Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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I wish to ask the Minister of State about the future of Cork City Library. We have a fantastic library service in Cork city but the building is not fit for purpose. The roof leaks and parts of the library have been closed off to the public. It is not acceptable in this day and age. Even more disappointing is that four years ago, the Taoiseach announced that €50 million would be spent transforming Grand Parade with a new public library, a new central plaza and boardwalk to facilitate cultural and recreational activities. The vision was big, with a planned 7,700 sq. m library capable of facilitating 1 million visitors per year. Four years later, however, our library is nowhere to be seen. It is not acceptable. This is just a pattern of under-delivery for Cork city. Time and again, we see these announcements of big capital projects that fail to be delivered on. We can talk about the events centre and the dental school in that regard. Again and again, projects are announced that are not delivered on.

This is a very large sum of public money. A total of €50 million was promised to be spent. We know that of that €50 million, some €7 million has been spent on upgrading Bishop Lucey Park, which is very welcome, but that leaves approximately €43 million to be spent. There is a huge lack of transparency about this project and the money. It is utterly unacceptable. It is not for the lack of asking questions. I have met council officials and the librarian and I have submitted repeated questions but I have not received any information about where this project or the money is at, nor when we are going to get a new library for Cork city.

To that end, I held a public meeting last weekend to hear the views of my constituents. There is huge interest and engagement from members of the public. There is a clear demand for a new public library in the middle of Cork city that meets the needs of today and tomorrow.

It is really disappointing that, in the four years since that funding was announced, there was no public consultation. It takes public representatives like me to organise engagement with the community to hear their views about what they would like to see in that library. It is really clear what people want. They want a world-class library for Cork city, a 21st-century library in the heart of our city. The advantage of building this new library is that it will tackle some of the ongoing dereliction on Grand Parade. This money could be spent in both addressing the vacant and derelict sites in the middle of the city that need to be tackled and building us a library that meets the needs of today and tomorrow. This includes addressing the needs of the arts and culture community, including spaces for film, craft and expanding the music library, including maker spaces, as well as the local study section. It should also include a small theatre space because Cork is lacking a small theatre space in our city. This could be provided in the new public library.

There is also a real demand for a library of things, not just a library of books. I refer to a place where people could borrow tools, games and music instruments for their children. This is more sustainable and cost effective. People want a library that is open late where they can share stories and ideas, a melting pot for our diverse city. They want it to be a cathedral of learning, a place open to all. In a city that is very commercial, it is one of the few places that is free to use and open to a diverse array of citizens right across the city.

If we look around Ireland at all the places where new public libraries have been built, really good results and use have been achieved. For example, the numbers using the library in Dún Laoghaire have doubled since the refurbishment, going to, on average, 1,300 per day. We know from research that Cork city has the highest library use per capita in the country. In 2023, 882,031 items were borrowed from libraries in Cork city but we do not have a library that is fit for purpose and meets the needs of the city. Approximately €43 million or more is sitting there that was announced by the Taoiseach. It is not being used to build this library and I know want to know why.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, was launched in 2018 as one of the flagship elements of Project Ireland 2040. URDF is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne. It provides up to 75% funding for applicant-led projects to support a programme of significant transformational capital projects that will contribute to the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s cities and other large towns, in line with the objectives of the national planning framework and the national development plan.

As applicant-led projects, responsibility for the composition of any applications for URDF funding and their advancement through the various stages of planning, development and completion is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant local authority, which in this case is Cork City Council.

With regard to the Grand Parade Quarter proposal, a successful application was submitted for funding under the first round for the first phase of the Grand Parade Quarter project proposal. Funding of €916,000 was allocated for this project to regenerate the area of the Grand Parade Quarter through completing preliminary design works for future projects.

Under URDF call 2, a further €46.5m was provisionally allocated to build upon the design works developed under call 1. The city library is one element of this overall proposal. The proposal will bring about the regeneration of the Grand Parade quarter, an underutilised area of Cork city. Furthermore, this redevelopment will be transformative and will combine with other complementary developments in the area to create a vibrant quarter where culture and learning acts as a catalyst for business and tourism. Other elements of the proposal include the rejuvenation of Bishop Lucey Park and the completion of a number of bridges to enhance access to the quarter.

The Grand Parade has traditionally been the home of Cork's city library, but the existing library is currently limited in its capacity to achieve the potential for a library in a UNESCO learning city. It is proposed to develop a new library in a well-designed iconic building that embraces its riverside location as part of a vibrant mixed-use quarter. The city library service is an important component of the cultural, literary and recreational infrastructure of Cork city and its community now and into the future. Providing a new city library of scale and substance is a priority for the council and a key objective for the city.

Overall, the Grand Parade quarter project is progressing very well, with Bishop Lucey Park and the bridge at Lambley’s Lane substantially complete. The official opening of these redevelopments is taking place tomorrow. Multiple options have been considered for the new library by Cork City Council. There has been a significant level of engagement between Cork City Council and officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to the project. I understand a revised preliminary business case that will set out the council’s preferred options is expected to be submitted to the Department in the coming weeks.

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State very much. I am concerned at the response because what we see is a passing of the buck. It goes from the Government to the council. The council says it does not have enough money to complete the project, so it goes back to the Government. We never get a full answer about when the library is going to be built. Is it going to be a new-build library? Are we going to get the construction of a new building and not have this shoved into an existing building that does not meet the needs of a library and is not the promised new-build library? This is what people in Cork want to know. Will we get the library that has been promised, the new-build library, and not this project shoved into an existing building on a nearby street? It should stay on the Grand Parade, at the heart of our city. It should be a library that is fit for purpose.

The Minister of State mentioned the other elements of the redevelopment of the Grand Parade and they are very welcome. The upgrade of Bishop Lucey Park is very welcome, but this is a smaller element of this project. It accounts for about €7 million of the overall funding. The Taoiseach announced funding of €50 million in Cork. It is not referenced here. I think it is €46 million. When the Taoiseach came to Cork, though, he announced funding of €50 million. What is interesting is that when the press releases go out, they often have the names of the Taoiseach and the Minister on them. When it comes to responsibility, however, it is a case of it not being them but Cork City Council that is responsible. I would like the Taoiseach and the Minister to take responsibility for the delivery of the projects they announce.

It happens time and again in my city, where they come and announce projects, turn the sod on them and then they do not get delivered. I mentioned that we had it with the events centre. In 2016, just in advance of the general election, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste of the Fine Gael-Labour Party Government at the time came to Cork, turned the sod on that project on a nearby street, and it is still a vacant, empty site. There is a new bridge there too, but it is a bridge to nowhere. People in Cork are absolutely sick of this. They want to see the delivery of the projects. In his reply, I want the Minister of State to tell me if a new library will be built on Grand Parade as promised by my constituency colleague and Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I will state part of my original answer again, in that the URDF support for the Cork city library project demonstrates this Government's understanding and the critical important part of it in the regeneration of the Grand Parade quarter. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will continue to engage with Cork City Council on delivery in that context. The Department looks forward to the receipt of the preliminary business case and we will review it in a timely manner once it has been received.

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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Give us an answer to the question. Will a new library be built or not?