Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

This Bill is interesting and progressive and at the same time quite homely and comforting. It is relying on an old tenet that still holds good, namely, that communities can help themselves. I am not at all surprised that the idea originated in Canada and then moved to the United States because the people in those countries are full of get-up-and-go. I understand European cities will take up the idea as well.

I commend the Dublin City Business Association, particularly Mr. Tom Coffey, who is excellent at his business and has shown what can be done with O'Connell Street when there is the will and the dynamism to put much-needed improvements in place. I am intrigued by the idea of businesses getting together and that they must have a common purpose, namely, to improve their area. Residents often get together to improve their area. A past-pupils union may want to improve its school. It is an old-fashioned characteristic of people, which is to better the community in which they live or serve. That can only be for the good because if one is imbued with that old-fashioned characteristic — I notice it on school committees and so on — it can work very much to the benefit of the entire community.

I have one reservation which I hope the Minister of State can address; Senator Kitt raised it in his contribution. The Bill states that funding provided will not be replacement funding for local authority funding. I understand funding provided will be additional to whatever will be provided by the local authority in an area. There are many ways to skin a cat, however, and I would not like to see any subterfuge in that arrangement. The scheme will flop if it is not clearly indicated what an area will get by way of local authority funding and under the bids scheme. Improvements, therefore, will be made under the bids scheme.

A plebiscite is to be arranged. Senator Tuffy made an interesting point about that. What do we do about the few down-in-the-mouth business people who will not want to be part of this scheme? They will share in the benefits, whether it is enhancement of the area by painting, street-scaping, landscaping or whatever. All businesses will be enhanced but what about those who do not want to be part of it?