Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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I am delighted an Aire Stáit is here. Clonmel, a once bustling, proud and thriving town - Cluain Meala, the vale of honey - has been left to deteriorate in recent years. Last year, it had the highest vacancy rate in Tipperary at 18.6%. This has deteriorated further in recent weeks and months. The entire area of Market Place is boarded up and there are numerous prime retail units on the main street that have been boarded up and left to decay. Is mór agus uafásach an rud é sin. The town faces major challenges. I have discussed concerns with the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, recently.

Last week saw the closure of yet another retail outlet, namely New Look, leaving another prime retail unit on the main street vacant. A long-established pub also closed its doors on Monday last. I salute the people running those businesses. Many of them are families and third-generation businesspeople. They are hanging on but getting no supports. All, they are getting are more and more punitive charges. Many of the remaining retailers are struggling to hold on, with reduced footfall, higher rates - these went up again this year by 5% - the highest parking charges in the county, which is totally discriminatory against Clonmel, and huge issues involving antisocial behaviour. The latter have led to many people avoiding the town centre. On a daily basis, one can witness unfortunate souls struggling with drug addiction and hanging around the streets, which has led to a sense of fear and people avoiding the town centre. This is not an easy thing to say because businesses are trying to hold on and in need of support. Urgent action is needed or we will lose even more businesses. They are doing their best to pay the rates, insurance, keep shop fronts nice, have a presence, look after staff and pay VAT, property tax and other taxes. They are not getting support.

Once the capital town of County Tipperary, Clonmel has struggled since the closure by Phil Hogan, I remind the Minister of State, of the borough council. There is huge employment out of town but the town centre is decaying. When we lost borough status, we lost €20 million per annum. Going back to 2014, we have lost €200 million of investment in the town centre. Borough status will have to be restored. They only have €200,000 this year; last year it was €160,000. It is a pittance for a town the size of Clonmel. The town needs a whole-of-government approach to bring it back to its former glory. It cannot be ignored any longer.

I have asked this of four taoisigh, namely Enda Kenny, Micheál Martin, Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris. I ask again for a task force to be formed working across many Departments, including enterprise, justice, local government and rural development, together with the local authorities, health services to deal with addiction issues and An Garda Síochána. The town needs action now. It cannot be ignored any longer. Will the Minister of State please commit to the establishment of a task force to help the town as a matter of urgency?

Last evening, a community-wide meeting was held in the Talbot Hotel to discuss substance abuse in the town. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend because I was here, but this shows the concerns that are there. I commend Richie Gleeson and all the other agencies that were present at the meeting. Richie was there on behalf of the vintners and businesspeople. I am pleased that efforts are being made, with a newly appointed vacancy and dereliction team engaging with Clonmel borough district. The town is also waiting for funding for some grant projects under the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF. This is something I am looking for but I am not happy they will remove 86 parking spaces from O'Connell Street and Gladstone Street as part of this. This is sheer lunacy. It will lead to the town being closed down completely.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this important issue and for giving me, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Browne, the opportunity to update Members on the issue of vacancy and dereliction in Clonmel town.

Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government. To address this, a number of structures have been established, including a dedicated vacant homes unit in my Department, a full-time vacant homes officer in each local authority and the publication of a vacant homes action plan to draw together a number of vacancy-related measures across relevant Departments. One of the focal points of the action plan relates to the interaction with the Government’s town centre first policy approach, which was launched by my Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development in 2022 and which provides a whole-of-government policy framework to address the decline in the health of towns and support measures to revitalise them. To drive the delivery of town centre first, dedicated town regeneration officers have been appointed within local authorities. Their work is supported by the national town centre first office in the Local Government Management Agency.

In 2023, the Tipperary town regeneration officer and Clonmel borough district brought together a number of people who represented various interests in Clonmel to form a town team and produced the Clonmel town centre first action plan. My Department is also supporting Tipperary County Council through the URDF, with €15.4 million provided for a new regional sports hub and the transformation of Kickham Barracks from a former inaccessible military site into a new civic, cultural and educational quarter as part of the Clonmel 2030 initiative. The regenerated barracks will have in excess of 1,000 people on site and introduce a third level education campus into the town centre, which will offer new opportunities to businesses and retail.

Tipperary County Council has also been approved for €6 million in URDF call 3 funding to tackle vacancy and dereliction by acquiring, including through compulsory purchase, vacant and derelict properties for sale or reuse. To date, 77 of the properties submitted by Tipperary County Council across URDF-eligible towns have been approved for acquisition, with 28 located in Clonmel.

My Department introduced planning and development regulations that provide an exemption from the need to obtain planning permission for change of use in respect of certain vacant commercial buildings to residential use, including above-the-shop living. These exemptions can be combined with other vacant property supports such as the vacant property refurbishment grant under the Croí Cónaithe towns fund and the repair and leasing scheme. As of quarter 4 of 2024, a total of 544 applications under the vacant property refurbishment grant scheme had been received in respect of Tipperary County council. Some 412 of these have been approved and a total of 64 grants to the value of €3.35 million have paid out. Further information on the range of supports is available on my Department’s website.

I am conscious the matters relating to antisocial behaviour to which the Deputy referred have been raised previously. I will raise these concerns with my colleague the Minister for Justice.

On the retail sector, which the Deputy made reference to, the Government established the retail forum to allow key issues of relevance to the sector to be discussed with a view to identifying practical actions to support the sector and achieve sustainable jobs growth. My colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment is responsible for co-ordinating these efforts.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Chuala mé an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, an Teachta James O'Connor, cúpla lá ó shin. I heard the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach talking about Youghal town centre. All the towns are struggling, but Clonmel has been under siege. The then CEO, Joe McGrath from Nenagh, took over when the county was amalgamated. All the directorships of roads, planning and finance went to Nenagh, and all the money collected in Clonmel from the parking goes straight to Nenagh. You could eat your dinner off the streets in Nenagh town centre. The investment there has been unparalleled. I do not begrudge Nenagh, but we want fair play. Fair play is fine play with me, but Clonmel has been blackguarded, downgraded and diminished while this administration with the power base in Nenagh was there. It is shocking. Now Mr. McGrath has gone into retirement. I wish him well, but what happened was not right. We have only one resident living in the main street in Clonmel now. Her name is Mary O'Gorman, cara mór liomsa. Only one person living on the main thoroughfare - that has to be changed.

The Minister of State mentioned some schemes and I welcome them. He also mentioned Kickham Barracks. I welcome the fact we may be getting a Garda station soon but we have no gardaí to put into it. We have been looking for it for 60 years. The Minister of State did not mention why the barracks was empty and inaccessible. It was a wonderful place and the pride of the men and women of Clonmel and surrounding areas who served their country, town and communities. Phil Hogan and Fine Gael, again, abolished it. We badly need something in there but that will not help the town centre.

The town centre is not working. The town team was mentioned. I has never knocked on my door. I do not even know who is on it but I wish them well. There is a complete disconnect. Most business people and community organisations do not know who sits on it either.

We want a task force, not a token town team that nobody knows. We want serious Government investment to stop the rot in Clonmel. We want URDF funding but we do not want 86 parking spaces removed from the centre of the town. That will kill the town completely. We might as well put gates up at both ends of it.

I want to talk up the proud people of Clonmel, a proud and noble town. I hate to come in here and say this today but it has gone on for far too long. Clonmel is on life support at the moment and it needs serious help and investment. I ask the Minister of State to come down to Clonmel and walk the town with Deputies Murphy and Healy and me and see what is going on and the dereliction, the lack of investment and, above all, the drug problems and antisocial behaviour.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this important issue and I note his genuine concern regarding Clonmel town. As he stated, a new Garda barracks will be located in Kickham Barracks. The Deputy referred to the site and the people who served there. It is a formerly inaccessible military site which will be turned into a new civic, cultural and educational quarter as part of Clonmel 2030. The regeneration will have 1,000 people on site and will introduce a third level education campus into the town centre. This will offer new opportunities to businesses.

Obviously, we want to see people living in the town centre. That is hugely important. The Croí Cónaithe scheme does that. The URDF call 3 funding, which saw €6 million given to Tipperary County Council to acquire properties that were vacant and derelict, has resulted in 28 such properties being identified and acquired in Clonmel. There are things happening. As of the end of quarter 4 2024, 540 applications under the vacant property refurbishment grant had been received in respect of Tipperary. Of those, 412 have been approved and a total of 64 have been paid out, to a value of €3.35 million.

The Deputy referred to antisocial behaviour. I will raise that matter with my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, who will take it up with An Garda Síochána in Clonmel and Tipperary.

We want vibrant retail sectors in town centres and we value what they bring. The Deputy raised the specific case of Clonmel. The Government established the retail forum to allow issues of relevance to the sector to be discussed, with a view to identifying practical actions to support the sector and achieve sustainable growth. Just over two years ago, in 2023, the Tipperary town regeneration officer and Clonmel borough district brought together a number of people representing various interests in Clonmel to form a town team and produced a Clonmel town centre first action plan. That is something we can maybe follow up on as well.

The Deputy put across his points in a genuine fashion. I will raise the issue of antisocial behaviour with the Minister for Justice and bring the other matters he raised to the attention of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy James Browne.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Ministers of State and Deputies for their contributions. Given the upcoming festivities, I wish everybody a happy St. Patrick's Day.