Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for taking the question. Tipperary town and the issues it faces have been discussed in this House for many years by myself and many other Deputies from Tipperary. People feel it has not had any economic bounce in recent years, and that when it comes to priorities, Tipperary is a town that has been forgotten. There are various social issues and a lack of infrastructure. The N24 bypass has not been developed around the town. It is a town with a great history and fantastic people. It is located in a special part of the country. There is great tourist potential up the road. It is close to the hub of Limerick. It has a rail service and a gas line. It is on a main thoroughfare. It has access to educational facilities nearby. It has a lot going for it but economically and socially it has suffered. There is a crazy scenario where we cannot get DEIS status for schools there, something we have discussed here previously.

I applaud that the Government decided to appoint a taskforce for Tipperary town and has appointed a chairperson, Alison Harvey. Her appointment was welcomed universally across the town and area and by all the Deputies here. However, despite having held several initial meetings, Alison Harvey cannot do her work because she has not been provided with funding. She has no resources. I have spoken to her at length and she is very much enthused about this work. She believes there is great potential in the town. A team of students from Queen's University Belfast are in the town as I speak examining how the town might be improved, the footfall in the town and at the town centre and how it might be regenerated, and potential benefits.

We very much welcome Ms Harvey's appointment and the plan that she will put in place. We welcome her enthusiasm and the structure around the work she wants to undertake. She has exceptional ability and I have dealt with her on other projects in the past. She gets things done. Contrary to what was said here in the last 48 hours in response to other Deputies, I wish to leave here with a positive news and information that the funding for the task force will be provided by this Government. In the grand scheme of things, for a town that has been let down, it is not a huge amount of funding but would have a dramatic impact. I know the Minister of State is himself familiar with the town, and has turned up to public meetings which I also attended. Fair play to him, he is a near neighbour. I have been in discussions with his colleague, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy and the Minister of State, Deputy English whose interest in this I wish to acknowledge. I ask the Minister of State to give the House some positive news that funding is being provided for the task force and that it will be able to get to work immediately because we all want that and want to work with them.

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this question for the Minister of State, Deputy English and the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy who are unable to attend. As Deputy Kelly noted, Tipperary town is a town I know very well. I could not agree more with him about the town. It has many things going for it but it is equally true that even during the Celtic tiger years it was a town which was behind the curve of much of what was happening in the country. I was in the House when the question he asked was referred to and I am glad that I have some good news for him.

Supporting the development and growth of towns and villages across Ireland is a major priority for the Government and to this end policy interventions are being pursued across a number of Departments and are being implemented by local authorities around the country. In particular, €2 billion is available under the urban regeneration and development fund, with a further €1 billion available under the rural regeneration and development fund.

The national planning framework, which underpins Project Ireland 2040, clearly articulates the importance of making our cities, towns and villages more attractive and liveable in order to offer a quality of life that is improved for those who live or want to live in those towns. It emphasises the need to regenerate and rejuvenate urban centres to provide for increased population and employment activity and enhanced levels of amenity and design quality in order to sustainably influence and support their surrounding areas. It is precisely these outcomes that the Government and Departments are supporting under the national planning framework and the various funds that are available.

Community interaction and engagement in this process is essential and it is very encouraging to see the level of local commitment to the rejuvenation of Tipperary town as evidenced by the establishment of a Tipperary town centre forum, a local initiative which is supported by Tipperary County Council

The Minister of State, Deputy English, has taken a keen interest in the issue and met with local stakeholders and officials from Tipperary County Council on 24 January to discuss how a three-year action plan could be developed, and then delivered, for the town.

It is proposed to engage specific planning expertise to support the development of an action plan for the town and to carry out a consultation exercise to allow all stakeholders in the town to input into the overall process. A key output of the action plan will be the identification and development of key rejuvenation projects for which the strongest possible bids can be submitted for funding under the national funding programmes.

A submission from Tipperary County Council seeking funding to support the forum has been considered by my Department and I can confirm that my Department will provide financial assistance to the council to assist with the costs of bringing in expertise to help drive the regeneration project. This funding will allow specific planning and stakeholder expertise to be brought in, as well as dedicated project management expertise to support the overall process.

A funding allocation has been ring-fenced within the Department and will be communicated to the council shortly, together with the finalisation of the council's own expected contribution from its own resources. This amount will be made public when it has been communicated to the council in Tipperary.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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It is not every day that I compliment a Minster of State on coming to the Chamber with positive news but I do appreciate it.

Basically, in the past 48 hours, we have had confirmation that the funding is in place. I will not die in the ditch over the announcement of the amount, but I presume the amount is appropriate to the submission that was put in by Alison Harvey working with Tipperary County Council based on the meeting in January. The Minister of State might refer to that in his reply. I presume the amount will be announced once the letter has gone to the council in the coming 24 or 48 hours. It is appropriate that the council would be notified first. Pat Slattery, the man working on this, and his team will be notified. I will take the word of the Minister of State that this is what will happen. If I am wrong, he might let me know, but I take it that is the position. I have no problem with his colleagues making the announcement as long as it happens. That is not something I will die in the ditch over.

This is important and I appreciate the Minister of State coming back with positive information. I am focused on the economic issues because I believe the social issues can be addressed with an economic stimulus. Economically, this town has great potential. I have worked with Corajio Limited to create the Sky Innovation Park, which is a massive retail building that has been re-orientated to become an inward investment site. A range of former retail units is available and the planning designation has been changed.

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Which road is that on?

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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It is off the roundabout on the Limerick road. It is a fantastic building. IDA Ireland officials have it on their list and officials in Enterprise Ireland are aware of it. Considerable work has gone into it. The point is to get investment into Tipperary town following this work, especially through IDA Ireland. Limerick gets so many jobs, and I welcome that as a mid-west person, but Tipperary town, like Nenagh, is only out the road. There are fantastic assets there as well as fantastic people and fantastic educational opportunities. We should be able to market the town. If we do that and get one anchor tenant to bring several hundred jobs into this town in the next year or two, these developments will serve as the stimulus to change the town. It is a fabulous town already but it would be a better town and more prosperous economically in future with these developments. That would address many of the issues there now.

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I confirm for the Deputy that the Department will provide financial assistance to the council. As I understand it, the assistance will be in line with the submission received. The details will be communicated to the council first but they should be communicated to the wider public as soon as possible thereafter.

I could not agree more with the Deputy about Tipperary - this coming from a Kilkenny man. I have always been struck driving through. I was in Tipperary town a good deal in recent months in the run-up to the plebiscite in Limerick. I was passing through a good deal. In fairness, Tipperary County Council has invested money in the Limerick road and on improving the streetscape there. I know the building to which the Deputy is referring. It has been idle for some time but it would be perfect for the type of investment he is talking about.

Not only will the Department provide the funding but that funding has been ring-fenced. What is happening at present is the finalisation of the Tipperary County Council contribution. Once that is done and the letter is communicated, then the public, the Deputy and everyone in Tipperary will know as well.