Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Grangegorman Development Agency has the important remit of constructing a new campus for the Dublin Institute of Technology, in advance of the relocation of the institute's seven faculties, which are currently distributed throughout Dublin, to the Grangegorman site. Given that many of the buildings on the 70-acre Grangegorman site are quite old and were not built for these purposes, the agency will have the difficult task of pulling everything together so the institute will operate effectively. This new initiative has a statutory basis, in the form of an Act that was passed by the Oireachtas some years ago. The Minister is statutorily required to appoint a new board of the agency, as the term of office of the previous board expired in the middle of last month, but he has not done so. Not only is he is awaiting nominations from the Department of Health and Children and Dublin City Council, but he is also consulting himself by looking into his own heart.

The Minister has said that when he receives the nominations, he will present a draft memo to the Cabinet. He will have to prepare such a memo, a strategic plan and a budget. All of this is taking place in limbo, in the absence of a board. The Minister has an obligation to appoint a board because in the absence of a board, the agency cannot continue its business. As it has neither a chief executive officer nor a fully fledged board, it is pretty much stalled and stagnant. It does not know where it is going. It is rudderless and directionless as it waits for the Minister to make up his mind about what he intends to do. One cannot develop a major project in such circumstances.

Those who have been planning this project for years need to know where they are going. It might take them much longer to get this project off the ground, now that everything has suddenly ground to a halt as a consequence of the Minister's failure to get his act together. This is an important aspect of this important plan. Action is also required in the interests of other developments, such as the extension of the Luas network through Broadstone and Liffey Valley, where it will connect with the Maynooth line. One of the reasons the Luas extension was sanctioned was to allow Dublin Institute of Technology's 20,000 students to use public transport to travel to Grangegorman. If the Minister does not get his act together in time, two projects might well be stalled.

Perhaps the Minister will give us details of the strategic plan that has been mentioned, as I have no idea what it is. Such a plan should have been prepared well in advance of the date of expiry, so that the entire new board could be appointed and could get on with the job. I have been appointed to the consultative committee, which has no remit in the absence of the appointment of a board. Everybody is floundering because we cannot make progress with this important project. It is time we got clarity, direction and a decision.

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I will respond to Deputy Costello on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me an opportunity to remind the House of the progress that has been made by the Grangegorman Development Agency since its establishment in 2006 and to outline the current position with regard to the board of the agency. As the Deputy is aware, the Government appointed an interdepartmental committee in 2001 to examine the potential for the development of the Grangegorman site as a new Dublin Institute of Technology community campus. When the committee's report was presented to the Government in November 2001, the main recommendation was the establishment of what ultimately became the Grangegorman Development Agency. The Grangegorman Development Agency Act 2005 states that the general aim of the agency is to oversee the development of the lands at Grangegorman on behalf of the Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children, Dublin Institute of Technology and the Health Service Executive. The agency has done considerable work since its first meeting in November 2006. It has developed links with all the relevant stakeholders and established a consultative group as required in section 22 of the 2005 Act. The agency has completed the drafting of a strategic plan and budget for the development of the Grangegorman site. It submitted the draft plan and budget to the Department in October 2008, as provided for in section 12 of the Act. Copies of the plan and budget were also forwarded to the Minister for Health and Children for her consideration.

Following their receipt of the strategic plan, officials from the Department of Education and Science, in consultation with their counterparts in the Higher Education Authority, commenced an assessment of the proposals. The Department also sought the advice of the National Development Finance Agency on the funding portions of the DIT draft cost benefit analysis and the draft strategic plan. In March 2009, the agency submitted a revised strategic plan and budget, taking account of the reduced prices in the construction sector by updating construction prices to January 2009 values. The agency reduced enabling infrastructure costs and revised the estimated value of the DIT property portfolio to reflect market trends. The revised plan, which proposes to deliver the complete project in phases, is being considered in the Department.

Section 17 of the Grangegorman Development Agency Act 2005 provides for the appointment of members to the board of the agency. As 14 members of the board of Grangegorman Development Agency were appointed for a three-year term in 2006, their term of office expired on 18 October 2009, with the exception of one member who resigned in March 2009 and was replaced. The 2005 Act provides that the ordinary members of the agency shall consist of two people nominated by the Minister for Health and Children, at least one of whom shall be an officer of the Health Service Executive; two people nominated by the president of Dublin Institute of Technology; one person nominated by the city manager of Dublin City Council; one resident of the Grangegorman neighbourhood, who is nominated following an election process; and one elected member of Dublin City Council who is nominated by that council. The Act provides that the remaining members of the agency, other than the chief executive, are nominees of the Minister for Education and Science and that all members of the agency are appointed by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance. The Act also provides that the Minister shall designate one member of the agency as chairperson. In compliance with the Act, the Minister sought and has received nominations from the Minister for Health and Children, the president of Dublin Institute of Technology and the Dublin city manager. The agency has completed the local election process for the selection of a resident of the Grangegorman neighbourhood and has informed the Department of the nominee. Dublin City Council has also selected its nominee for the new board. The nomination process is nearing finalisation.

The Minister intends to address the appointment of a new board as quickly as possible. I thank the Deputy for giving me an opportunity to outline to the House how the Minister intends to address the appointment of a new board for the Grangegorman Development Agency.