David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The problem with this scheme is that it is far too narrow. Yesterday, on the Order of Business, we had a number of calls from Senators in the House for a debate on town and city centres generally that would look at creative interventions that could be made to help regenerate towns, villages and cities across the State. I am currently doing some work for the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation with regard to developing a jobs action strategy for the regions. In any of the conversations I have had with local authorities, the need to regenerate town and city centres is a major issue. I agree with Senator Barrett that the main problem is that the macro issues of retail spend and footfall are down. This obviously has an impact on city centres. The issue of upward-only rents is also a significant issue, has an impact on the retail sector and must be dealt with.

Some creative pilot schemes have been put in place to deal with some of the issues. Carlow, for example, has a pop-up policy which is a creative way of encouraging businesses to showcase new ideas, enterprises and opportunities. It allows them to present themselves for a couple of weeks by giving them the use of a free space or empty building. I hope that policy is successful. We must go beyond the limited proposal in this Bill and look at ways of supporting the regeneration of town and city centres across the State. Any lift in the economy, better budget choices by the Government and putting more money in people's pockets will be a large factor in terms of the regeneration of city centres.

The initiative in this Bill relates to the regeneration of Georgian houses, but we should also consider the regeneration of housing stock in general. Many regeneration projects in Limerick, Waterford and Dublin, such as in Moyross in Limerick, have been put on hold, but those regeneration projects should go ahead. These are the kind of initiatives on which the Minister should focus at budget time because they create jobs and provide a social dividend for communities which are suffering. We should regenerate the housing stock that needs to be regenerated and create jobs in that area. I would like to see money going into those areas. This would create opportunities for small entrepreneurs and contractors but would also support social cohesion and community development. It seems odd to many people that we would include a scheme for the regeneration of Georgian housing, but not continue with regeneration projects in housing estates in many urban areas.

On the broader point of constantly looking at creative, innovative ways in which we can support town and city development, this is something we would all support. I hope the Leader will facilitate a wider debate on this important issue in the House. There is more to be discussed in that regard, including retail policy and out of town developments such as shopping malls. These issues must all be part of the wider issue of planning and retail policy. I hope the Minister will respond to these points.