Brendan Daly (Fianna Fail)

I support Senator Ó Murchú's comments on Limerick. After a recent visit by the Taoiseach an initiative was taken to deal with the situation in Moyross and that area. A distinguished former public servant has been given the challenge of overseeing the renewal of the area and to try to deal with the underlying social problems. There have been killings there too.

The national development plan will be published at the end of January. It is an important document which will be a blueprint for economic development and activity until 2016. We should have an opportunity to discuss this document, although that will not be possible before it is published. The views of Members of both Houses, who have considerable experience and expertise in matters of economic planning and development, should be built into the plan.

This should have been done before the document was published so that it will not be simply a publication drafted by civil servants with some Government involvement. We all have a contribution to make to its launch and as we could not do so before now we should have a chance to do that as soon as it is published. It might be possible to make some amendments in the light of what transpires at those discussions here and in the other House.