these matters. I am disappointed, however, that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has neither attended here whenever this matter has been raised, nor in his constituency when local meetings have been held over recent months. It shows a certain contempt for the people who elected him but I suppose I would say that.

There is an urgent need for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to at the minimum postpone the section 25 process for the Dublin Docklands Development Authority's proposed planning scheme for the Poolbeg peninsula. It has raised ethical concerns about banks, commercial interests, developers and the authority and the complex web of relationships between these individuals and corporate entities. This is a significant scheme which will have a profound effect on people not only in the Sandymount and Ringsend area but in the city. There has been no provision for transport and other infrastructure to support this massive scheme.

The premise of the scheme is worrying. It will allow the Dublin Docklands Development Authority become its own planning authority for a vast tract of land which is an important public amenity. Anyone who lives in Dublin city probably uses or has used it. It is also an area of significant flooding that affects the canal and the Dodder, Tolka and Liffey rivers. This is not merely a local issue but is very much a city-wide one. It is also a matter of national concern, for a number of reasons that I will outline.

Three fiascos are currently connected to the Dublin Docklands Development Authority. One is the Becbay investment scheme in the Irish Glass Bottle site, a greatly questionable endeavour involving a number of people. The CEO of the authority until last month, Mr. Paul Moloney, stated that no interest has been paid since last June on the loan of almost €300 million put forward to purchase the IGB site. This raises a very significant question with regard to the solvency of the DDDA and Deputy Phil Hogan raised the matter at the relevant Oireachtas committee. There are major concerns among the public and they have not been answered by the Minister. The matter has not been dealt with and we have not had any meaningful clarification.

Let us bear in mind that the Dublin Docklands Development Authority was established by my very fine constituency colleague, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, the former Minister of Finance in the Fine Gael-led Rainbow Government of 1994-97. It was done as part of a rejuvenation scheme for the city centre, based on commercial intent but also to offer a very important social dimension for the area. What has been happening in the DDDA over the past number of years has deviated so far from those original objectives that serious questions must now be answered.

There is the issue of the newly appointed chairman of the DDDA, Mr. McCaughey, who was appointed by the same Minister, Deputy John Gormley. Mr. McCaughey was forced to resign in recent days as a result of what can only be described as very questionable behaviour with regard to payment of taxes. This raises significant questions over the judgment of the Minister and how much of a handle he really has on what is going on in the various authorities under his Ministry, particularly the DDDA.

There is the very important issue of the links between the recently nationalised Anglo Irish Bank and the DDDA. Two directors of the authority were directors of Anglo Irish Bank at the time of the Becbay deal, a very serious conflict of interest. According to the DDDA's last annual report, it paid €964,648 to companies that had direct links with three of its directors. One such was Arup Consulting, one of whose directors was a member of the DDDA board; another relates to PricewaterhouseCoopers; and we are very much aware of the Anglo Irish Bank connections. These are major questions of public interest and the Minister, Deputy Gormley, must get to the bottom of them before he gives any sanction to, or stands over this project going ahead.

In any case, this project is not viable because it is proposed on the basis of completely flawed planning grounds——

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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The Deputy must conclude.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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——and fanciful transport plans that will never happen. Already we have had two matters raised on the Adjournment with regard to transport plans that will not happen under Transport 21.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Please.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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These plans are not even contained in that. There is a Luas line that will never be built. We need answers and I am sorry that the Minister is not here to give them.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I shall try to give the Deputy the factual position on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, but if I may, I will keep away from the politics of Dublin South-East.

As the Deputy knows, the authority was established established under the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997, to lead the physical, economic, social and cultural regeneration of Dublin's docklands.

Section 24 of that Act requires the authority to prepare a master plan for the docklands area, setting out objectives for its social and economic regeneration. The authority's most recent master plan was adopted only a few months ago, in November 2008, following a comprehensive public consultation process. It envisaged the development of the Poolbeg area following the preparation of a comprehensive planning scheme.

The authority has now prepared and published a draft planning scheme for the Poolbeg peninsula under section 25 of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act. The draft plan details how it is envisaged that the area covered by the plan should be developed, and sets out policies in respect of land use, distribution and location of development, overall design, transportation, the development of amenities, and conservation. Copies of the Poolbeg planning scheme and the related environmental impact statement are available for inspection at various locations throughout the docklands. The closing date for submissions is 9 April. I am sure the Deputy knows this.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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I certainly do.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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That follows a consultation period of 62 days. The final draft planning scheme will be submitted to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, for his consideration later this year.

It is entirely a matter for the authority to prepare a draft planning scheme and to carry out the necessary consultations. In accordance with the Act, once a draft planning scheme is finalised and submitted to the Minister, and, following consultation with the Minister for Finance and consideration of any objections from Dublin City Council, the Minister, Deputy Gormley, has the option, at that stage, of approving the draft planning scheme, with or without modification. That is when his formal role, in accordance with the Act, comes into play. The Minister has no function in the preparation of the planning scheme prior to its submission for approval.

As provided for in section 18 of the Act, the authority, which is self-financing, has since its establishment, engaged in extensive business transactions including the purchase, management, development and sale of lands in the area.

The authority, through its involvement in a joint venture company, Becbay, made a significant investment in the acquisition of the Irish Glass Bottle, IGB, site in Poolbeg. The authority's involvement in Becbay, and the position of certain former directors of the authority, who were also directors of Anglo Irish Bank, with regard to the decision making process leading to the acquisition of the IGB site, were the subject of extensive debate with DDDA officials at the Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on 10 February. I am sure the Deputy attended. The DDDA advised the committee that the process was conducted in full compliance with/ the authority's code of conduct.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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The Minister has the responsibility to investigate these issues.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Please allow the Minister speak.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister expects to be in a position shortly to announce the appointment of a new chair of the authority. It will be a matter for the chair, the board and the executive of the authority to ensure that the completion of the drafting of the Poolbeg planning scheme, and its subsequent implementation including development of the IGB site, is closely managed in the interests of the sustainable social and economic regeneration of the area.

I hope I have outlined for the Deputy the Minister's role, in accordance with the Act. He will have the say in the decision making process when it comes to him but that has not yet happened.

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. I hope that the Minister, Deputy Gormley, has better luck with his second stab at the appointment.