Dáil debates

Wednesday, 24 May 2017

Ceisteanna - Questions

Urban Renewal Schemes

2:10 pm

Photo of Seán HaugheySeán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach the actions being taken to improve Dublin inner city; and if he has attended the forum meeting recently. [23280/17]

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach the status of the implementation of the Mulvey report. [24170/17]

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach if he still chairs the north inner city ministerial task force. [24273/17]

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach if he will provide a progress update on the recommendations of the Mulvey report on the north inner city; and when he will appoint an independent executive chair, as committed to in February 2017. [24368/17]

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 to 5, inclusive, together.

Last July, the Government launched a major initiative for the Dublin north inner city with the establishment of a ministerial task force to oversee the long-term social and economic regeneration of the area. At the time of the launch a number of short-term measures were announced to help the community address some of the immediate challenges facing it and these are mostly completed, having been progressed by the responsible Departments and agencies.

This has resulted in €1 million invested in sports and youth projects in the area, €700,000 spent on local community projects targeting children and youth, including some drug projects. A further €3 million has been spent on improvement works to the area, including roads, housing areas, parks and lighting and refurbishment of the Sean McDermott swimming pool. Further investment will take place in response to the publication of Kieran Mulvey's independent report in February and the Government's agreement to implement his recommendations in full. The first step has been the establishment in the local area of the programme implementation office with staff assigned from Dublin City Council. In addition, the Secretary General of my Department established an oversight group last month to oversee preparatory work across a number of Departments. The next step is for the ministerial task force, which I chair, to appoint an independent executive chairperson who will lead the work and engage with community structures and local residents. That person will be based in a premises and office in the north inner city.

Photo of Seán HaugheySeán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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In respect of the last debate, we should be told which socks Deputy Varadkar or Deputy Coveney propose to wear should either become Taoiseach, having regard to Justin Trudeau's fashion in that area.

The ministerial task force was set up as a result of the awful Kinahan-Hutch feud, which continues. There was a shooting in broad daylight in my local petrol station in Clonshaugh recently. There were 70 people in that garage at that time. In Clontarf, with which the Taoiseach will be familiar, there is a permanent armed checkpoint on Castle Avenue, I presume it is manned by the emergency response unit, which is very unnerving for local residents. Can the Taoiseach assure Members the Garda is making progress in bringing the feud to an end?

The Taoiseach visited Scoil Uí Chonaill recently. His commitment to this project is well known and the work done by Kieran Mulvey is recognised as having been very productive but what will happen now? Who will drive this project? The Taoiseach will step down from his role in the next few weeks and while I wish him well in his retirement as Taoiseach, we need to drive this project. I am not sure that the proposed structures for the report's implementation are adequate. The Taoiseach should consider the establishment of a north inner city authority to address the challenges and champion the north inner city's social and economic regeneration. We have the report. Some progress has been made but we need to drive it forward and my fear is that when the Taoiseach retires, that will not happen.

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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I also acknowledge the Taoiseach's personal engagement, and particularly the occasions when he arrived in the north inner city and was not accompanied by the media. However, the report was launched on 16 February in the Sheriff Hall. Three months have elapsed in the meantime and we have to ask what we have seen in that time? We know that it is not only the current Government which is to blame; it is successive Governments and their indifference and neglect, not to mention the austerity budgets and their adverse effects. It is also fair to state that without the murders, violence and resulting headlines, we would not have had a Mulvey report and the indifference and neglect would have continued. There are glaring absences in the report, particularly with regard to housing, drugs, new communities and mental health issues. The North Inner City Community Coalition has produced its own report and there is a need to look at both and see how they might merge together. I am asking three things: first, when will the chairperson be announced? The second, which I have already brought to the Taoiseach's attention, is the need for community representation at all levels, not just one member on the highest level of the implementation team and we need to see the implementation structures at all levels. Money is welcome but we all made the point at the outset that there was no point in throwing money at the area in the short term but must consider long-term solutions. This is not merely about the north inner city, because drugs and violence are not common there. This is a question of national relevance and if we get it right in the north inner city, it can be rolled out elsewhere.

Photo of Gerry AdamsGerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Taoiseach's interest in the north inner city. The ministerial task force was launched with great fanfare and there was a lot of hope among citizens there that finally a Government was about to take their needs and concerns seriously. We all know, as the Taoiseach acknowledged in his remarks, that the north inner city, like other working class districts in Dublin and other urban areas, has been deliberately neglected by successive Governments and victimised over the last few decades by vicious criminal gangs. The report compiled by Kieran Mulvey, Creating a Brighter Future, has been ready since February but there has been no substantial progress or investment and no evidence of any meaningful effort by the Government to establish viable local structures to oversee the changes we all wish to see. The Taoiseach said last month that the Government would act on the advice of the report. Does that include the refurbishment of Rutland Street school as a community centre? In February, he stated he would shortly appoint an independent executive chair to head up a number of implementation bodies. As it is almost June and that still has not been done, when will this appointment be made? He also said he intended to visit the area again.

The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, in response to Teachta McDonald, said the Taoiseach will meet with the North Inner City Community Coalition. Will the Taoiseach meet with the North Inner City Community Coalition, which is the parent body that represents the people in the area? Will the Taoiseach say when he will do it? Will he bring with him some properly funded proposals for implementation?

2:20 pm

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I raised this issue with the Taoiseach a number of weeks ago. I acknowledged at the time, and since the Taoiseach took the initiative in the summer of last year, that there was a consensus in the House that we could use a model over a number of Dáileanna to invest, improve and transform an area that needed that level of focus and maybe potentially use the model elsewhere if it worked. When I was back in the north inner city with Joe Costello two weeks ago, I met many of the local groups. One of the concerns they have, as I said to the Taoiseach, is that the Taoiseach moving out of the office of Taoiseach will mean the focus and momentum will be gone. The Taoiseach indicated to me the independent executive chair would be appointed. Are we very close to that now? Will it happen before the Taoiseach vacates his office? What role does he see for the Department of the Taoiseach in the future in ensuring the very detailed Mulvey recommendations are put into effect? Is there a commitment there? A number of local Deputies, including the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, have an interest in the issue and I presume the Minister will commit funding in the short term but in the longer term, can we have some device that ensures the entire programme is safeguarded against future change of Government or Minister and that we will achieve what the House wants, a model redevelopment in this part of our national capital?

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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A number of things are important here. The Mulvey recommendations said to set up a north inner city programme implementation board, a north inner city programme office, a new community consultative forum and a local programme working group. The programme implementation office has been established in the area and has commenced work on a number of actions. An independent executive chairperson, referred to by Deputy Howlin and others, will have the lead responsibility for the programme implementation board. I expect that person to be appointed very shortly and hopefully we can do it before I leave this seat.

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Taoiseach really should try to do it.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The person will be based in the north inner city working closely with community groups, as Deputy O'Sullivan and Deputy Haughey said, and with Dublin City Council in making these arrangements. Once appointed, arrangements for the remaining board to include community representation will be finalised. A meeting of the community consultative forum will convene following appointment of the chair to ensure there is ongoing wider community participation and feedback on various aspects of the programme. The Secretary General of my Department has established an oversight group to support the work of the ministerial task force and to ensure these actions are monitored and implemented. That group held its first meeting on 6 April and discussed progress and a list of actions from the Mulvey report. It is expected to meet again today.

Some of the things that have happened are €1 million was invested in sports and youth projects, a multi-use games pitch in Sheriff Street community centre, a fit-out of the new premises for Ballybough boxing club, improvement works to pitches at Sheriff Street youth club and Larkin Community College. Small grants and equipment were distributed to about 40 local youth groups and sports clubs and a local GAA and soccer coaching programme was supported. I was glad to see the Deputies out at Scoil Uí Chonaill in Clontarf the other day. A full-time local sports co-ordinator was employed to make the most of the local facilities and get people involved. There was €700,000 spent on community projects targeting children, including the successful Bally Mac Sheriff Halloween festival, local library and school based projects targeting reading and digital skills, the Brighter Futures restorative practice projects across two age groups in the area and funding for third level access programmes. There were 15 local drugs projects supported and grants to support local arts projects and men's sheds community garden project, which were all very successful. There was €3 million spent on the physical improvement of Ballybough House and Courtney Place, Ballybough and road resurfacing works at Sean McDermott Street, Railway Street, Cumberland Street North, James Joyce Street, Beaver Street and Buckingham Street Upper to improve the physical aspect of the place. There were improvement works in Mountjoy Square and Portland Place park and internal and external refurbishing of the Sean McDermott Street pool.

I congratulate former chief superintendent Leahy who was appointed by the independent Policing Authority to be assistant commissioner. He was a superb policeman, really on top of his job and I hope his successor will do the same.

Deputy Haughey raised the issue of gangland crime and the checkpoint. It is unnerving but necessary, given the situation that has applied there for some time. The Garda Commissioner is overseeing the operation of the Garda special crime task force to enhance the response to organised crime. The task force has been in operation since July 2016, has made serious inroads and has a big success rate. Operation Hybrid was established to co-ordinate the response to violent crime in the area and address public concerns about community safety. Operations are reviewed on a weekly basis to maintain that kind of impetus. The Government has approved an extra €55 million for An Garda Síochána to assist in a number of initiatives including concentrated policing which targets gang-related crime. Obviously we will look at the question of Fitzgibbon Street Garda station being opened. It is an iconic building and there is work to be done there.

I will go down there on Monday with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to look at many of these projects. Joe Costello and others are all welcome to turn up in the afternoon.

Photo of Brendan HowlinBrendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Taoiseach could not keep him away.

Photo of Enda KennyEnda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I mentioned Scoil Uí Chonaill. Community involvement is very important. We will see it happens. Deputy Adams raised some of the issues I have read out. I will visit the area next Monday. Deputy Howlin mentioned local groups. The Secretary General of my Department isin situnow to oversee and monitor the implementation of the full programme. The point the Deputy makes is about where we should be here. This template should be transferable to other locations in this city and any other city so we can have all the community leadership come forward with their views and a response from a Government that listens. To make this point in the wider context, if the banlieues of Paris or other places were inhabited by people the Government had no interest in for 20 years, it could not expect model citizens to come out of them. That is where Government has to listen to all voices, including discordant ones, and deal with them. That is the way the centre can always and will always hold.

The points made by Deputy Haughey, O'Sullivan, Adams and Howlin are all valid in this case.