Cyprian Brady (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, to the House. I very much welcome the introduction of this legislation for BIDS. Although it has been a while coming, the framework is correct and much work and study of best practice in this area has gone into it. The legislation is the best we can possibly do.

The BIDS will lead to the enhancement of many areas, and of Dublin city in particular, some of which have been neglected for some time. Under successive Governments parts of the city were decrepit for many years but that has been changing drastically in recent times. Every little patch and waste piece of ground in Dublin city is either being built on or will be built on at some stage in the future.

Such BIDS are partnership agreements between the local business community, residence groups, stakeholders the local authorities and have been very successful around the world since the first one was initiated in 1971 in Canada. There have been hundreds of them around the world, including in the US. The UK is now considering introducing BIDS, as the previous speaker stated.

BIDS are aimed at enhancing, but not replacing, the work of local authorities — that is crucial and it is dealt with fairly clearly in the legislation — in areas such as environmental management, economic development, capital investment, and improvements in and the promotion of social inclusion.

This Government and the previous Government have introduced a raft of legislation in the area of social inclusion. It has been one of the planks of policy for the past number of years. Around the city one can see the benefits of that legislation which has paid off immeasurably and will continue to pay off well into the future. Young people living in inner city areas, which have their difficulties due to drugs, crime or whatever, have been given opportunities in recent times which have not been available previously. In many cases, the lack of such opportunities led to some of the social problems in these areas.

In cities and towns there are numerous environmental issues which can be enhanced using the BID system and the Minister of State referred to a few of them. They include street cleaning and maintenance of streets and removal of graffiti and chewing gum. There has been a particular problem with graffiti in Dublin in recent times. There has been an explosion in the prevalence of graffiti around the city. Whereas in cities like New York it is considered an art form, we must look to legislate for this issue at some stage in the future as it can be quite a nuisance. Some graffiti is fine and appropriate but some of it is extremely ugly and offensive. This issue needs to be examined. Steps have been taken regarding the chewing gum problem. Dublin City Council spent years debating how to tackle the problem and it invested in special machines. While they proved to be of some value, they did not solve the problem.

BIDS can help in the provision of shrubs and flowers to enhance an area. In addition, the boards could invest in marketing the area and provide visitor information centres, which will benefit residents, shoppers and tourists as well as businesses. The success of Temple Bar highlights the benefit of marketing and public relations campaigns. The area is hopping nightly because of good marketing and that has been the case for many years. Tourists travel to Ireland specifically to visit Temple Bar, which is amazing, given that Fine Gael wanted to convert the area into a bus depot when it was in Government. It is crucially important to sell the new districts, particularly from a business point of view, but also to improve and enhance the district for people who live and work there.

The Bill provides for the inclusion of local residents on the boards of BIDS. This is essential, as it will enable business owners to interact and get to know their neighbours and to discuss problems and how to tackle them in a co-ordinated and supportive way. I have worked with various business associations in Dublin such as the Mary Street traders and the Dublin City Business Association, DCBA. They were willing to interact with local communities but it did not always work for a variety of reasons. Communications broke down and when an issue arose, it was difficult to mediate between both sides when one was interfering with the other. The inclusion of local residents on the boards of BIDS will ensure that problem is addressed, which is welcome. It will also enhance the security of both parties in the long run and it will result in significant savings. The issue of security is crucial for both business owners and local residents, particularly in Dublin city centre.

The input of local gardaí will be crucial. The RAPID programme and local authorities provide funding for closed circuit television systems at different locations, including local authority flat complexes. The systems have made a major difference. A report on the implementation of BIDS in other countries highlighted that local nuisance crime had decreased by between 30% and 40%. We are involved with local community policing forums, which are about to become local policing committees. They are extremely successful because community representatives, gardaí and local authority officials meet regularly and tackle issues when they arise. The introduction of BIDS will be effective in tackling problems.

The members of the DCBA employ more that 25,000 people and they have a combined annual turnover of €1.5 billion. They play a major part in the life of the city. Dublin City Council spent €20 million upgrading O'Connell Street and it has done a fantastic job. It will enhance the city's reputation not only in Europe but around the world. The BID system could achieve a great deal if all the business associations combine with the local residents and all the other stakeholders. I congratulate Tom Coffey and Paul McElearney of the DCBA because they did significant work on this issue over the past number of years. The beauty of BIDS is they are self-financing and the moneys raised in a district are re-invested there.

Dublin has suffered from a lack of corporate social responsibility. A number of individuals have tried to become more involved in local communities and their attempts have been hit and miss. However, business owners are willing to contribute and get involved in communities through summer projects or throwing parties at Christmas for old folks and children. The introduction of BIDS will provide a structure for these activities and they will harness the goodwill of business people. This will significantly benefit all concerned but it will take time for them to kick in because the boards must be established and funding agreed. Areas will benefit economically but they will also be enhanced though the provision of street furniture and shrubs and flowers. This will be positive not only for those living in the area but also for people who shop and work there. Many people are employed in Dublin city centre and they spend most of their lives there. The more we can do to enhance their experience, the better.

World class standards must be achieved to compete in the global market but, at the same time, we must maintain and maximise the unique character of our towns and cities because it is a great selling point. Fáilte Ireland is doing a great job selling the country and various towns and cities. However, standards must be improved through the provision of investment and structures that will benefit all concerned. We cannot stand still and we must improve constantly. International experience has demonstrated BIDS can help us to do that in an innovative and practical way. Day-to-day quality of life will improve as a result of the legislation and the business community will benefit because their profits will improve.

Senator Bannon referred to local government funding. It has increased significantly in recent years with a 7% increase last year. The issue is whether local authorities are using the money properly. In a number of cases, the money is sitting in bank accounts while the local authority announces the roll-out of programmes over five and ten years, which never materialise because the council and the officials move on.

The Dublin Docklands Authority is a great example of a successful PPP. Significant improvements have been made along the north quays between the Point Depot and Butt Bridge. If the business improvement districts prove to be in any way as successful as the Dublin docklands or Temple Bar, they are to be greatly welcomed.